In the hours after Aaron Hernandez committed suicide Wednesday, authorities in Massachusetts said that the former Patriots tight end didn't leave any type of note before killing himself. However, after further investigation, it turns out that's not the case.
Worcester County district attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. revealed this week that Hernandez actually left three suicide notes and a bible in the prison cell where he was found dead.
In a statement, Early also noted that Hernandez's death at the Souza-Baranowski Correction Center had officially been ruled a suicide and that the cause of death was asphyxia by hanging.
Hernandez's lawyer, Jose Baez, and former agent, Brian Murphy, had both said Wednesday that they didn't think it was likely that the former Patriots tight end had killed himself.
After Hernandez's death, the chief medical examiner noted that there were no signs of a struggle and that Hernandez was alone when he died. According to authorities, Hernandez was locked in his cell just after 8 p.m. Tuesday and then wasn't visited again until an officer discovered his body at 3:03 a.m. Wednesday.
According to WBZ-TV, the CBS affiliate in Boston, when Hernandez was found Wednesday he had the Bible verse "John 3:16" written on his forehead. Hernandez was also reportedly found with red markings that were drawn on both his hands and feet.
As for the suicide notes, it's unclear why Hernandez left three of them. However, one report has suggested that they were targeted for three different people. According to Newsweek, Hernandez left one note for his fiancée, one note for his 4-year-old daughter and one note for his prison boyfriend.
According to the Newsweek story, which you can read here, Hernandez was also possibly romantically involved with a male friend before being sent to jail. Newsweek also reports that Odin Lloyd's knowledge of "an intimate relationship [Hernandez] allegedly had with a male former high school classmate" was central to the investigation of Lloyd's June 2013 murder. Although Hernandez was convicted of killing Lloyd -- and later sentenced to life in prison for his actions -- police were never able to establish a true motive for the crime.
Newsweek added that Hernandez "moved a large amount of money into three accounts shortly before his arrest for the Lloyd killing: one account was for his fiancée; a second was for his daughter; the third, where the most money was moved, was for that friend."
Hernandez's family won't be answering any questions about anything related to his death anytime soon. In a statement released Saturday, the family asked for privacy.
"The family of Aaron Hernandez wishes to thank all of you for the thoughtful expressions of condolences," the family said, via ESPN.com. "We wish to say goodbye to Aaron in a private ceremony and thank everyone in advance for affording us a measure of privacy during this difficult time."
Hernandez is scheduled to have a private burial Monday in his hometown of Bristol, Connecticut.
