← Murder, Mystery & Makeup
Murder, Mystery & Makeup
NFL superstar to cold blooded KILLER - the downfall of Aaron Hernandez
01:07:24
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- [00:00]
Bailey Sarian
Hi, friends. How are you today? My name is Bailey Sarian, and today's Monday, which means it's Murder mystery Makeup Monday, if you're new here. Hi, my name is Bailey Sarian, and on Mondays, I sit down, I talk about a true crime story that's been heavy on my noggin, and I do my makeup at the same time. If you're interested in true crime and you like makeup, I would say subscribe, because I'm here for you on Mondays. So. Have you ever heard the saying, not everything that glitters is gold? Well, let me tell you, there's no truer example of that than the story of Aaron Hernandez. Now, this man who seemed to, like, have it all, he had it all. Booming NFL career, loving fiance, beautiful daughter. A lifestyle that most people would, like, dream of. But behind, like, all that glitz, all of that, there was a darkness. A darkness so deep and tangled that even those closest to him could not see it coming. Mm. Mm. So buckle up, baby, because today we are diving headfirst into one of the most shocking and downright twisted stories in NFL history. Oh, yes, that was a good intro. Aaron Hernandez went from the top of the sports world to frickin rock bottom. And the fall was violent. It was fast, and it was full of secrets. Aaron Hernandez, his brother actually wrote a book about his brother Aaron. So I read his brother's book, and that's where, like, a lot of I got a lot of information from. It gave a lot of context, too. But let me just get into it. So Aaron Michael Hernandez, he was born in Bristol, Connecticut on November 6, 1989. He was the second son to his parents, Dennis Hernandez and Terry Valentine. Hernandez, I know Valentine, cute last name. But according to Aaron, he said, look, growing up in the home, there was, like, constant fighting going on. It was toxic. Aaron's dad, his name was Dennis. He actually had, like, a nickname in the city of Bristol. Everyone kind of called him the King because Dennis, he was regarded as, like, a local success story. It was said, Dennis, that he grew up as a, quote, like, scrappy kid who grew up in a family with Puerto Rican roots. And as he was growing up, he had a lot of run ins with the law, but he was able to pull himself together as a teenager and become a Bristol Central High football star and had a football scholarship to the University of Connecticut, Connecticut. Thank you. And again, this was Aaron's dad. But, you know, like, those dreams didn't last forever. When he was done playing football, he didn't go, like, pro or anything. And he ended up becoming a high school janitor. And Aaron's mom, she was working as a school secretary, which isn't bad. It's just, you know, he wanted, he wanted more. So usually when a parent has big dreams, what happens? They pushed that onto their children, and it definitely seemed like this was the case. It was said that both of the parents, they were pretty rough in like, their own ways. And both of them would be arrested and involved in crime during their lives. When Aaron was three years old, his father Dennis, he was arrested and charged with like, trying to buy cocaine from an undercover cop. He had a bit of a drug problem. Not great, right? And then When Aaron was 8, his father, he got into a fight with one of the school football coaches and ended up punching him in the face, which led to his arrest. He was one of those parents, you know what I'm saying? And then when Aaron was 11, his mom got arrested for being part of an underground sports gambling bookie operation that was working out of the family home. So what I'm getting at is there was a lot going on. There was a lot going on. It was said that Aaron's father was pretty hardcore. Like, he would often beat and belittle the kids. Like nothing they did was good enough. And if their father was drinking, it seemed to be worse. But usually he would tell the kids, like, you're not working hard enough. They were just never doing like the right thing, you know. And as a kid, what I read in the book was that they still love their dad. I mean, as a kid, you just want your parents approval. So it's like they were just going above and beyond trying to prove to their father that they were good enough. It was said that like Aaron and his, his brother, they lived in constant fear of like, their father's beatings, which were so bad that like, at times they would threaten their dad that they were gonna call the police and in hopes that he would stop. But the dad would be like, go ahead, call them and like, hand the kids the phone. Like, go ahead, do it. And then he would tell the kids, like, if you, if you call the police, I'm just gonna beat you even harder. So go ahead, you know, and as a child, I'm sure that's not ideal, you know, Sucks. He just seemed really mean. Aaron would say that he remembered his mother, like, throwing his father out of the house on multiple occasions, but she would always end up, like, letting him back in. Aaron's family, they would all get together from time to time, you know, and that's when he saw that his cousins were in to cheerleading, and to him, it seemed really fun. And his cousins were, like, really good at it. They're doing flips. They're cheerleading, you know? And Aaron said that he. He wanted to be a cheerleader because his cousins. Cousins were good at it, and he wanted to do it, too. So I guess he told his parents that he wanted to do cheerleading. And let me tell you, that did not go well. Aaron's dad was just straight up, like, homophobic. He would call Aaron and his brother, like, just awful slurs, the bad ones, all the time. And even in the book, it was saying that Aaron's dad used to say that the way Aaron, like, stood or, like, had his hands on his hips and stuff, he would call him. He would just say, like, don't stand like that. You look like a F word, you know? And it was a lot of that. So him wanting to be a cheerleader.
- [06:41]
Unknown
Was just, oh, hell, no.
- [06:44]
Bailey Sarian
Okay? He was not gonna be a cheerleader, and it was not acceptable to his father. So instead, you know, their dad really focused on putting the kids into sports, you know, and they would play sports any chance they could. So they would play basketball, they would play football. And it seemed like their father just wanted, like, the boys to focus on football and be famous football players, really, you know, and just be, like, the best at it. Well, of course Aaron played football, you know, and he was really good at it. He was really good at it. He attended Bristol Central High School, where he was named High school All American after catching 24 touchdowns. When he was in elementary school and middle school, it was said that Aaron was, like, really skinny and just kind of, like, lanky, you know? But then when he reached high school, he went through, like, a growth spurt where he reached 6 foot 2, and he got all muscular and, like, he was practicing harder at football than anyone else. And he would tell his brother, like, dude, I'm gonna be the best. I'm gonna be the best. And he was, like, just determined to be a star. It's such a shame because, like, I don't really understand the football lingo a lot, but based off what I was reading, I mean, like, he was really, really good and really something special, and it's just a shame. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. So he's determined to be a star, and things were, like, really working out for him. During his junior year, he had captured the attention of college recruiters across the country. He was getting calls from places like the University of Michigan Notre Dame, Boston College, and the university, Florida. So it's like, dang, he's got options. Okay, look, this is a side note because, like, I left it out of the script. Technically, like, he was supposed to go to the University of Connecticut and kind of, like, made a deal with the football coach there that he was going to go there. But then after realizing he had other options, he decided he wanted to go somewhere else. And there was some kind of, like, drama with that. But I'm breezing past it because it doesn't. It doesn't matter. Just saying that, because if you're an Aaron Hernandez fan, you're probably like, why aren't you mentioning that? There you go. Okay, great. So then Aaron's junior year of High School, 2006, Aaron's father, Dennis, he would go in. He was having stomach problems, so he went in for a hernia surgery. You know, it's a routine surgery, removing the hernia, whatever. After the surgery, like, he's healing fine. And then all of a sudden, just, like, things started to go downhill, and they went downhill quick. And Dennis, his dad, ended up passing away at the age of 49. It said he got toxic shock, and then he died. So again, it was just supposed to be a simple surgery, right? And, like, none of it made sense. And this was a huge loss to the family, and this is really when things just start going downhill.
- [09:57]
Unknown
So the other night, I'm sitting there scrolling on my phone, and I see this random charge pop up, and I'm like, it finally happened. I've been hacked. Well, it turns out the hacker was me. I had a subscription still charging me from, like, two years ago for a streaming service that I forgot about completely.
- [10:15]
Bailey Sarian
Yeah.
- [10:16]
Unknown
Whoopsie.
- [10:17]
Bailey Sarian
That's when I realized I needed help.
- [10:18]
Unknown
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- [11:33]
Bailey Sarian
After his father's death, it was said that Aaron started dabbling with drugs. A friend and, like, a teammate of his. His name was also Dennis. He recalled, like, smoking a lot of weed with Aaron before school, before practice, and even, like, after the game, after her football games and stuff. I guess they were high, like, all the time in high school. Then things got messy. So some of, like, Aaron's relatives, they also lived in Bristol, and they, you know, they were close. He had one cousin, her name was Tanya, and she was about, like, 14 years older than he was. So she was like an older sister to him. So some. An older sister he never had, you know, someone he could totally trust. But after his father died, he learned that his mother was having a romantic relationship with Tonya's husband. So obviously, major shock to Tanya, right? What? Huh? Yes. And also to Aaron. When Aaron found out about his mom having the relationship, whatever, it made him and Tanya grow. Grow closer in their relationship. And also Aaron, like, really started to despise his mom, like, really did not like her. So Tanya would end up divorcing her husband. And it wouldn't take long for Tanya's ex husband to, like, move in with Aaron's mom. So it was just like, it was a lot, right? Like, your dad just died. Now your mom's with your cousin's husband. Like, it was just a lot for him. So Aaron would spend a lot of his time at his cousin Tanya's house. After learning about the affair, like, he didn't want to be home anymore. And her house was across the street from the fields where Aaron used to play youth football. So it was like, it was just a second home to him. It was said at Tanya's house, that's where he, like, first really got introduced to weed and to, like, a lot of questionable people. It was said this is where at Tanya's house. It's where he acquired his streetwise mentality. So Aaron's transition from high school to the University of Florida was in January of 2007. It was marked by both anticipation and controversy. Controversy. He was pushed by the Florida Gators head coach, Urban Meyer, who was, like, keen on recruiting young talent, and he wanted Aaron to graduate high school early to join the college football rinks. Now, Aaron, again, was really great athletically, but he wasn't like fully academically ready for college. It was said that he scored a 420 on his SAT, which was below the minimum requirement at Florida where most of the freshmen scored 600 or above. So technically he shouldn't have been allowed in. But it didn't matter though, because he was great on the field and, and the coach was like, you know, just. He wanted him, right? And it's like, oh, he can focus on reading and writing in college. Like, it's fine, just ignore it. Everything's fine. So they just really ignored his low scores. So at just 17, Aaron's encounter with adulthood and its freedoms was off to a rocky start. There was an early incident at a Gainesville bar called the Swamp. And here's what happened. So that night, Aaron goes out to this bar with another college football star and teammate, Tim Tebow. First of all, Aaron was just 17 years old, so he shouldn't even have been at the bar drinking in the first place. But it said that like, college football players kind of get treated like rock stars there. So the whole age thing didn't matter. So they go out, Aaron has like a couple of drinks at the bar, and then was given the bill. Cause you gotta pay, right? Well, Aaron allegedly didn't think such a big football star like himself should have to pay for the drinks. So an argument happened. And we don't really know what was said, but what we do know happened was that Aaron ended up punching the bar manager in the head. And the manager, he like, suffered from a ruptured eardrum. Now, Aaron could have easily been charged with a felony over this, but again, the college football stars, they get treated differently. So Aaron like, called the coach, his coach in the middle of the night, gave him the details, and the Gators unofficial defense lawyer intervened. Soon afterwards, the bar manager told the police that he was gonna request that the charges be dropped because he had been contacted by legal staff and coaches with the university and that they were just going to work on some kind of agreement. I know, must be nice. Well, is it? No, there's no consequences with these boys. In the end, Aaron like never faced any charges. But this was like red flag number one. Aaron's teammates in Florida considered Aaron to be like a big hearted clown. They gave him the nickname Chico and he like embraced it. His teammates would say that he always tried to be the life of the party and like, people either loved him or they just couldn't stand the guy. During his time at Florida, he was recognized as one of the top players in the nation. Like, he was a key player on the 2008 BCS National Championship team. That's like speaking a different language. I don't know what that means. But, like, yes, he was a very talented player. But even with his fun personality, Aaron was facing some serious issues. He wasn't doing great in his classes, if he was even going. And he even got, like, mixed up in a scary situation involving a shooting in Gainesville that left two wounded. I tried to find more information about this because I was like, what? He wasn't part of this shooting. It was more of him being at the wrong place at the wrong time. That's, like, all the information I could find. I think after the fact, people now think he probably was involved in some kind of way with whatever went down. Yeah, I don't even know if it was worth mentioning, but, like, I mentioned it, so. Because I don't really know what. I don't know what the situation was. So despite all these problems, Aaron was still an amazing football player. He ended up receiving the John Mackey Award as the nation's best college tight end for his junior season at Florida in 2009, which is pretty huge. I feel so dumb. This is not my world, but I guess I looked it up, and the John Mackie Award is, like, presented annually to the most outstanding standing college tight end in the United States. So that's very impressive. Right. So Aaron, he had his eyes set on joining the NFL, which, you know, the real deal. But there were some more problems. Aaron was failing drug tests while he was at the University of Florida. And scouts, I learned that football scouts, they do some serious digging. They hire private investigators to look into everyone's backgrounds to know, like, what they're investing in, which is good. But at the same time, how come they always overlook domestic abuse? I don't know. But. So scouts were looking into Aaron because he's amazing. Right. But they didn't really like him, and they were describing him as, like, a social misfit who had, like, a serious weed habit. So on top of that, when they were looking into, you know, his past, there were concerns about his possible ties to, like, some kind of criminal behavior in his hometown of Bristol. He didn't technically have any charges on his record, but, like, there were some. There was some question. He just. They weren't sure. So, like, a lot of recruits didn't want to touch him, but things were going to be all right for him because in 2010, Aaron was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Now, this was major, right? Huge. Could you imagine? Major. So this was like his chance to, like, get things together, right? He's playing with the big boys now, and he showed up. During his rookie year, Aaron had scored six touchdowns on 563 receiving yards. Question mark. I don't know what that means. Alongside quarterback Tom Brady. Maybe you know what that means. Okay, so he's doing great. And in his second season, he helped the Patriots, you know, get all the way up to the Super Bowl. They ended up losing to the New York Giants, 21 to 17. But I'm sure, like, this was quite the rush for him. I'm sure his dad, as mean as he was, I'm sure his dad would have been very proud. Or not, I'm not sure, but either way. So as his fame and workload were growing, Aaron decided to hire, like, two friends to work as, like, his assistant. Now, one of them, his name was Alexander Bradley, who technically was a drug dealer that Aaron met back in college. And I guess he was now working as his personal assistant. And it seemed like mainly his weed supplier. And Alexander, like, his job wasn't, I guess, just about getting drugs. He was also there to calm Aaron down whenever he would get angry or paranoid, just do things for. For Aaron. So at one point, Aaron had asked Alexander to buy him a $375 silver revolver. For him. I don't know. He just wanted some guns. And the Patriots, the team, they kind of like turned a blind eye to Aaron's shenanigans. Like, they knew he was up to no good and they knew that he was smoking weed, allegedly. But again, he was such a good player and they, like, he was such an asset to the team. So they were just kind of like, you know, just looking the other way. And because Aaron did so well on his, like, rookie year or whatever, the Patriots, the team, they went ahead and signed Aaron to a five year, $40 million contract extension with the Patriots. And this happened in August of 2012. Now at this time, Aaron is 23 years old. I don't know about you, but I could not imagine being 23 years old with a $40 million contract. I'm sure if you don't have the right people around, it could easily destroy you. Right? Be stupid with the money. Buying stupid crap, just being stupid. It was said that Aaron often carried a gun around, and some people that were around him thought that was like a respectful, nice guy, especially for being a celebrity athlete. But they would say, like, the friends that he was hanging around were just A bad influence. One friend who hung around like, his circle said that Aaron was very gullible, and he was willing to just do whatever to, like, prove that he was badass or something. It was like he didn't realize that he was getting himself into a lot of trouble by hanging out with the wrong people. And a lot of people said that he was just a follower. So. The Patriots teammates described Aaron as an attention seeker who at times seemed unhinged. They would go on to say that he would have, like, these major mood swings where he would be, like, the most hyper, masculine, aggressive individual in the room and, like, was ready to fight anybody, you know, during, like, fits of rage. And then there would be other times where he would be, like, the most sensitive person in the room, and he would be talking about, like, cuddling with his mom, or he would go up to other players asking, like, if he was good enough to play. He just seemed deeply insecure, I guess. There would be beef at times with their legendary team leader, Tom Brady, who would become enraged by Aaron's erratic behavior. It's like, one minute Aaron would be, like, childlike, laughing and disruptive, and then the next, he would kind of storm off in a fit of rage. And then there was Aaron's lover, Shayana Jenkins. The two of them, they met when they were. They were kids growing up in the same neighborhood in Bristol. They attended the same elementary and high school, which meant that they knew each other just from a very young age. Their families were familiar with each other, and they, you know, were childhood friends for, like, many years. As they grew older, their friendship eventually turned into a romantic relationship. In high school, they broke up for a little bit when Aaron went to the University of Florida, but they still, like, stayed in touch. And then when he went into the NFL, I guess that's when they, like, decided to pick back up their relationship. Shanna eventually moved in with Aaron after he started playing for the New England Patriots, and then the couple ended up getting engaged in 2012. On November 6, 2012, Shanna gave birth to their daughter. You would hope this would make him grow up a little bit. You know, grow up. You have a family now, but Nae. Nay, of course not.
- [25:36]
Unknown
Do you ever have that moment where you, like, open the fridge and you're just standing there staring and realizing that.
- [25:41]
Bailey Sarian
The only thing looking back at you.
- [25:43]
Unknown
Is a bottle of ketchup that expired in 2021? Yeah, maybe that was too real.
- [25:49]
Bailey Sarian
Maybe that's. Maybe that's me.
- [25:51]
Unknown
Maybe I'm looking in a mirror. I don't know. Anyways, you're standing there like, damn, I'm hungry. And honestly, that ketchup, it has calories. I wouldn't mind. Well, guess what? Listen, it doesn't have to be like that because there's HelloFresh. HelloFresh is a meal kit delivery service that sends chef crafted recipes and fresh pre portioned ingredients right door. And this summer, HelloFresh made their biggest menu upgrade yet. They doubled their menu. So you can choose from 100 options every week. And if you're like me and love variety, you can get steak and seafood recipes every single week at like no extra cost. You'll also get bigger portions that actually keep you full and satisfied. HelloFresh brings me meals that I'm actually excited to cook. I know, I made these.
- [26:41]
Bailey Sarian
Like cute.
- [26:42]
Unknown
Yeah, they were cute. Pork fajita lettuce wraps.
- [26:46]
Bailey Sarian
Yeah, I said cute. Wow.
- [26:48]
Unknown
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- [27:40]
Bailey Sarian
In July of 2012, Aaron was at the Cure Lounge one evening. He's partying and he was hanging out with his friend Alexander. It was said at around 12:30am Inside of the club, a guy named Daniel D' Abro bumped into Aaron, causing him to like spill his drink on himself. That was it. Okay. And I guess that was enough to set Aaron off. Alexander said that Aaron was getting all riled up and that it was best if they just left the club. So the two of them leave the club and they're like outside and Aaron is fuming like he can't freaking let it go. Then Aaron noticed that that guy Daniel, who ran into him and his friend Sapphira were leaving the club. So I guess Aaron like turns to Alexander and he tells him like, let's, let's go, let's go. Let's like follow them. So it's around 2.30am, Aaron and his friend Alexander, they hop into their car, it's a silver suv. And they hit the road and they catch up to the car that Daniel and Sapphira were in. And they, like, pull up next to them. It's like, at a red light. Witnesses later testified that someone in Aaron's car had shouted at the other men, saying, like, what's up now? Just, like, shouting at them and then screaming, like, some racist stuff before firing five shots into the vehicle, which ended up killing both of the men. So the SUV with Aaron and his friend, they, you know, they take off and they end up taking the SUV to Aaron's cousin's garage, Tanya, to keep it hidden for a while. Cause they just freaking killed someone. So they're like, we need to hide the car. So naturally, police come out to the scene and investigate, figure out what the frick happened. And they were looking into surveillance footage from the club that night to determine, like, who killed these men, right? And on the footage, they actually saw Aaron. Aaron Hernandez on the footage. And at first, like, the police even said they just thought, like, oh, what a coincidence. You know, like, he's a big football star and he was at the club. That's funny. Like, they didn't think he was a part of it. The only thing they had to go off of the police was, was, like, finding that SUV that was involved in the attack. But they were having no luck locating the vehicle. So the police, they said that they had, like, they had no leads. They had no leads because both Daniel and Sapphira had no criminal history. They had no enemies. They worked cleaning buildings at night and were just like, good, honest people. And the killing made no sense. Now, the police, again, they were not looking into Aaron at this time because technically, Aaron did not have a criminal record himself. Like, yes, he had those involvements earlier, but there was never any, like, police reports made, so there was nothing on his record. And again, the police are like, he's a big football star. Like, what would he have to do with this crime? You know, the case kind of goes cold because they don't even know who they're looking for. It was really sad for the family. Like, these. These men that got killed, they just seemed like they're. It was just like, so, so sad. Like, they just seemed like really good people. And they got killed for literally no freaking reason. Reason. And the families, you know, they were preparing to bury Daniel and Sapphira side by side, like, in a Boston cemetery. And meanwhile, Aaron was off partying like nothing happened. He was spotted within, like, days of the murders, riding jet skis with a bunch of his Bristol friends in a fancy harbor town of Newport, Rhode Island. He literally Just killed two people. You know, it's, like, pretty wild. So at this point, like, Aaron is getting away with his crimes over and over again. And I think it was just, like, proving to himself that he was untouchable. It seemed like he could get away with anything at this point. Aaron would literally go on to play a full season of football after killing two people. Like, nothing happened. And he did a really great job. Like, it's just wild. So then In February of 2013, Aaron and his friend Alexander, they flew down to Miami, Florida, and they were there because they wanted to party with one of Aaron's old teammates from the Florida Gators. His name was Deontay Thompson. So they go down there, and they started, like, their party in Deontay's hometown, Bel Glade, and then they headed to a Miami strip club called Tootsies. And I guess, like, the first night that they were there, Aaron had spent, like, $10,000 that first night. So while they were there partying in the VIP section, it was said that Aaron started to act all paranoid because he thought that the two older men that were sitting by them, he swore that they were cops from Boston. Now, there was no proof to even believe that these guys were cops, But Aaron was telling his friend Alexander, like, those are cops, like, and being just paranoid, truly paranoid. And then on the second night at Tootsies, because they go again, things got tense between Aaron and Alexander. It was said that they got into a fight over the bar bill, and then Alexander, like, forgot his phone in the club. And this seemed to just really annoy Aaron. Like, he was raging. So he's in a bad mood, and he tells everyone, like, let's. Let's go. We're leaving, right? So the whole group, they all leave. They get into the car, and they're. They drove, like, north on Interstate 95. Alexander was in the back seat, and he fell asleep. Alexander later testified that he woke up to Aaron holding a gun pointed right between his eyebrows. He has no idea, like, what is going on, and that's the last thing he remembers. Now, the next morning, as the sun came up, police found Alexander lying in a parking lot, bleeding from a bullet.
- [34:22]
Unknown
Wound between his eyes.
- [34:24]
Bailey Sarian
Aaron nowhere to be found at this point. He had already flown out of Florida thinking, like, he was done with Alexander for good. Now, surprise, surprise. Luckily, like, Alexander survived. Now, he ended up losing his right eye and needed, like, several surgeries. So despite everything, Alexander, he refused to cooperate with the police. So they. The police couldn't, like, prove or even link Aaron to the Crime Alexander, he would later testify in court that he didn't want to involve the police, and he wanted to, like, handle it on his own. And he wanted revenge. In my personal opinion, I think he. He wanted to get money from Eren. And you'll see. So if he involved the police, he wouldn't be able to, like, blackmail him, you know, Alexander, he ends up living. Now, Eren doesn't know this. And the next day, Alexander, he ends up calling up Aaron, and he's like, guess who? And Aaron, like, played dumb, acting like he didn't know who it was. He's like, what? Who's this? Who's this? I don't know. But once the conversation ended, text messages from Alexander just started rolling in. In one of the texts, he said, like, you left me with one eye and a lot of head trauma. You owe for what you did. And then Aaron wrote back, like, if you ever got me in trouble or ruined my life for something I didn't do, you will pay. Just going back and forth, back and forth. And Alexander, like, he wasn't scared. Cause he knew the truth, right? And he was telling Aaron, like, you don't scare me. You know, I have tons of guns, and I'm gonna do something about it. Essentially, Brian Murphy, who was Aaron's agent, found out about the shooting. Aaron had told his agent that this Alexander guy was, like, threatening to either get money from him or kill him. So Brian Murphy, he reached out to Alexander's lawyer to try and, like, settle things quietly. But, like, that didn't work. There were no charges were ever filed against him for the shooting. And nobody, like, informed the Patriots coach about the situation. So it just kind of was going under the radar. And again, mind you, Aaron is still playing football. He's doing really great and buying a big old mansion. Everything is just, like, fine and dandy. But, you know, things are. Things are growing in Aaron's mind. Like his paranoia was hitting a new level. So he ended up hiring another friend from his hometown. His name was Ernest. He went by Beau. Wallace is his last name. And he hired this guy to be, like, his bodyguard around the clock. And just like with Aaron's other friends, Ernest also had a criminal record. But Aaron, you know, he trusted him to have his back. Aaron's really paranoid, so he ends up, like, in early April, Aaron had sent $15,000 to a friend. His name was Oscar Hernandez. No relation. And he was using this money to buy a used Toyota with two.22 caliber handguns and two rifles inside. And I guess in this car. They made specific compartments where the guns would be hiding. Aaron would occasionally check in with this guy Oscar, asking if everything was going smoothly. And Oscar was like, hell, yeah, I almost got. But Aaron didn't. He didn't stop there. He also spent over $110,000 on an armored 2013 Chevrolet Suburban that had been outfitted as an armored car. It was like a mini war wagon. For him, it was to feel safer. You know, he was paranoid that someone was gonna come after him for what he had done. Meanwhile, Alexander, he's still around. Like, he's texting Eren, pushing Eren for money. He's texting Eren like, you can't go through life consequence free when you do certain shit, you know? And a confrontation seemed to be getting closer and closer. Then on June 3, Alexander texted Aaron saying that he would be near the Patriots stadium, waiting there, like after practice, armed with a semi automatic handgun and he would be wearing a bulletproof vest. That day, the two of them exchanged like a staggering 125 text messages. Just full of insults, accusations, threats. It was all talk because, like, nothing ended up happening. But Alexander had warned Aaron that he was going to go public with a lawsuit if Aaron did not pay up. The next day, after all of the threatening text messages, Alexander had like, texted Aaron demanding $5 million from him. It's like $5 million and this will all go away. You know, Aaron came back and offered him 1.5 million. And then Alexander came back saying, I'll accept 2.5 million. It was just kind of messy and sloppy and like, they just kept going back and forth. Because then Alexander filed a federal suit against Aaron and then he withdrew it like four days later before the news media caught wind of it. So I don't really know what happened there, you know, because then Aaron's agent had texted Aaron saying, like, they withdrew the lawsuit so we can engage in settlement talks without like the. The media getting involved. And that this was a huge win for us. So that's cool, I guess. But despite the the win, the situation was just one part of, like, the trouble that was brewing in Aaron's life. And it wouldn't be long before things got even worse.
- [40:20]
Unknown
Have you ever heard of the Slayer statute? They're actual laws that stop someone from inheriting money if they murder the person they're supposed to inherit it from.
- [40:30]
Bailey Sarian
From. Yep.
- [40:31]
Unknown
Learn something new every day, huh? Listen, it exists. I'm sure you know why?
- [40:35]
Bailey Sarian
Because people really have tried to cash.
- [40:37]
Unknown
In on someone else's life insurance policy. Yep. It does make you realize just how valuable life insurance actually is. And that's why so many people turn to Select Quote. Selectquote is one of the most trusted life insurance brokers in the country. For over 40 years, they've helped more than 2 million Americans secure over 700 billion in coverage. Unlike one size fits all companies, select quotes agents actually work for you, not the insurance carriers. In as little as 15 minutes, they'll compare policies from top rated carriers to find the best fit for your health and your budget. And they do this for free. For me, knowing my family's covered and that nobody can pull a real life true crime plot twist on my policy can give me. It gives me a lot of peace of mind, honestly. Life insurance is never cheaper than it is today. So don't wait. Go to Select Quote they shop, you save, get the right life insurance for you for less and save more than 50%@SelectQuote.com makeup save more than 50% on term life insurance@SelectQuote.com makeup today to get started, that's SelectQuote.com makeup.
- [41:57]
Bailey Sarian
So that brings us to Odin Lloyd. Now, Odin, he was born in November of 1985 and it was said that he grew up in a tough neighborhood, you know, and Odin saw football as like his, his way out and a chance at a better life for himself. By the time he was 27, Odin was playing semi pro football for the Boston in Bandits and had become good friends with Aaron. Now, they became close partly because Odin was dating Shania Jenkins, who happened to be the sister of Aaron's fiance, Shiana Jenkins. That's how they like got to know each other. But you know, as they're spending time together, Aaron and Odin, they found out that they had a lot in common. Like they both obviously enjoyed playing football, they both enjoyed smoking weed, playing video games and like going out to nightclubs. So they started hanging out like a lot. On the night of June 15, 2013, Odin bought Aaron a drink at a Boston club called Rumor. And it seemed like an ordinary night. But according to prosecutors, something that Odin said or did that evening upset Aaron. What was said has never been clearly proven and it remains like one of the biggest things mysteries of this case. Nobody knows exactly what happened, but after this, Odin was on Aaron's shit list pretty much. And then two days later on June 17, Aaron had been drinking with friends at his cousin Tanya's house. So they're all hanging out at Tanya's house and they texted Odin asking him to hang out. Around 2.33am, Aaron and his friends Ernest Wallace and this guy Carlos Ortiz picked up Odin from his house. I know, I was like, 2:33am like, who is up? They were at that moment, Odin started to feel like something was off. Like he sat in the car, right? And when he's in the car, Odin is texting his sister. And it's like three in the morning and he texts his sister saying like, did you see who I'm with? And I guess she didn't answer right away. Like a few minutes had passed. And then he texted her again saying like, hello. And then his sister responded saying, like, who? And Odin replied saying NFL, referring to Aaron Hernandez. Odin's last message was sent at 3:23am to his sister saying, just so you know, so many speculate that he felt like something was up and he was letting his sister know, like, who he was with. Now, literally everything that happened in between, big mystery. What we do know was that Odin was shot six times and left to die in an industrial park near Aaron's home, which was in North Attleborough, Massachusetts. The next morning, there was a jogger out minding his own fricking business. And that's when he came across Odin's body. And, you know, it was confirmed that he had been killed just a short distance from Aaron's mansion. So the police quickly come out and start investigating. And I was watching like interviews from what the, the police who were at the scene and they were like, this was a sloppy job. The killer did a very sloppy job because nearby there was a white towel found, there were shoe prints and tire prints in the mud. This was like a muddy area. There was a half smoked blunt lying nearby. And the only tie Odin had to this neighborhood was Aaron Hernandez. So police searched phone records and saw that Aaron's phone was hitting cell towers that lined up with the crime. They also matched Aaron's shoe prints to those found in the mud. They matched the car tire marks to the ones in the mud with Aaron. They got surveillance footage from Aaron's house the night of the murder. And on the footage, it was like after the murder, they saw Aaron holding what looked like a gun. Again, there were those text messages from Odin to his sister saying, like, who he was with. Everything was pointing to Aaron. The police ended up searching Aaron's mansion June 18, 2013, and then again June 22, 2013. Listen, the media got a hold of this story, right? And it was wild. It was all over the place. You couldn't avoid it. Aaron was being followed everywhere he went, being questioned. There was this One shot of. There was, like a helicopter following Aaron, and he's driving on the freeway on his way to practice. He was either on his way to practice or he was meeting up with his coach or whatever. But it was on, like, every news media outlet. And of course, all of them were comparing it to O.J. and his Bronco. Like, it was definitely giving that same. That same feeling. So on June 26, 2013, Aaron Hernandez was arrested at his home and charged with first degree murder of Odin Lloyd, along with five firearm violations. There was a Globe sports writer who was. His name's Greg Bedard. He was outside of, like, Aaron's house that morning. He remembered the scene. He said that there must have been like six or seven cop cars that drove in. And then not long after that, Aaron came out in cuffs wearing a white T shirt. And then he said, like, at that moment, he realized this is not gonna end well for Aaron Hernandez. And maybe you remember, I don't know why, but, like, that is burdened to my memory of Aaron coming out with the white T shirt on. Do you remember that? That scene? And, like, he didn't have his arms in the holes. It was just over. I don't know. I just remember it so well. Thank you so much. Less than two hours after his arrest, the Patriots, obviously, they released him from the team. Everyone wanted a statement from them. So, like, the Patriots owner Robert Kraft told the media that he felt he and the organization had been duped by Aaron. And then Coach Belichick, he was a little bit more reserved in his response. He kind of kept things vague. He gave, like, a seven minute statement barely mentioning Aaron's name. One of the things he said was that, like, overall, he was proud of the hundreds of players that had come through the program, but that personally, in that moment, he was disappointed and hurt, but, like, never really mentioned Aaron's name. The investigation quickly spread to Aaron's friends and family. And on August 1, 2013, Aaron's cousin, remember Tanya, she was sent to jail because she refused to testify before the grand jury about what she knew. Plus, the police had found the SUV that they were hiding from that first shooting in her garage. And she didn't want to say anything. She kept her mouth shut. She was loyal to Aaron, so she got in trouble. And then Aaron's legal troubles just, like, kept piling up. So Ernest Wallace pled not guilty to being an accessory after the murder on September 19, 2013. And then Aaron himself pled not guilty to odin's murder on September 6, Carlos Ortiz was charged with being an accessory to odin's murder on September 27th. And he also pled not guilty. Erin's fiance, Shayana Jenkins, she was also pulled into the investigation. This happened on October 16, 2013, and she pled like not guilty to perjury charges. She was accused of lying to the grand jury about helping Aaron get rid of a box that was believed to have contained the murder weapon. Cause they couldn't find the murder weapon. It disappeared. These charges were eventually dropped. Meanwhile, Alexander, the friend who said Aaron had shot him in the face in Miami, he filed a lawsuit against him and it just wasn't looking good. Aaron's lawyer stated that Aaron would be invoking his fifth amendment rights in this case, Meaning that he would not be answering any questions about the whole shooting with Alexander. Now, at first, when he was arrested, he was held at the Bristol jail in a section for like mentally ill or violent inmates. But he was still like a football star. And it seemed like he got some privileges. So guards, they would let him do like pull ups on the stairs outside of his cell and exercise in like a small cement courtyard instead of like locking him up in one of the cells like everybody else. In the summer of 2014, Aaron was moved to the Suffolk county jail in Boston. While awaiting trial, it was said he played a lot of card games. He asked his fiance to bring him more Harry Potter books. I guess he really liked the Harry Potter books. And during his time in jail, Aaron just like really clung to the people who would still like, take his calls, like his fiance, his mom, some of his old friends. His fiance would like, call him. They would talk on the phone like twice daily. She seemed really frustrated with him. To be fair, she had a good reason to be frustrated with him. I mean, he ruined everything. On May 15, 2014, things got even more serious when Aaron was indicted on two counts of her serene murder for the 2012 shootings of those two men, Daniel and Sapphira. The one that happened outside the club. Yeah. So that now was added to his list of charges. Aaron, he pled not guilty. And then he was indicted for witness intimidation related to the 2013 shooting of Alexander. So listen, it was just a whole mess and everything was coming up. Come. Just come back up. You can't run from it. Karma is that karma? Consequences for his actions. So the trial for the murder of Odin Lloyd had started on January 29, 2015, and it lasted about three months. Prosecutors showed the jury video footage that they said proved Aaron had picked up Odin Lloyd in his car. They then showed footage Taken later at Aaron's house where Odin was like no longer in the car. They also presented an image of Aaron's home surveillance system that showed him him standing outside his basement holding what the district attorney said looked like a gun. Now, Aaron's defense team argued that being there wasn't enough to prove he was guilty. They were trying to say like, that the other two guys that were there with Aaron that night, they were actually the ones that killed Odin. And that Aaron was scared that they were going to do something to him if he said anything. So he didn't say anything. And that him and Odin were really good friends and he would never do this to a good friend. Like that's what they were saying. The prosecution believed that Odin was killed with a.45 caliber Glock pistol, which uses a magazine or like a clip to load bullets. And then in court, they showed text messages that Aaron had sent to his friend Earnest just a week before Odin's murder, where Aaron was mentioning clips for the gun. Prosecutors also pointed out that like many text messages had been deleted from Aaron's phone. And like the other two guys, which suspicious, you know, well, listen on. On October 15, 2015, after six days of discussing the evidence, the jury ended up finding Aaron Hernandez guilty of Odin Lloyd's murder. Everyone in the courtroom was very emotional. Like, yeah, I mean, for good reason, you know, but like Aaron showed no emotion, like nothing. He was sentenced to life in prison without like any chance of getting out. Okay, you think? I don't know, he would show some kind of emotion. The other two guys, Aaron's friends, Carlos and Ernest, they were like tried separately and were found guilty of being accessories to the murder. They were each sentenced to like four to seven years in prison. Aaron was sent to like a high security prison about 40 miles outside of Boston. And while Aaron was in prison, he opened up to his mother in ways that he hadn't before. Now him and his mom had a pretty like rocky relationship. He was telling her on the phone like that she never really, she never really knew him and that he couldn't trust her. And then eventually he opened up and told her like two painful secrets. He ended up telling her that he was gay and that he had been molested as a child. Let me put this wig on Aaron's lawyer, his name is George. He thought like admitting this to his mom, like helped him Aaron like deal with his feelings of self hatred because he seemed to really not like himself. So Aaron hired a new defense lawyer, Jose Baez, for his second murder trial. That started in March of 2017, Jose is considered to be, like, a celebrity lawyer because you know who he represented previously. You'll never guess. Casey Anthony. Oh, yeah. Look, if someone's going to get you out of being super guilty, I think it'd be this guy. Don't you feel like if you hire, like, a lawyer who's represented someone who is super guilty, that just kind of makes you look super, super guilty too, or is that just me? It's like, oh, you must be super guilty if you're hiring Casey Anthony's lawyer. So this second trial was about the 2012 shooting of Daniel and Sapphira and Aaron and his old friend Alexander. Remember, they were the ones being accused of these murders. Now, this time, Alexander actually testified against Aaron to avoid facing murder charges himself. The two had become enemies after Aaron shot him in the face in Florida. I mean, understandable, but, you know, Aaron had hired this guy who just, like, knew what he was doing. And on April 14, 2017, the jury decided that Aaron was not guilty of the murders. They didn't believe Aaron was the one who fired the gun. Plus, they really pointed the finger at Alexander because Alexander had, like, a lengthy track record. So they're like, it was that guy. It wasn't good. Now, this was the first time you actually saw some emotion from Aaron. Like, when they read the verdict, Aaron cried. And I guess, like, this win gave him hope that his lawyer might be able to challenge the conviction for Odin Lloyd's murder next. Like, they were gonna try and prove that Aaron was not the one who shot the gun. On April 18, 2017, Aaron Hernandez ended up taking his own life. It was really, like, dramatic. So that night, the door to his cell opened and he stepped out like it was any other day. But instead of going to the gym, he ended up, like, turning back around and going back into his cell. And, like, another inmate snuck into Aaron's cell and, like, hid under the bed. Aaron wasn't planning to work out. Instead, he and this other inmate, they smoked a drug called K2. It looks like weed, but I guess it's, like, way more dangerous. So the two of them, I guess, talked about life, God and death. And then two hours later, the other inmate left. Prison officials didn't seem to notice any of this, none of it. And then Aaron, he made his usual phone calls. The last one being with his fiance. She said that their conversation was completely normal. Everything seemed fine. He returned to his cell just before 8pm Aaron chatted with, like, other inmates through his door. A guard passed by his cell like, several times during the night. But around 3am, the guard noticed a sheet hanging over Aaron's cell door. So he called out to Aaron and was getting like, no response. So he. He actually opened up the door and that's when he found Aaron hanging from the window bars with a bed sheet around his neck. Also, there were shampoo spread all over the floor so it would be, like, really slippery. And Aaron had written John 3:16 on his forehead. In blood. Yeah, Bible verse about God's love and eternal life. And then he also drew a series of, like, symbols and references, including what looked like an unfinished pyramid and an all seeing eye, which, you know, commonly associated with Masonic or Illuminati imagery. All of this just added mystery. What? What? Right, like bizarre. What? Very confusing. So the guards, they finally freed him. They cut him down. They took turns doing chest compressions until the paramedics arrived, but it was too late. At 4:07am, Aaron Hernandez was declared dead. Okay, look, there's a theory that Aaron Hernandez might have taken his own life in attempt to secure financial benefits for his fiance and their daughter. The idea is based on a legal concept known as abatement ab initio. I know. I was like, what? Listen, it's a real thing. The first person who did this was like a Catholic priest who did some shit and got away with it. That should be another murder mystery. But listen, here's how it works and why people believe this is. This might have been his motive. So the abatement whatever rule in Massachusetts at the time of Aaron's death, the legal principle of abatement at benicio meant that if a person died while their criminal case was still under appeal, their conviction would be vacated. Essentially, it would be as if they were never convicted of the crime. So since Aaron Hernandez had appealed his 2015 conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd, he. His death on April 19, 2017, triggered this legal rule, resulting in his conviction being temporarily vacated. Now, by having his murder conviction vacated, Aaron might have believed it would allow his family to pursue any remaining salary or bonuses owed to him from his NFL contract with the Patriots. Also, it could have prevented wrongful death lawsuits filed by Odin Lloyd's family from moving forward against his estate. If Aaron's conviction was erased, the Patriots and the NFL might have been legally obligated to pay out his contract, potentially providing financial support to his fiance and his daughter. Also, Aaron left three suicide notes before his death. One for his fiance, one for his daughter, and one for his lawyer, Jose Baez. The content of these, these letters hasn't been fully disclosed, but reports suggest that they contained messages of love and hinted that he might have been thinking about this, this strategy. Jose, the lawyer, later confirmed that Aaron was aware of this, this rule, you know what I'm saying? So a lot of people think that's what he was trying to do. After Aaron's autopsy, his brain was sent to a neuropathologist. Her name is Dr. Ann McKee. It was sent to her research lab at Boston University. And Dr. Ann McKee is one of the leading experts in the world studying the long term effects of brain injuries, especially in athletes, military veterans and like others who have experienced repeated concussions and like head impacts, you know. So she's like the one who's like studying this. She's the shit. Dr. McKee announced that Erin had the worst case of CTE that she had ever seen in someone so young. What's cte? Well, maybe you've heard of it, but CTE is a brain disease caused by repeated head injuries, which is like really common among football players. You know, they're constantly. She studied Aaron's brains and like part of his brain had shrunk while others had become unusually large. There were microbleeds and a protein called Taurus, which usually is found in Alzheimer's patients brains. Yes, but it was all over his brain. She said on a scale from one to four, four being like the worst. Aaron CDE was rated as stage three. I was watching this interview with her and she showed a picture of like a normal brain at his age and then his brain and his brain full on holes, just missing parts. It was wild, like his head was fucked up. So Dr. McKee explained that people with severe CTE often have trouble controlling like their impulses, making decisions, and usually they have a really hard time managing their anger. Now is this an excuse? No, you know, it's not an excuse. He still did what he did, but it gives us some like, answers and insight as to why he was so paranoid. Just psychotic really, you know. Well, finally, on March 13, 2019, the Massachusetts Supreme Court changed its mind and decided that Aaron's conviction should not have been erased, making him officially guilty of Odin Lloyd's murder once again. So that meant his conviction was reinstated, which would stop any potential financial benefits his family might have received from his suicide. It's not proven that Aaron killed himself solely for financial reasons. There's evidence suggesting that he was aware of this potential legal loophole and may have hoped his death would benefit his family financially. But listen, like his plan ultimately didn't work out, you know, it didn't work out the way he might have intended. That was a lot. And that is everything I learned about the Aaron Hernandez case. My friends. Look, at the end of the day, it's a shame. Cause he was really talented. I don't watch football or anything like that. I know, I'm sorry. Whatever. But like, I was watching clips of him and, like, he was so good. And it's such a shame, huh? I don't know. Sports, huh? Yeah. You know what's funny? Actually, it's not funny, but when you think about, like, crazy sports person who. Who's crazy, I like, I always think O.J. o.J. Right, O.J. it's always O.J. O.J. but Aaron, Aaron.
- [66:45]
Unknown
He'S Kyra here.
- [66:47]
Bailey Sarian
He's kind of like. He did. He kind of did worse. I don't know. I guess it isn't a competition of who's worse. I think maybe they're both bad. Bailey. Two things can be right at the same time. Anyways, I hope you have a good rest of your day. You make good choices. You be safe out there, please. And I'll be seeing you guys later. Goodbye. Bye.