Ex-NFL star Hernandez hangs himself in prison

BOSTON (Reuters) – Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez hanged himself on Wednesday in a prison cell where he was serving a life sentence for murder, prison officials said, and his family called for an immediate investigation into the circumstances.

The body of the 27-year-old former athlete was found hanging from a bed sheet at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, Massachusetts. Hernandez was serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of an acquaintance, but on Friday had been found not guilty of killing two other people.

“There were no conversations from Aaron to his family or legal team that would have indicated anything like this was possible,” said lawyer Jose Baez, who successfully defended Hernandez in the double-murder trial. “Aaron was looking forward to an opportunity for a second chance to prove his innocence.”

Hernandez’s two murder trials revealed a troubled man who used illegal narcotics and believed strangers were challenging or disrespecting him. Hernandez was expected to appeal his sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole for the 2013 murder.

Some of his former teammates were due in Washington later on Wednesday to visit the White House and meet President Donald Trump in honor of their Super Bowl win. A team spokesman said the trip would proceed and declined to comment further on Hernandez’s death.

Tom Brady, the team’s best-known player, did not attend the White House event due to family commitments, local media reported, citing a statement from the star quarterback and self-described friend of Trump.