Ex-NFL Player Aaron Hernandez's Murder of Odin Lloyd Has Spawned Several Motive Theories

Theories for why Aaron Hernandez murdered Odin Lloyd range from masking up different crimes to drug-induced rage.

Apr. 23 2024, Published 10:09 p.m. ET

It’s not uncommon for NFL avid gamers to get in hassle with the regulation. Since January 2023 by myself, there were at least 28 arrests of NFL players. However, homicide is a crime reserved for a violent few, namely O.J. Simpson and Aaron Hernandez, amongst only some others. In 2013, Patriots tight end Hernandez used to be arrested and convicted of murdering Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro footballer who was dating Hernandez’s fiancée’s sister on the time.

While Hernandez used to be acquitted of 2 murders that passed off prior to Lloyd’s murder, his conviction in Lloyd’s case led to a sentence of life in jail with out parole. Shortly after the acquittal, on the other hand, Hernandez took his own life in his cell at a most security jail. Without him ever sharing a reason for murdering Lloyd, all there’s left to do is speculate. So we discuss with a number of of the theories referring to why Hernandez killed Lloyd.

Why Did Aaron Hernandez kill Odin Lloyd? There are a variety of theories.

Hernandez was once indeed acquitted of the double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado close to Boston’s Cure Lounge. Both Abreu and Furtado got here from Cape Verde and were killed by means of gunshots fired into their automobile. While witnesses testified seeing Hernandez’s automobile on the scene of the crime, he was once additionally seen on the membership’s safety footage. However, the testimony used to be based totally mostly on Alexander S. Bradley, Hernandez’s drug broker, who used to be in a feud with Hernandez on the time.

Several accounts mention Lloyd talking to police at a Boston nightclub when Lloyd and Hernandez were striking out. Putting the pieces in combination, some recommend that Lloyd may have been present at the double murder and that if he testified, he may just put Hernandez at the back of bars. So to solve the issue, Hernandez killed Lloyd.

Another concept is that Hernandez killed Lloyd to keep his sexuality below wraps.

In a REELZ particular, Aaron Hernandez: Jailhouse Lover Tells All, we discovered that Hernandez if truth be told had a male lover named Kyle Kennedy whilst housed on the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. “[We had intercourse] once or twice per week, every time there used to be a just right alternative,” Kennedy alleged within the special. “That was my right-hand man. We used to do the entirety in combination.”

The New Yorker did a deep dive into Hernandez’s sexuality and how the media handled it, claiming that the coverage speculating about whether or not he used to be homosexual could have resulted in his suicide. But some resources also suggest that Lloyd may have came upon that Hernandez was once gay or bisexual, so Hernandez killed him to keep the tips from leaking. Accounts of Hernandez pronouncing, “You can’t consider somebody” recommend that Lloyd knew some type of secret about Hernandez.

Many theories of Lloyd’s homicide hinge on Hernandez’s habit, mental health, and unresolved grief.

Hernandez got here from a unique upbringing. His father, Dennis, was a reformed convict who could have been a professional football player had he gotten his lifestyles in combination. So he made certain his sons didn’t apply in his footsteps. But when Dennis unexpectedly gave up the ghost when Hernandez was just 16 years old, Hernandez had no person to turn to. To make matters worse, Hernandez’s mother moved her abusive lover into their home and Hernandez found familial love with a crime-ridden crowd.

No coach was able to get him out of his grief-addled habit to substance and crime. He ran with gangs or even as soon as claimed to be a part of “the Bloods.” According to an in-depth Rolling Stone profile, Hernandez incessantly took angel mud, amongst different substances. By the time Hernandez murdered Lloyd, he was once so paranoid that he carried a gun on him at all times.

After his loss of life, Hernandez used to be diagnosed with continual irritating encephalopathy (CTE), a modern degenerative disease regularly found in football gamers’ brains that can contribute to violence and suicidal ideation. It’s very imaginable that his CTE may have contributed to his more violent behavior and recognition. In fact, one concept even suggests that Lloyd hung out with two men who talked badly about Hernandez, and this dissatisfied him so much that he killed his former buddy.

While we might never know the exact reason why Hernandez murdered Lloyd, it would had been a mix of a number of of these components. Perhaps Ryan Murphy’s upcoming collection, American Sports Story, will shed some extra light on what in reality came about.

If you or any individual you already know are experiencing suicidal ideas, name, text, or message the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Dial or text 988, name 1-800-273-8255, or chat via their website.

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