Football Star Found Dead Hanging In Cell, Was It Murder?
JACKSON: Just days after a jury cleared him in a double-murder case, former NFL star Aaron Hernandez was found hanging by a bed sheet inside his prison cell but not everybody is buying he killed himself. Serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder was alone in the cell. Prison officials say he attempted to block his door by jamming it with various items. His attorney not convinced.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obviously, we are all in shock and deeply saddened by the loss of Aaron Joseph Hernandez. At this time, we`re trying to process it all. It`s very hard for me to accept the fact he may have committed suicide. We`re keeping an open mind.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you don`t think that sounds like Aaron at all.</s>JACKSON: Hernandez` death is one of the most significant by an athlete in history. It came on the day many patriots teammates visited the White House. Susan Candiotti covered both of Aaron Hernandez` murder trials, so good to see you Susan, joining us from Atlanta, so Susan what do we know?</s>SUSAN CANDIOTTI, COVERED HERNANDEZ TRIAL: Well, you know, Joey, this is absolutely stunning. What an end to this very long story that began four year ago when he was initially arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd but we learn that overnight, this is just days after he was acquitted on the double-murder charges, a trial that just wrapped up in Boston only less than a week ago, that about 3:00 in the morning prison officials say that he was found hanging from a bed sheet that was tied to his window in some fashion and as you just indicated, you know, what is curious about this is the prison`s do generally check on prisoners at least once an hour. We don`t know at this time about whether there was surveillance around. We don`t know whether he was -- had become unresponsive or depressed or had this been his plan all along? As you just heard from a defense attorney, this is someone who had as I watched him during the trial, this trial, he was as he was in the first time, and back slapping his legal team at every chance he had. Now this was never seen by the jury, of course. But he seemed to be in a very confident upbeat mood until the verdict came in and he was acquitted. It is the first time, Joey, that we ever saw any emotion on his face. He broke down when he was acquitted of the crimes. So is this something that he had been thinking about? Will they find a note? Did they find a note? We don`t know these answers.</s>JACKSON: Susan, briefly, on that issue, you mentioned things completely inconsistent with the person that would want to commit suicide, black slapping attorneys and seeming to be in the moment. Do you think there is any credence with regard to this theory that it may not have been a suicide?</s>CANDIOTTI: You know, Joey, it`s just we don`t have any evidence to indicate that it was anything other than a suicide. I don`t know how someone else might have been able to pull it off and then somehow put some materials or some -- try to block the cell door as the prison officials had indicated. So it seemed it would be awfully hard to explain that but let`s see what happens. There will be an investigation.</s>JACKSON: No doubt there certainly will be. Susan Candiotti stands by. Last week Bill Belichick, he spoke with CNBC on Aaron Hernandez. Take a listen.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to play a little word association game.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ok.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to say a word and I want your immediate snap reaction. Aaron Hernandez.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tragedy.</s>JACKSON: Want to bring in Robert Schalk as well as Misty Merris, Misty your thoughts?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There will be investigation. If there was foul play it will be exposed, but right now, there is a lot reasons why Hernandez could have lost hope in this situation.</s>JACKSON: Robert Schalk could it have been murder?</s>SCHALK: I don`t think so, 3:45 in the morning in a cell by himself and locked from the inside. There is no way to get the components to jam a lock and get out of the cell all without a guard seeing you.</s>JACKSON: So you`re saying that is not likely.</s>SCHALK: 99.99 percent sure it`s unlikely.</s>JACKSON: Ok. Straight ahead, Susan Candiotti will take a closer look at the Aaron Hernandez tragedy.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was Hernandez on a slippery slope? He was tearing up the field as a gator but some who knew him were worried, especially when he was unsupervised away from the game. If you could keep him on one side, he`d be fine. The problem is he couldn`t stay away from the other side, adding it was a recipe for disaster.</s>JACKSON: Downward spiral. Aaron Hernandez begins at 9:00 p.m. And that of course was the voice of Susan Candiotti. Who is kind enough to joins us right there. We`ll be right back.