Ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell

Aaron Hernandez killed himself in prison — (Image credit: Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Former New England Patriots star tight end Aaron Hernandez killed himself overnight in his prison cell, the Massachusetts Department of Corrections said Wednesday morning. He was 27. Hernandez hanged himself with a bedsheet and tried to block his single-occupancy cell's door, officials said; he was found at about 3 a.m. and pronounced dead at the hospital about an hour later, after unsuccessful resuscitation attempts.

The former NFL star was serving a life sentence without parole at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, Massachusetts, after being convicted of a 2013 murder. Last Friday, he was acquitted of double first-degree murders prosecutors say he committed while drunk in 2012. "The Massachusetts State Police are on scene and the investigation continues," the state Department of Corrections said in a statement. "Mr. Hernandez's next of kin have been notified."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.