In his new book, All-American Murder, best-selling author James Patterson explores “a big, complex tragedy” that wouldn’t look out of place in one of his novels: the life and death of Aaron Hernandez. The former New England Patriots’ star had it all — millions of dollars and limitless talent — but his story ended in a prison cell on April 19, 2017. Hernandez was serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd, and had just been acquitted of a separate double murder, when he was found dead in his cell.
After his death, Hernandez was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease found in numerous ex-NFL players which can cause depression, aggression, and violent mood swings.