Essay Sample: The Rise and Fall of Aaron Hernandez

A boy began playing football at a young age. He shined in high school and received a D1 scholarship to Florida. A few years later, he is drafted in the NFL and has everything he wants. Not long after, he is stripped of his NFL contract and charged with murder. This is the story of Aaron Hernandez who went from a football star to life in prison. Aaron Hernandez was an NFL player who was declared guilty of murder and has been accused of multiple counts of assault and a double homicide. A few years later, he was found in his cell dead after hanging himself. Aaron Hernandez is clearly guilty of the murder of Odin Lloyd, Daniel de Abreu, Safiro Furtado, and other assault charges because of his violent nature and some suspicious circumstantial evidence that puts him directly connected with the crime. 

Aaron Hernandez was born on November 6th, 1989 in Bristol, Connecticut. He was reportedly sexually abused and physically abused by his father in his childhood (Bertram). However, football created a special bond between him and his father. Hernandez’s father pushed him hard and made him practice often before leaving the house (Candiotti). Consequently, football became first in his life and his mental health slowly declined. Later, Hernandez confessed to being homosexual and this amount of stress can be extremely damaging for an individual. Quickly, Hernandez became a football star at Bristol Central High School catching 24 touchdowns and he gained numerous college interest. On January 6th, 2006, Hernandez’s father died and this is believed to spark more violent tendencies (Gregory). As a result, Aaron reportedly turned to drugs in high school to try and compensate for his father’s death. A year later, Hernandez enrolled at the University of Florida as an early enrollee. A couple of months later, Hernandez went to a bar with his new teammate Tim Tebow and got in a fight with an employee. Immediately, Tebow attempted to break up the fight, and luckily Hernandez was not charged (Bertram). In January 2010, Hernandez won the John Mackey Award for the nation’s best tight end and ended up winning another BCS championship. Next, he declared for the draft as a junior and admitted to failing a drug test. Due to his failed drug tests and history of some violence Hernandez fell in the draft to the New England Patriots in the fourth round (Candiotti). Only in his second season, he won the AFC championship with the Patriots and is one of the most promising young players in the NFL. Because of his remarkable season, the Patriots then gave Hernandez a five-year, forty-million-dollar deal. After receiving his contract, Hernandez’s fiancee gives birth to his daughter (Bertram). 

The downfall of Aaron Hernandez and his first public crime began on July 16th, 2012 when Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado are found dead in their car after being shot in a drive-by shooting. Next, in February 2013, Alexander Bailey, Hernandez’s friend, accused Hernandez of shooting him in the face. Later, Bailey filed a lawsuit against him (Bertram). A couple of months later, on June 17th, Odin Lloyd’s body is found dead near Hernandez’s home. Only nine days later, the police arrest Hernandez and he is charged with first-degree murder. Just shortly after, Hernandez is cut by the New England Patriots (Bertram). Surprisingly, Hernandez pleads not guilty of the murder of Odin Lloyd. Roughly a year later, Hernandez is accused of being involved in a drive-by shooting and pleads not guilty. Later that month, Hernandez is charged with assault in a fight in prison (Bertram). On January 9th, 2015, Hernandez goes back on trial for the murder of Odin Lloyd and after 96 days he was declared guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Later on February 14, 2017, Hernandez goes back on trial for the murder of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. The tremendous stress he was under, caused, only two months later, Hernandez to hang himself by a bedsheet while in prison (Bertram). Directly after his death, his brain was donated to Boston University and it was later revealed that he was suffering from a severe case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy or also known as CTE. CTE is becoming more and more common amongst former NFL players and it is known to cause violence. Additionally, CTE can be a cause for his murders and suicide but it can’t be diagnosed without an autopsy (Gregory). Trauma to the brain repeatedly can make people more susceptible to CTE which is why this disease has been diagnosed in over 100 football players (Bertram). Hernandez’s CTE case was bizarre because he was only 27 years old and symptoms of CTE normally began in NFL players’ 60’s (Belson).

Aaron Hernandez was in contact with Odin Lloyd the night that he died. They had been texting that night to meet up. They began texting back in forth about meeting up and then two hours later, Lloyd asks "We still on." Also, near the time of Lloyds death, a string of text messages was sent to Odin’s sister mentioning that he was with someone named “NFL.” Unfortunately, these were the last text messages that Odin Lloyd ever sent. The defense attempted to claim that this conversation showed the close friendship between the two (How prosecutors proved former NFL player Aaron Hernandez guilty of murder).

Being a large mansion in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, Hernandez had plenty of surveillance inside and outside of his house. Consequently, having surveillance was detrimental for Hernandez’s defense. Some surveillance shows Hernandez’s rental car, a Nissan Altima, in Lloyd’s driveway at 2:33 a.m. (How prosecutors proved former NFL player Aaron Hernandez guilty of murder). After Hernandez returned to his house, his cameras show him exiting the Nissan Altima without Odin Lloyd. Additionally, more surveillance from inside Hernandez’s house shows Aaron Hernandez holding a black object that could have been the murder weapon that was never recovered. Lloyd was shot three times from the front and then shot twice in his back by .45 caliber bullets. His body was found by a jogger the next morning (Manfred). The same casing was found in Hernandez’s rented car and the prosecution explains that these shell casings came from Hernandez’s Glock that he was holding in the surveillance videos (How prosecutors proved former NFL player Aaron Hernandez guilty of murder). Hernandez attempted to delete six to eight hours of this incriminating surveillance footage (Manfred).

Hernandez was extremely close to the crime to not be somewhat involved. Interestingly, Hernandez’s house was only two minutes away from the crime scene. Also, Odin Lloyd was in a relationship with Hernandez’s fiance’s sister at the time (How prosecutors proved former NFL player Aaron Hernandez guilty of murder). Furthermore, the shell casing found in Hernandez’s vehicle had a piece of blue bubble gum stuck to it. The worker at the car-rental company said that Hernandez happened to offer her a piece of his blue bubblegum. Soon after, it was proved that Hernandez had bought the Blue Cotton Candy Bubblicious bubble gum at a gas station shortly before Lloyd’s death (Manfred). Hernandez’s motive was that he was furious at Odin Lloyd for talking to people that Hernandez despised at a club in Boston called Rumor a couple nights ago (How prosecutors proved former NFL player Aaron Hernandez guilty of murder). 

The evidence links Hernandez directly to the crime but this wasn’t the only crime that Hernandez did. He was also accused of a double homicide during a drive-by shooting and he allegedly shot one of his best friends in the face. Although Hernandez was never found guilty for these crimes because these trials never finished due to his suicide, if they were retried then he would more than likely be found guilty. Hernandez’s former cellmate, Kyle Kennedy shares, "[Hernandez] always used to tell me he had four murders," Kennedy told Dylan Howard, an investigative journalist, "He would just always, all the time joke around saying, 'I got four bodies'" (Aaron Hernandez Linked To 4th Murder 2 Years After Suicide). The fact that surveillance caught Hernandez exiting his vehicle without Lloyd and the crime happening only two minutes away from him is the most convincing evidence. Intriguingly, Hernandez was in contact with him the same night he died and he was one of the last people to see Lloyd. Clearly, all of the evidence points directly to Hernandez and the jury also declared him guilty.

Hernandez could’ve been one of the best football players and he could’ve easily gone on to win many super bowls. Unfortunately, he ruined his life by choosing drugs and letting his rage cause assault and murder. Hernandez had a fiance, a daughter, a big mansion, a massive NFL contract, and he was on one of the best NFL teams in the league. But he was raised in a house where violence was normal and mental health was ignored. Unhealthily, Hernandez had to keep his feelings to himself. He was clearly guilty of his murders because of his violent nature and some inexplainable suspicious evidence. Also, he is an example that anyone, including people who are as popular or talented as Hernandez, can implode and be dangerous if their mental health is not properly acknowledged.