Aaron Hernandez Has Become Huge Harry Potter Fan In Prison
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Aaron Hernandez has been serving his life sentence in prison for the murder of Odin Lloyd for more than a year at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. Aside from a few prison fights, some publicized prison letters and some court appearances for a separate murder trial, the world hasn't heard much from the former football star since his incarceration began.
Yet a new article from Sports Illustrated shed some light on Hernandez's life these days, and it included a tidbit about his reading habits that may come as a surprise.
In addition to loving the self-help book "The Secret," Hernandez has grown quite fond of the realm of wizardry in the Harry Potter series.
"Aaron probably never recommended a book in his life before he ended up here, but incarceration has turned him into a reader," Michael Rosenberg wrote. "He has plowed through all the Harry Potter books."
It's a peculiar image -- a convicted murderer sitting down and enjoying stories about witches, wizards and potions. The idea of Hernandez wondering if he'd be selected for the Gryffindor house, getting riled up at Dolores Umbridge's tyrannical way of ruling Hogwarts, following the dynamic relationship of Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape, and eagerly anticipating the next release from J.K. Rowling just doesn't mesh with the reality of a man in prison who recently added a "Lifetime Loyalty" tattoo on his neck.
Yet it's appropriate in the story, which sought to paint a full picture of Hernandez and what led down the path of ending at least one life (and allegedly two more) and guaranteeing that his own life would be spent behind bars. It included a story about a teenage Hernandez getting stabbed in the leg. Instead of retaliating, Hernandez gave the kid who stabbed him five minutes to flee.
Mostly, the story centers on Hernandez's brother, formerly known as D.J., who now goes by his middle name, Jonathan. It delved into the Hernandez family life, including the death of Aaron and D.J.'s father when they were both teenagers. Like many people, Jonathan wondered what effect that ultimately had on Aaron.
"That's the million-dollar question, how my father -- if he was still alive, how everything would have changed," Jonathan said in the story. "I think it would have been completely different. But I don't know. That's a fairy tale."