This week, Anna’s daughter destroys our podcast and Alanna has a near death experience with chicken wings. In true crime news, we discuss a potential murder and missing children. We review Netflix’s Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez and discuss the worst thing to put in a bucket and throw over someone.
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez
Netflix’s new 3-part docu-series that explores the rise and fall of New England Patriot’s tight end Aaron Hernandez.
The series begins exploring Aaron’s childhood and upbringing in Bristol, Connecticut where he was born in 1989 to parents, Dennis and Terri Hernandez. Aaron displays his talent for football at an early age and his father pushed him to excel. His father was very much considered by the community as a man’s man. He pushed Aaron and his brother to excel in sports, but it seemed their home life was turbulent and Dennis was abusive towards his boys and mother. Aaron and his brother feared their father but also idolised him.
In 2006, Dennis died during routine hernia surgery and Aaron took it very hard. Many of his friends and family said he never got over his father’s death. At this time, he became very close with his cousin Tanya Singleton. He eventually moved in with Tanya and it appears this is when Aaron started to spend time with those involved in criminal activity. Around this time, it was revealed that his mother Terri had been having an affair with Tanya’s husband, John Cummings. They divorced and John moved in with Terri. Hernandez became estranged from his mother at this time.
During the series, we also hear from his childhood friend Dennis SanSoucie who claims they were in a secret sexual relationship throughout high school. During high school, Hernandez began heavily smoking marijuana, which continued through the rest of his life. Despite this, Hernandez stayed involved in football and sports in high school and he was committed to play at the University of Connecticut, with his brother D.J, but ultimately chose to play for the University of Florida under head coach Urban Meyer.
Hernandez played for the Gators throughout college alongside another well known American football star, Tim Tebow. The New England Patriots selected Hernandez in the fourth round (113th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. Hernandez’s draft stock fell due to multiple off-the-field issues during college, rumors of multiple failed drug tests, and character concerns. Hernandez received the lowest possible score in “social maturity” in a pre-draft report. However, he excelled with the Patriots and even participated in the 2012 XLVI Super Bowl, where he scored a touchdown.
However, his star football career started to crumble. On June 18, 2013, police searched Hernandez’s home in connection with the investigation into the shooting death of a friend, Odin Lloyd. Lloyd was found dead in an industrial park, about a mile from Hernandez’s house with multiple gunshot wounds to his back and chest.
Hernandez was charged with first-degree murder on June 26, 2013. The Patriots released Hernandez from the team about ninety minutes later, after officially learning the charges against him. Two other men were also arrested in connection with Lloyd’s death.
On August 22, 2013, Hernandez was indicted by a grand jury for the murder of Lloyd where he pled not guilty.
After a lengthy and emotive trial, on April 15, 2015, he was found guilty of murder in the first degree, a charge that in Massachusetts automatically carries a sentence of life in prison without a possibility of parole. A motive for the murder was never definitively established. Police investigated the possibility that Lloyd may have learned of Hernandez’s bisexuality and that Hernandez was worried that Lloyd might out him to others.
Hernandez was also investigated in connection with a double homicide that took place on July 16, 2012, near the Cure Lounge in Boston’s South End. Daniel Jorge Correia de Abreu, 29, and Safiro Teixeira Furtado, 28, both of whom had immigrated to the United States from Cape Verde were killed by gunshots fired into their vehicle. While searching Tanya Singleton’s home on in connection with Lloyd’s murder, investigators found a silver SUV that had been witnessed at the scene and on CCTV leaving a parking garage.
Hernandez was indicted on murder charges for the killings of de Abreu and Furtado on May 15 2014, however was later acquitted.
Five days after his acquittal, Hernandez was found hanged in his prison cell on April 19 2019. He left notes for his family, attorney and cell mate.
At the request of his family, Hernandez’s brain was released to Boston University to be studied for signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – a progressive degenerative disease found in people who have had a severe blow or repeated blows to the head, including football players who suffer concussions. The University revealed he had severe and advanced CTE. Boston University note the following in relation to CTE: “The brain degeneration is associated with common symptoms of CTE including memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, suicidality, parkinsonism, and eventually progressive dementia”.
Sources
The Sun – https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10786297/woman-dead-farm-murder-devon/
Mirror – https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/man-arrested-suspicion-murder-woman-21327732
Devon Live – https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/tragedy-devon-woman-found-dead-3740938
ABC7 – https://abc7news.com/5882440/?ex_cid=TA_KGO_FB&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook
ABC 6 – https://6abc.com/society/brother-of-missing-kids-from-idaho-makes-emotional-plea/5822351/
Daily Mail – https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7936957/Idaho-cult-mom-Lori-Vallow-husband-Thursday-produce-two-missing-children.html
Bristol University – https://www.bu.edu/cte/about/frequently-asked-questions/
Vice – https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/gyza7b/a-smiling-serial-shitter-is-terrorizing-toronto?utm_source=vicefbus
Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Hernandez
