Ex-New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez, currently incarcerated for an alleged murder, declared his innocence as he responded to a fan letter, saying that “all the people who turned on me will feel like crap.” TMZ, which on Thursday published the letter online, claimed to have independently verified its authenticity with authorities.
Massachusetts law enforcement have accused Hernandez of orchestrating the shooting death of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd on June 17th. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to murder and is being held without bail.
In the letter, Hernandez responded to the fan, “The world just makes things out of false accusations and it will all die down especially when they say NOT GUILTY……”
Included in the letter, Hernandez asks that the letter not to be leaked to social media.
The fan, who wishes to remain anonymous, sold the letter to an owner of a Massachusetts memorabilia shop, who then sold the letter to TMZ for $18,000.
The fan stated he had good reason to sell the letter. He says, “I wanted to show him that I’m supporting him,” the fan told CNN on Friday. “I don’t think it’s right because people haven’t heard his side of the story. All you see is Twitter and Facebook saying bad things. People need to see that he took his time to write somebody a letter back,” he said.
Although he is supporting Hernandez, the fan still sympathizes for the family of the victim.
The fan wrote the letter two weeks ago, explaining his own troubles with the law and how he was able to turn his life around. He was surprised to have received a response.
In the letter, the fan included photos of Hernandez, his fiancée and their daughter, which Hernandez now has on his wall in the cell, as “something to look at beside those four walls,” according to the fan.
Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson told CNN that the envelope and stationery came from Bristol County House of Corrections, but could not confirm whether Hernandez actually wrote it. However, the name “Aaron Hernandez,” the identification number, unit and room number were listed on the outgoing envelope.