Former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez killed himself in prison on Wednesday morning, authorities said.
The former tight end, 27, was found hanging in his cell at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, Mass., according to the state’s Department of Correction.
“Mr. Hernandez was in a single cell in a general population unit,” the department said in a statement. “Mr. Hernandez hanged himself utilizing a bedsheet that he attached to his cell window. Mr. Hernandez also attempted to block his door from the inside by jamming the door with various items.”
Hernandez was moved to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
His suicide comes five days after a jury found him not guilty for the double homicide of two immigrants gunned down in a 2012 drive-by shooting.
Hernandez shared a daughter, 4-year-old Avielle, with fiancee Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez. She took his name after he was convicted in 2015 of killing Odin Lloyd, a landscaper who was dating Shayanna’s sister, Shaneah, at the time of the murder in 2013.
Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without parole, ending what many believed to be promising NFL career.
