Former New England Patriots player and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez hanged himself in his jail cell Wednesday morning, according to reports from various news outlets citing a Department of Corrections statement. Hernandez was reportedly found in his cell at 3:05 a.m. and pronounced dead an hour later.
According to reports, Hernandez, 27, used bed sheets to hang himself from the window of the cell where he was housed alone. The statement quoted by reports said he attempted to block the cell’s door from opening. Hernandez has been serving a life sentence without parole in the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley since his conviction for the 2013 murder of a man in North Attleborough.
He was acquited five days ago of murder charges stemming from the deaths of two men in 2012.