Not sure why folks are shocked by this. He killed himself so that his family does not have to pay civil penalties to the Lloyd, de Abreu, Furtafo, and Bradley families. Those people are now victims a second time thanks to Hernandez. Classless gator in life, and classless gator in death.
His estate would still be liable I believe.
Only logical explanation for suicide is this crazy Mass. law, he just protected his assets for the kids... (He was probably murdered)
"Mr. Hernandez’s death means his murder conviction will be vacated under a centuries-old legal doctrine enshrined in Massachusetts’ criminal case law.
“Aaron Hernandez goes to his death an innocent man under the eyes of the law,” said Martin W. Healy, chief legal counsel for the Massachusetts Bar Association, adding, “It’s as if the case never existed.”
Under the doctrine, known as “abatement ab initio,” criminal convictions are essentially nullified if a person dies before they have a chance to complete the process of appealing it, Mr. Healy said. ”The principal behind this legal doctrine is the individual has not had the ability to clear their name,” he said.
The little-known doctrine has erased several well-known criminal convictions over the years. When Ken Lay, the CEO of Enron, died of a heart attack in 2006 before his sentencing for fraud, the doctrine erased his criminal record and meant the government lost access to $44 million he was supposed to forfeit for restitution."
