Aaron Hernandez, who reportedly hanged himself in his cell Wednesday morning, may have legally died an innocent man.
There may be a slight hiccup in Hernandez’s murder conviction, as Massachusetts law requires that all legal exercises to be exhausted first. Because Hernandez died before his appeal could be heard, his case was not heard before the Supreme Judicial Court and therefore that avenue might not be considered to be exhausted.
Hernandez’s appellate attorney, John M. Thompson, reportedly expects Hernandez’s conviction to be voided once he gets a death certificate. As CNN reports, Hernandez’s murder conviction is expected to be dismissed posthumously. Therefore, legally, he died an innocent man.
Despite Hernandez’s death, the family of the man he murdered, Odin Lloyd, is still going to move forward with a wrongful death lawsuit.