Third Hernandez suicide note addressed to inmate, lawyer says

SHIRLEY, Mass. — It’s been nearly a week since Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his cell at the Souza-Baranowski Corrections Center in Shirley.

Monday, his friends and family gathered for his funeral as a judge ordered all notes he left in connection to his suicide be released to his family. But now, a lawyer for a third person is coming forward saying one of those notes was for his client.

“Anything that happens when you have an unattended death there continues to be factors and you continue to look into,” said Mass. Secretary of Public Safety Dan Bennett.

Officials ruled last week that Aaron Hernandez died as a result of suicide in his cell, but with the investigation continuing, the letters Hernandez left in his cell came under scrutiny.

“We didn’t want the ongoing investigation to be affected by turning the notes over,” said Bennett.

According to the Boston Globe, who obtained the sidebar discussions from court in New Bedford Monday, the prison is in lockdown. In part because of issues related to Hernandez, and things that happened to Hernandez. But a lawyer representing Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez argued the family has the right, during the grieving process, to know their loved ones’ final thoughts. That argument won in court, as the family gathered for Aaron Hernandez’s funeral.

Officials reported three letters were found in Hernandez’s cell; one for his fiancee, the other for his daughter. But Monday, a lawyer for inmate 22-year-old Kyle Kennedy, also housed at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center came forward saying the third letter was addressed to his client.

Attorney Larry Army Jr. sent a statement saying he met with Kennedy briefly at the facility, and he’s saddened by the loss of his friend, who was not a cell mate of his. The statement goes on:

“A letter was left to my client, but neither I, nor my client, have seen the letter. We will be requesting that the letter be turned over to my client as soon as possible.”

The family of Kyle Kennedy also issued a statement:

“Our thoughts right now are with Aaron Hernandez’s family, as well as our son. We understand the broad public interest in this case, but we ask for privacy as we learn the facts.”

The lawyer says Kyle Kennedy was briefly put on suicide watch as a matter of protocol, but isn’t on suicide watch now.

Cox Media Group