UPDATE (6:27 p.m. ET): Bristol Superior Court Judge Thomas McGuire has granted Jenkins-Hernandez’s request to preserve all evidence from Aaron Hernandez’s death.
ORIGINAL STORY: Aaron Hernandez’s family and lawyers are determined to examine the circumstances surrounding his death.
Hernandez’s fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, sued the Massachusetts Department of Correction and the superintendent of the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center on Thursday to preserve all evidence gathered from Hernandez’s death on behalf of their 4-year-old daughter, The Boston Globe reported Friday.
Evidence includes the three suicide notes reportedly found in Hernandez’s cell, his other writings, cell-block logs and recordings and all other physical evidence.
Massachusetts chief medical examiner Dr. Henry N. Nields performed an autopsy on Hernandez, from which he concluded Thursday the former New England Patriots tight end died by suicide after hanging himself from his prison cell window with his bed sheet.
But Hernandez and his family haven’t accepted that conclusion at face value and intend to investigate his death for themselves. They’ve enlisted the help of forensic pathologist Michael Baden, who performed a second autopsy.
A judge will hear Hernandez’s attorneys’ request for access to the evidence at a hearing scheduled for Friday afternoon at a Bristol County Superior Court.
Thumbnail photo via The Sun Chronicle/USA TODAY Sports Images
