Patriots Fans Say Aaron Hernandez's Death Is A 'Tragedy'
FOXBORO (CBS) -- Many Patriots fans were in disbelief when they heard that former Patriot and convicted murder Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell on Wednesday morning.
At Gillette Stadium, some fans commented about the feeling of conclusiveness Hernandez might have felt in his situation -- although he was recently acquitted of murder charges for a 2012 double shooting, Hernandez would continue to serve a life sentence in prison for the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd.
"I think you've got the emotionality of relief from one situation but the reality of it too is you're still [serving] life in prison and what kind of life would that even [be?]" said Diane, a fan at Gillette Stadium. "Ten, 20 years, it's just got to feel endless."
Read: Timeline Of Aaron Hernandez Key Events
Another shocked fan said, "I didn't think he would, but then again [with] the charges and everything else, he felt that is what he had to do."
Sarah, a fan from Martha's Vineyard, agreed.
"I think it was the finality for him, he knew what was going to become of him," she said. "It was just really a tragedy."
Mental illness could have also motivated Hernandez, Patriots fans mentioned.
"If you are at the point where you could kill yourself, I don't think there is a lot of logic to it," Diane continued. "Those of us thinking about it from the outside might say 'Well maybe that clears his daughter's name' and all that, but depression is depression."
Hernandez, with Jose Baez as his attorney, had been in the process of appealing his murder conviction of 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd.
According to veteran defense attorney Randy Chapman, that conviction may now be thrown out as a result of Hernandez's death.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports