Last week, after the family of Aaron Hernandez began to ask questions about the circumstances surrounding his death in prison, unnamed law enforcement sources began to leak that Hernandez was bisexual. The specific information reported by Newsweek was that one of the three notes Hernandez left in his cell was addressed to his prison lover. (Newsweek also reported that the June 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd may have been motivated by a desire to conceal that Hernandez was secretly dating a man.)
The family of Aaron Hernandez has received the notes left by Hernandez in his cell. Attorney Jose Baez has issued a statement on the matter.
“Rumors of letters to a gay lover, in or out of prison, are false,” Baez said. “These are malicious leaks used to tarnish someone who is dead. . . . Notwithstanding my unambiguous statement that there were no such letters, representatives, on behalf of an individual named Kyle Kennedy, continues to advise the media such a gay love letter exists. Accordingly, on behalf of the family of Aaron Hernandez, I am reaffirming, unequivocally, no such letter to Mr. Kennedy, or any other individual, in or out of prison, exists. l urge anyone continuing to spread these malicious untruths to cease immediately.”
This isn’t about the Baez or the Hernandez family expressing a judgment that homosexuality or bisexuality is wrong, and this isn’t about sympathy for a convicted murderer. This is about what appears to be an effort to create emotional turmoil for Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, the mother of his child and the person to whom he was engaged to be married.
It may not be a coincidence that the leaks emerged in the wake of pointed questions and concerns being raised about whether Hernandez actually committed suicide and whether the authorities followed proper procedures to protect him from himself. It may be a sign of things to come, if the tough questions continue to be asked. That’s what Baez is trying to put a stop to.
Complicating the situation is the fact that Kyle Kennedy’s lawyer has said that a letter was left for his client. Again, the Hernandez family has received all notes that were left by Hernandez, and Baez insists that it’s false.