This week for the True Crime Wednesday feature, I am recapping and breaking down the second episode of the Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez series on Netflix. I will recap all the episode information first, followed by my opinion and impressions. Due to how disjointed the narrative is of this series, I am going to group the information by topics instead of in the order as information is obtained in the episode.
Episode 1
Incident Date: June 17, 2013
- Location: North Attleboro, Massachusetts
- Victim: Odin Lloyd
- Suspect(s)/Defendant(s): Aaron Hernandez, Carlos Ortiz, Ernest Wallace, Shayanna Jenkins, Tanya Singleton
- Charges: first-degree murder, carrying a firearm without a license, possessing a large-capacity firearm, possessing a firearm without a firearm identification card, accessory to murder, perjury
Incident Date: July 16, 2012
- Location: Boston, Massachusetts
- Victims: Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado
- Suspect: Aaron Hernandez, Shayanna Jenkins, Tanya Singleton
- Charges: first-degree murder, armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, perjury, criminal contempt of court, intimidation of a witness
The Crimes
Odin Lloyd’s Murder
There was so much evidence, it showed how sloppy the commission of the crime was. There was cell phone tower evidence as well as surveillance videos that tracked each party that evening. A blunt had been found near Odin’s body, when tested for DNA it came back as matching the DNA profile of Aaron Hernandez. A bullet casing and used gum were retrieved from the car that Aaron had rented. The prosecution was not able to introduce during the trial that Aaron was a suspect in a double homicide. Tanya Singleton, Aaron’s cousin, refused to testify and was sent to jail as a result for several months.
Double Homicide of Daniel de Abreu & Safiro Furtado
The prosecution was in regular contact with the prosecutors and investigators in the Odin Lloyd case. The homicides had taken place on a quiet Sunday night in the Theater District of Boston. The investigation was able to determine that the key piece of evidence was the silver SUV caught on surveillance footage. While investigating one of the officers had recognized Aaron on the footage from the club. They never thought that he could be involved, he had everything going for him at the time. Aaron had no criminal record at this point so they did not think much else of it.
Shooting of Alexander Bradley
Alexander Bradley was a criminal associate of Aaron’s. Alexander had started out by being Aaron’s drug dealer, and as their relationship grew, they spent more time together. Everything would change during a car ride while on vacation in Florida. Due to his knowledge of the double homicide, Alexander was shot in the face by Aaron. Aaron has been exhibiting heightened paranoia around this time and left Alexander for dead.
College
The plan had always been for Aaron to join his brother, DJ, at UConn for college. However, after his father passed Aaron visited the University of Florida and committed to the school that weekend. This stunned everyone as they learned about Aaron’s decision. At the time, the University of Florida was the number one going, you could not play a higher level of college football. The Head Coach at the time, Urban Meyer, recruited players that were competitors. It was at college that Aaron would meet Tim Tebow. Aaron would have to work extra hard on the field, knowing that there was another guy just as capable waiting to take his spot. He was a tremendous player that added to the Florida machine pursuing titles.
There was an incident where Aaron was in a bar and when the manager asked him about his bill, Aaron sucker punched the manager and busted his eardrum. The manager declined to press charges and that was the end of that. While away at college, Aaron began to alter his appearance by getting tattoos. There is currently an open case in Gainsville, where one night a guy matching Aaron’s description got into an altercation with two male individuals. This escalates to the two men being shot while in their vehicle, and they are able to get away. They were never able to identify the shooter, and as mentioned earlier remains open. Aaron told people that Urban Meyer had instructed him not to return for his senior year.
Football & the NFL
Aaron entered the NFL Draft at the age of 20. Due to the value placed on draft picks, the NFL vets their prospects extensively. He was enough of a question mark for the organization that they hired private investigators to investigate him more. To help improve his image, Aaron with the help of his agent drafted a letter that he sent to various teams prior to the draft. Aaron had the talent to be drafted in the first round, however, he was questionable character-wise he wasn’t drafted until the fourth round. When drafted to the Patriots, you are expected to follow the ‘Patriot Way’. While it may sound cheesy, it’s been a proven method of discipline and accountability. Aaron and Rob Gronkowski were a dynamic duo on the Patriots. Since Aaron was not too far from his hometown, he spent more time there than bonding with his teammates. Aaron was at the pinnacle of his NFL career when he scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl. The Patriots must not have seen any warning signs given that they just signed him to a 5-year $40 million contract extension. Teammates had to reconcile that the Aaron Hernandez that they knew, may not be who he was off the field.
CTE
CTE stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. CTE develops from repeated blows to a person’s head. It became a serious talking point for those in the NFL after former player Junior Seau committed suicide. Junior had shot himself in the chest and requested that his brain be studied.
Odin Lloyd
Paid to play semi-pro football, but in return, he was part of a brotherhood. There was so much respect for the football players even the gang members left them alone. It seemed ironic to some that Odin would be murdered by a football player given the neighborhood attitude. Odin wanted something better, so he was always working hard towards that. Aaron and Odin bonded over their love of football as they got to know each other. Often the Jenkins sisters would be upstairs spending time together while Odin and Aaron were in his mancave.
People Interviewed
These are all the people interviewed, who had a sound bite credited to them or imagined credited in the episode. They are listed in the order of their credited appearance:
- Patrick Haggan, Suffolk County District Attorney
- Robert Kraft, Owner – New England Patriots
- Jermaine Wiggins, Former Tight End – New England Patriots
- Kevin Armstrong, Journalist
- Terri Hernandez, Aaron’s mother
- Tanya Singleton, Aaron’s cousin
- Stephen Ziogas, Childhood friend/teammate
- Dan Wetzel, Author/Sportswriter – Yahoo Sports
- Shayanna Jenkins, Aaron’s fiancée
- Urban Meyer, University of Florida Head Coach (2005-2010)
- Tim Tebow, Quarterback – University of Florida (2006-2009)
- Dr. Jeffrey Montez da Oca, Ph.D., UCCS Center for Critical Sports Studies
- Chris Borland, Former Lineback – University of Wisconsin
- Mike Pouncey, Aaron’s Florida Gator teammate
- Mike Massey, Friend & teammate of Odin Lloyd
- Daniel Arrighi, North Attleboro Police Detective
- Diane Fife Biagiotti, Mass. State Police – DNA Unit
- Keelia Smyth, Branch Manager – Enterprise Rent-A-Car
- Todd Girouard, Mass. State Police – Trooper
- Steven Bennett, Mass. State Police – Crime Scene Services
- Dennis Sansoucie, Aaron’s high school quarterback
- Thomas Hodgson, Sheriff of Bristol County
- Maurkice Pouncey, Aaron’s Florida Gator teammate
- Ryan O’Callaghan, Former NFL Offensive Tackle
- Shelley Mather Meyer, Wife of Urban Meyer
- Bill Belichick, Head Coach – New England Patriots
- Alexander Bradley, Associate of Aaron Hernandez
- Tim Sansoucie, Family friend/neighbor
- Leigh Bodden, Former Teammate – New England Patriots
- Ryan McDonnell, Personal Assistant of Aaron Hernandez
- Susan Candiotti, Former CNN Investigative Reporter
- Rob Gronkowski, Tight End – New England Patriot (Yes, I know he is with the Buccaneers not I am going by the episode listing)
I wish that they would talk more about CTE, the episode barely touched on it and it seemed more important than some of the other content of this episode. My personal opinion is that the Patriots look like a well-oiled machine as an organization but there is some darkness behind the scenes. I do not believe that a player who shows so much loyalty would leave all of a sudden in such a coy manner. Anyways, less about my qualms with football and certain organizations. Aaron’s mother is the worst, never thought I would be cheering him on during this series. Yet here, I was towards the end of this episode cheering as he called his mom out. I believe that if there had been intervention earlier for Aaron’s obviously emotional instability, I think things could have ended differently. I am interested to see what this last episode has to say.
Tomorrow for the Writing Thursday feature, I am presenting an original scene. Next week for the Missing Person Wednesday feature, I am highlighting the Doe Network profile of Javier Rafael Castro. Until then keep sleuthing the cases; Nerd out.
Connect with me on social media:
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tshathaway
- Twitter: @Widget2009
- Instagram: t.s.hathaway
- Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/widget0712
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13651635-ts
*If you would like to support this blog, please share it with your friends and family. You can also support this blog for as little as $1/month on Patreon. By being a supporter on Patreon you will receive rewards and access to exclusive content. All support received through Patreon goes towards the costs associated with the blog. https://www.patreon.com/tshathaway *