Will the real Aaron Hernandez please stand up?
Odin Lloyd is found shot to death, and the prime suspect is NFL star Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez is a millionaire and a celebrity…but his real life shows a troubling trend. Growing up in Bristol, Connecticut, Hernandez came from a known family and rose as a celebrity in sports. Despite all this, there is a dark side to Hernandez’s life…Odin Lloyd’s death is just the tip of the iceberg.
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez is a Netflix limited series. The documentary was released on January 15, 2019 and was directed by Geno McDermott.
A happy family?
The amount of information I held on Aaron Hernandez was pretty slim. I knew his name, I knew he was convicted of murder, and I knew he committed suicide in prison. Watching the documentary, Hernandez’s story is a cautionary tale, a sad story, and tragic on all fronts…the victims and Hernandez.
There is a lot going on in this documentary. It has to cover a lot of topics and tell it in a compelling and organized way. For the most part it succeeds, but since Hernandez was tied into so many crimes, the trials and cases start to get a bit confusing. The documentary tries to focus on the crime which started it all (aka the death of Odin Lloyd), and it back dives into the murders of Daniel Jore Correia de Abreu and Safiro Teixeira Furtado, his attack on Alexander Bradley, and even problems when he was in Florida. It doesn’t lose you, and it shows everything that Hernandez was facing. The pressure had to be immense, and Hernandez didn’t do well with pressure in many ways.
The murder that sparked a fall
Through the course of the series, the documentary starts to make a case that Hernandez’s past is largely to blame for how the whole situation turned out. His repeated injuries and lack of long-term protection for players taking immense hits week after week is touched upon in the first two episodes and hammered upon in the third episode with the study of Hernandez’s brain. The documentary does an interesting job not exonerating him, but it also does a compelling argument that it was a massive contributing factor. I wish that throughout the course of the other episodes that injuries had been chronicled a bit better…it is referenced, but it is primarily about the crimes.
The other aspect to Hernandez’s life is his bisexuality or being a closeted gay man. The pressure of putting on a “face” day to day and being a man’s man not only for the public, but for his family and friends is also shown as a contributing factor. The documentary dips into it occasionally in the first two episodes but then has more reflection from his family and friends after his death. Once again, it doesn’t use this to exonerate him, but instead adds it as a contributing factor (more so to his suicide after being outed by the media).
A world falling apart…
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez does what it is meant to do and it does it well. It shows that crimes have reason and tries to created a three dimensional person out of Hernandez for those who know little about him or only see him as a football player or a murderous thug. It also does a rather decent job of presenting Hernandez’s victims by giving the family and friends of Odin Lloyd a chance to talk…it would have been nice if there had been more effort to tie in Daniel Jore Correia de Abreu and Safiro Teixeira Furtado, but quite possibly, they might not have had any way to do it (or permission from the families). The documentary becomes a cautionary tale on many fronts including prejudice, toxic masculinity, and the dangers of full contact sports…Aaron Hernandez shows what can happen.
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez Complete Episode Guide:
“Episode 1”
Episode 1 Release Date: 01/15/20
On June 18, 2013, the body of Odin Lloyd is found in an industrial park by a jobber and evidence all points to NFL New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez is a celebrity in Boston and a star in the NFL. His childhood in Bristol, Connecticut doesn’t point to the crime with a community known family and many friends who tell of kindness and friendship. Unfortunately, Hernandez has a different side…and the death of Odin Lloyd might only be the tip of the iceberg.
“Episode 2”
Episode 2 Release Date: 01/15/20
Hernandez’s involvement in a double murder of Daniel Jore Correia de Abreu and Safiro Teixeira Furtado in Boston is exposed, and jail becomes more of a reality. When Hernandez’s past in Florida shows a trouble trend, Hernandez’s sexuality and attempts to hide it could add to the toxic masculinity. The relationship with his mother and increased drug use could be his undoing…but the danger for Hernandez could be a failed attempt to cover his crimes.
“Episode 3”
Episode 3 Release Date: 01/15/20
Hernandez attack on Alexander Bradley could be his undoing when Bradley survives a shooting. With growing paranoia about Bradley’s potential revenge and more pressure growing on Hernandez, Odin Lloyd’s murder becomes a question…what did Lloyd know? With everything caving in, Hernandez makes the choice to kill himself, and what is revealed after his death could change how Hernandez is seen.
