Aaron Hernandez suicide: Lawyer denies gay rumors, formally asks for conviction dismissal

It’s been almost a week since former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez hanged himself in prison, but the headlines in the strange saga have not slowed down.

The latest: Hernandez’s lawyers have formally requested a dismissal of Hernandez’s conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd while also strongly denying media reports that Hernandez had a gay lover in prison and left him a suicide note in his prison cell. Newsweek also reports that the synthetic marijuana K2 was found in Hernandez’s system at the time of his death.

A spokesman for the district attorney’s office told the Associated Press that a motion to vacate the conviction was officially filed on Tuesday and that prosecutors will oppose the motion. There is precedent for Massachusetts courts vacating a conviction when a defendant dies before an appeal is heard. Doing so could unlock a financial windfall for Hernandez’s surviving family.

Rumors that Hernandez was bisexual and had a gay lover in prison named Kyle Kennedy have also gained steam in recent days with the alleged lover’s lawyer issuing a statement of his own. Hernandez reportedly left three notes behind in his prison cell, one of which was intended for Kennedy.

A judge ruled on Monday that the notes should be released to their recipients.

“My client is obviously saddened by the loss of his friend, Aaron Hernandez,” Larry Army, Jr., Kennedy’s attorney, said in a statement released on Monday. “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.”

Hernandez’s lawyer Jose Baez, however, strongly denied the reports to TMZ Sports.

“Rumors of letters to a gay lover, in or out of prison, are false,” Baez told the website. “These are malicious leaks used to tarnish somebody who is dead.”

Hernandez’s funeral was held on Monday in Connecticut with family and NFL friends being protected at the funeral home behind a police barrier.

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