By Jackie O’Rourke
Staff Reporter
On Jan. 15, the new documentary “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez” premiered on Netflix.
Aaron Hernandez was a convicted murderer and former tight end for the New England Patriots.
The documentary is a limited series consisting of three episodes that are each about one hour long.
The series features footage from Hernandez’s court hearings and audio from various phone calls Hernandez made to loved ones while in prison.
“I think it’s so powerful, and at least to me it is something that’s hard to deal with but also beautiful in the same aspects, as conflicting that is, because there’s limited experiences where you hear that. To hear his voice throughout it was like he was alive,” said Aaron Hernandez’s brother, Jonathan, in a recent interview on “The Dr. Oz Show.”
Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2015 and sentenced to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster, Mass., for the murder of Odin Llyod.
Herandez was found dead in his cell at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center just days after he was acquitted of the double homicide in 2017. The death was later ruled as suicide.
“Overall, with the murders and his own suicide, I feel that Hernandez should have been given more help,” said junior Mariah Concannon.
According to AP, “The three-part documentary examines the meteoric but troubled — and violent — rise and fall of the late New England Patriots tight end.”
“Coming from a social work perspective, had Hernandez chosen to become more open and willing to receive help, he may have been able to become linked to appropriate resources,” said Concannon.
Aaron Hernandez previously played tight end for the University of Florida before being drafted by the Patriots in 2010.
Aaron Hernandez’s NFL career ended when he was arrested and convicted for the murder of Odin Llyod in 2013. During the Lloyd murder trial, Hernandez was also indicted for the 2012 double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado.
“It was bone chilling that he supposedly killed two people and killed himself. Before trial, he was given a contract from the Patriots and he still killed two people,” said sophomore Will Pesek.
The documentary touches on the discovery that Aaron had an advanced case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, also known as CTE. CTE is a degenerative disease in the brain linked to head trauma.
Senior psychology student Jessica Wenz said, “I liked it a lot. I think that it showed who he was below the surface of the media. I liked the part of the last episode where it really went into his brain trauma, so that the doctors can try to prevent it next time. I thought that was really cool.”
CTE has become a major concern for players currently and formerly in the NFL.
“I was worried for Hernandez and worried for people who play football because people’s characters and personalities can change,” said second-year graduate student Steven Wasserman.
AP states that, “The disease, which can be diagnosed only after death, has been found in more than 100 former NFL players and in dozens more athletes and members of the military who have been exposed to repetitive head trauma. The disease can lead to memory loss, depression and suicide.”
The new Netflix documentary is not the only recount of Hernandez’s life. According to AP, “Hernandez’s story has already inspired a documentary aired on Oxygen, a ‘48 Hours’ special and books by bestselling author James Patterson and Hernandez’s defense lawyer, Jose Baez.”
The Associated Press contributed to this artilce.
