Aaron Hernandez's Real Name: Aaron Josef Hernandez

Quick answer: Aaron Hernandez's full name was Aaron Josef Hernandez. The former New England Patriots tight end was born on November 6, 1989, in Bristol, Connecticut. In 2015 he was convicted of the first-degree murder of Odin Lloyd and sentenced to life in prison. He died in prison on April 19, 2017, at 27; his death was ruled a suicide (AP; Britannica).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Hernandez, Aaron, 1989-2017," and its supporting citation gives his full name as Aaron Josef Hernandez. AP's timeline says he was the second son of Dennis Hernandez, a former high school football star who played at the University of Connecticut, and Terri Valentine-Hernandez. His father died in January 2006 from complications after surgery, when Aaron was a 16-year-old student at Bristol Central High School.

Britannica says he still holds Connecticut state records for career, season, and single-game receiving yards. AP says he was named the state's Football Player of the Year as a senior.

Career highlights

Hernandez graduated from high school early and enrolled at the University of Florida in 2007, playing under coach Urban Meyer. He was part of the Gators' 2008 national championship team. After the following season he won the John Mackey Award as college football's top tight end. He skipped his senior year and was drafted by New England in the fourth round in 2010. At 20, AP reports, he was the youngest player on an active NFL roster that season.

Britannica notes that he caught a touchdown pass from Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLVI, which the Patriots lost to the New York Giants. In August 2012 he signed a five-year, $40 million contract extension.

Convictions and death

On June 26, 2013, Hernandez was arrested and charged with murder in the death of Odin Lloyd, a semiprofessional football player. The Patriots released him the same day. On April 15, 2015, a jury convicted him of first-degree murder, which carried a mandatory life sentence.

In April 2017 he was acquitted of murder in the 2012 killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in Boston. In the same trial he was convicted of unlawfully possessing a firearm, Britannica reports. Days later, on April 19, 2017, he was found dead in his cell.

A judge then vacated the Lloyd conviction under a legal doctrine that erased convictions when a defendant died before an appeal. In March 2019, AP reported, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reinstated the conviction and abolished the doctrine. Researchers at Boston University later reported that his brain showed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Name notes for searchers

Aaron Josef Hernandez was his full legal name, and he played and was tried as Aaron Hernandez. Searches for "Aaron Josef Hernandez" refer to the same person.