Officials: Former Patriots TE Hernandez Kills Self In Prison
BOSTON (KDKA/AP) – Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez died in prison overnight from an apparent suicide.
According to CBS Boston, Hernandez was found dead in his cell shortly after 3 a.m. Wednesday.
The Massachusetts Department of Correction issued a statement saying Hernandez "hanged himself utilizing a bed sheet that he attached to his cell window."
He also apparently tried to block his door from the inside with various items.
A Massachusetts prisons spokesman says he's not aware of any suicide note written by Hernandez, but stresses that the investigation is ongoing.
Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Communications Christopher Fallon also says Wednesday that officials had no concern that Hernandez was planning on taking his own life. The 27-year-old was housed in the general population unit of the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley.
He says Hernandez would have been transferred to a mental health unit if there was any concern about his well-being.
Last week, Hernandez wept quietly in court after a jury announcement acquitting him of a Boston double slaying.
The jury announced its verdict Friday in the 2012 killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado.
Hernandez was already serving a life sentence in the 2013 killing of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd.
The jury in the Lloyd case deliberated for 36 hours over seven days before convicting Hernandez of first-degree murder in April 2015.
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(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)