Ep 4. Aaron Hernandez

Aaron Hernandez was a rising star in the NFL, playing for the New England Patriots and helping the team win a Super Bowl in 2012. But in April 2015, his life took a tragic turn when he was arrested and charged with the murder of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd. Hernandez was later convicted of the crime and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Three years later, on April 19, 2017, Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell, with a bed sheet tied around his neck. In the fourth episode of season 9 of Autopsy: The Last Hours Of..., forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter takes a closer look at the events leading up to Hernandez's death and what may have caused it.

As Dr. Hunter examines Hernandez's autopsy report and speaks with experts who knew the football player personally, he begins to piece together a timeline of Hernandez's final hours. He learns that Hernandez had been acquitted of a separate double murder case just days before his suicide, and that he had recently requested to be transferred to a different prison.

But perhaps the biggest clue to Hernandez's state of mind comes from his brain. After his death, his family donated his brain to the Boston University CTE Center, which studies chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease often found in individuals who have suffered repeated head trauma. Dr. Hunter speaks with Dr. Ann McKee, the director of the CTE Center, to learn more about Hernandez's brain and what the findings may indicate.

Throughout the episode, Dr. Hunter also explores the long-term effects of repeated head trauma on football players and other athletes. He speaks with former NFL players who have been diagnosed with CTE and experts who are working to find ways to diagnose and prevent the disease.

As he delves deeper into Hernandez's final hours and the circumstances surrounding his suicide, Dr. Hunter reveals new insights into the tragic story of a talented athlete who lost everything.