Hernandez's Hometown: Family Remains Quiet, Some Locals 'Hurt'
BRISTOL, Conn. (CBS) -- Family members of Aaron Hernandez remained silent, but others from his hometown of Bristol, Connecticut expressed sadness Wednesday evening.
Earlier that day, Hernandez had been found dead in his prison cell at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center.
On the door of their Lake Avenue home, family members of Hernandez left a note saying they had no comment for members of the media.
Officials had visited that same home multiple times during their investigations for Hernandez's separate murder trials.
Signs are up on all the doors at #AaronHernandez relative's home on Lake Ave in Bristol ... saying the family has no comment @cbsboston#WBZpic.twitter.com/ZQ01VQ2xW3— Mike LaCrosse (@MikeLaCrosseWBZ) April 19, 2017
Jose Cartagena was once Hernandez's barber. He said as Hernandez rose to fame, he did not forget his hometown.
"We still talked and joked around," Cartagena said. "Even in his NFL career, he would still come back."
#AaronHernandez former barber says "his heart just sunk" when he learned of his suicide @cbsboston #WBZ pic.twitter.com/Q88NYFeGa7
— Mike LaCrosse (@MikeLaCrosseWBZ) April 19, 2017
Cartagena added, the timing of Hernandez's death "was surprising because he just beat the two murder charges and we were hoping for him to reopen the other case."
The owner of Riverside Restuarant, Ghislaine Martin, was also upset by the news.
"It hurt me. It did hurt," she said. "People were coming in and they were saying 'Oh my God, Hernandez killed himself.'"
Bristol resident Brad Engelhard called the entire situation "tough."
"I think it does give Bristol a bad name," he said, though, "Bristol rooted for him [as a] Bristol native."
Other residents claimed that didn't want to talk about Hernandez at all and wanted their sense of community back.