Aaron Hernandez Fiancee: Alleged Prison Lover's Claims Are 'Crock Of Bull'
BOSTON (CBS) -- In an exclusive interview with Dr. Phil, the fiancee of Aaron Hernandez addressed rumors about the ex-NFL star's sexuality that have surfaced since he killed himself in his prison cell last month.
The second half of a two-part interview between Dr. Phil and Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez aired at 3 p.m. Tuesday on WBZ-TV.
Jenkins-Hernandez said she had "no indication or any feeling" that Hernandez was gay, as several media outlets reported after his death.
"He was very much a man to me," she said. "I don't know where this came from. It's embarrassing, in a sense. It's hurtful, regardless if it's true or not. It's just not something that I saw. It's not something that I believe. It's just not him."
Jenkins-Hernandez said she was first made aware of the rumors by Hernandez's defense team. She said she asked Hernandez about the rumors, and he told her they weren't true.
She said she had never heard of Kyle Kennedy, Hernandez's alleged prison lover, and said there were no letters found left for him. She said letters were left for her, their daughter Avielle, and for Hernandez's lawyers.
She also dismissed reports that Kennedy and Hernandez had requested to share a cell.
"I don't know who this Kyle Kennedy is," said Jenkins-Hernandez. "I've never heard of him, honestly, Aaron has never mentioned him. And Aaron liked to be in a single cell, to my knowledge."
Dr. Phil addressed Kennedy's lawyers claims that Kennedy and Hernandez had a long, close relationship that began before the two were in prison together. Kennedy claims Hernandez wrote letters to him and his family, promised him a watch worth $50,000, and told him in writing that he was "thinking of hanging it up"--but Jenkins-Hernandez called all of Kennedy's claims "a crock of bull."
"If Kyle Kennedy was such a close friend, and Aaron was telling him he wanted to hang it up, he would still be here because Kyle Kennedy should have, you know, poked that lightbulb in somebody's head and been a true friend and stopped it," she said. "I think it's very foolish for a man, or his counsel, to come out and talk about a $50,000 watch when he has a child, and offer his condolences to his fiancée and his child but then asking for such things or saying such things. It's not commendable."
In part one of the interview, which aired on Monday, Jenkins-Hernandez expressed her shock at Hernandez's suicide and said she believed he was innocent in the killing of Odin Lloyd, for which he was accused.
"I want him, one, to be known as innocent because he was," she said during the Tuesday interview. "I just want him to be known for what he is instead of what people are speculating him out to be from what they see on TV. They want to make him out to be this monster, and he's not. I just think that it's time for Aaron to be free."
Kyle Kennedy also spoke out through his attorney on Tuesday.
Larry Army Jr. released a statement on Kennedy's behalf saying:
"I want to be clear that at no time have I seen a note addressed to me from my close friend Aaron Hernandez but I have reason to believe it was in fact intended for me. It was the press that first reported that this letter was sent to me and as a result, my attorney, Larry Army Jr., has repeatedly requested a copy for us to review. The story about who this letter was sent to has changed several times but based upon the close relationship that I had with Aaron, it is highly likely that it was in fact intended for me. I again renew my request to have the letter released to my attorney so we can put this issue to rest.
In addition, my attorney has spoken at length about the watch that Aaron told me he was leaving to me as a gift. I have no further comment on that issue at this time. There has been a lot said about me and my personal life in recent weeks, some of it accurate and some of it not. I remain incarcerated at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley but at the appropriate time, I will address these issues and set the record straight."
