Aaron Hernandez: Lawyer says client not suicidal

FALL RIVER, MA - APRIL 7: Closing arguments in the Aaron Hernandez trial for the murder of Odin Llyod at Fall River Superior Court. Hernandez listens to the judge give the jury instructions as he sits with his lawyer Charles Rankin. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

Aaron Hernandez did not have suicidal tendencies according to his attorney, TMZ reports.

According to TMZ Sports, Jose Baez, attorney for Aaron Hernandez, stated his client displayed no suicidal tendencies in the days leading up to his death on Wednesday. Authorities found Hernandez hanged by a bed sheet in his prison cell. Baez is also calling for a full investigation by the authorities.

"“There were no conversations or correspondence from Aaron to his family or legal team that would have indicated this scenario was a possibility.”“Aaron was looking forward to an opportunity for a second chance to prove his innocence. Those who love and care about him are heartbroken and determined to find the truth surrounding his untimely death.”"

Baez also stated his firm would conduct their own investigation of Hernandez’s death, and will disclose their findings to the public.

Interestingly, Evan Allen of the Boston Globe reported Hernandez’s death prevents any evidence regarding his case involving the 2013 homicide of Odin Lloyd from being used in civil court, due to the legal doctrine known as “abatement ab initio.” Hernandez was appealing the guilty verdict from this case in 2015.

Allen stated that according to Martin W. Healy, head of the Massachusetts Bar Association, this doctrine states that if an individual has not exhausted all legal options available to them at the time of death, any previous litigation against the individual is voided.

Due to abatement ab initio, any evidence gathered during the Hernandez trial will be deemed unusable according to civil law, including legal proceedings regarding Hernandez’s assets. This may support the theory that Hernandez’s death was not a suicide.

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TMZ has reported Hernandez was on suicide watch when he was initially convicted, also stating it is common for those receiving a life sentence to be placed under such conditions. The former New England Patriots tight end was 27 years old.

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