On Wednesday, former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was found unresponsive in his single cell at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, Mass. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
It was initially reported that Hernandez committed suicide by hanging himself with a bedsheet from a window in his cell. However, Hernandez’s lawyer and agent say they believe he wouldn’t have done that. In addition, there was no suicide note, but according to a local news station, Hernandez had the words “John 3:16” written on his forehead, a reference to the Bible verse that reads: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
WBZ-TV also reports that Hernandez had “blood red” markings on his feet and hands made with a marker. And while the investigation into Hernandez’s death is ongoing, law-enforcement officials are looking into whether Hernandez smoked a synthetic marijuana known as K2 just hours before he died, according to the report.
K2 is known to have bizarre side effects, including erratic behavior. A prison friend of Hernandez is now in isolation on “eyeball suicide watch,” WBZ-TV reports.
The 22-year-old is in the health service unit with a 24-hour watch with a correction officer and camera watching his every move, according to the report.
Read more at WBZ-TV.