‘American Sports Story’: The Breakdown of the Aaron Hernandez Case

There was a period of time when the name Aaron Hernandez was synonymous with football. That changed during the New England Patriots’ 2013 offseason when the tight end was arrested and charged for the murder of Odin Lloyd.

As “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” tells it, this case isn’t a simple one. No single moment or feud led to the football star’s arrest. Instead, a lifetime of abuse and hiding his sexuality paired with endless access to drugs, an environment that encouraged violence and a sport that often leads to severe brain injuries led to these entirely preventable crimes. Ahead of Ryan Murphy and Stu Zicherman’s deep dive, consider this your guide to the major details of the Hernandez case.

The Odin Lloyd murder, explained

On June 26, 2013, Aaron Hernandez’s life and legacy was forever changed. That was when the New England Patriots tight end was arrested and charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd, whose body was found in an industrial park after being shot seven times. Roughly 90 minutes after Hernandez’s arrest, the Patriots released him from the team.

In the summer of 2013, Hernandez was dating his high school sweetheart, Shayanna Jenkins. Her sister Shaneah Jenkins was dating Lloyd, a landscaper and semi-professional football player. Hernandez and Lloyd met through the sisters and formed a fast friendship.

It still remains unclear about what exactly led to Lloyd’s murder. On June 14, 2013, the two men were seen together at Rumor Nightclub in Boston, a night that allegedly ended with Hernandez storming out. It’s also been reported that there was an incident between the two men after Hernandez showed Lloyd his gun collection. Whatever the reason for their falling out, many believe it happened due to an ultimately inconsequential reason — a lifelong trend for the football star.

Lloyd was seen in the early hours of June 17 getting into a car with Hernandez and his friends Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz. Around 3:25 a.m., surveillance footage showed that car driving into the industrial park where Lloyd’s body was eventually found. After roughly 40 minutes, the same car departed. Adding to the large pile of evidence, a piece of gum with Hernandez’s DNA was found stuck to a gun shell casing, and the same rental car that appeared in the industrial park was rented under Hernandez’s name.

Hernandez was eventually convicted of first-degree murder as well as all weapons charges in 2015, resulting in a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, his suicide in 2017 complicated his case. Citing abatement ab initio, Hernandez’s lawyers argued that his convictions should be vacated because he died before his appeals were exhausted. That was then overruled in 2019 following an appeal from the prosecution and Lloyd’s family.

After his death, Boston University researchers studied Hernandez’s brain and diagnosed him with chronic traumatic encephalopathy , which is caused by repeated head trauma. The neurological disease has been linked to behavioral and mood problems as well as problems with thinking.

Ortiz and Wallace also face legal action for their role in Lloyd’s murder. Wallace was convicted of being an accessory after the fact, and Ortiz pled guilty to accessory after the fact, which led to the murder charge against him being dropped. Both were sentenced to four and a half to seven years in prison.

The abuse of the Hernandez brothers

The Odin Lloyd case is an odd one because — as was the case with all of Hernandez’s crimes — it said more about Hernandez than his relationship to his victims.

From childhood, Hernandez was surrounded by violence. Both of his parents were arrested during their lives, and both Hernandez and his brother, Dennis Jonathan Jr. were physically abused by their father, who pushed them toward excellence, especially in sports. Jonathan also claimed Hernandez was sexually molested as a child.

Another source of pressure in Hernandez’s life was his sexuality. Dennis SanSoucie , a friend of Hernandez’s who experimented with the future football star when they were in high school, said that Hernandez was “terrified” his father would learn he was gay. Despite this rocky relationship, many believe that Hernandez never recovered from the death of his father in 2006.

Did Aaron Heranandez kill two other people?

This internal turbulence paired with a short temper and an environment that encouraged violence was a dangerous combination. Though Hernandez was only convicted of one murder, he had several run-ins with the law throughout this career.

While at the University of Florida in 2007, he punched the manager of a bar, rupturing his eardrum. Hernandez’s run-ins escalated in 2012 when two men, Daniel Jorge Correia de Abreu and Safiro Teixeira Furtado, were killed by gunshot in their vehicle. Hernandez and his friend, Alexander Bradley, were in the same club as the two men the night of their murders. The prosecution argued that Hernandez was angered by the two men after a drink was spilled on him . In April of 2017 — two years after being convicted of Lloyd’s death — Hernandez was acquitted of the murders, though the Boston Globe later stated there was “powerful evidence” connecting him to the crimes.

Less than a year after the de Abreu and Furtado deaths, Hernandez visited a Florida strip club with his friend, Alexander Bradley. Bradley was later found lying in a parking lot bleeding after being shot in the head. Though the injury cost him his right eye, Bradley didn’t work with police, instead resorting to death threats and extortion attempts that were uncovered through the pair’s texts. Bradley eventually filed a civil lawsuit for damages against the football player. A settlement was reached in 2016, the details of which are unknown.

At the height of the Bradley drama, Hernandez travelled to California with his fiancé and daughter to have a shoulder surgery. During this time, Jenkins called the police twice in less than a week, alleging that Hernandez was drunk and violent.

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