Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, the fiancee of Aaron Hernandez, was completely blindsided to learn that the former NFL star took his own life last month.
In a two-part interview with “Dr. Phil” that is set to air next week, host Phil McGraw spoke with Jenkins-Hernandez about Aaron’s seemingly sudden death and whether or not he was financially motivated to commit suicide. A teaser for the interview revealed that McGraw asked Jenkins-Hernandez outright if Aaron killed himself “so you could collect $6.5 million” from the New England Patriots.
We can probably guess how Jenkins-Hernandez responded to that, but the preview did show her response to a question about whether she had any indication Hernandez might kill himself.
“I thought it was a hoax, that this was some cruel person playing a trick on me,” Jenkins-Hernandez said of receiving the phone call that Aaron had committed suicide. “I felt like we were looking so bright. We were going up a ladder to a positive direction.”
The timing of Hernandez’s death was shocking, as he was just days removed from being acquitted of a 2012 double murder in Boston. One of the most popular theories is that Hernandez knew his original conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd would be overturned if he died (which it was on Tuesday), thus making it easier to protect his financial estate.
Jenkins-Hernandez, who took Aaron’s last name after he was found guilty of murdering Lloyd, could seek money from the Patriots and the NFL now that Hernandez’s conviction has been erased. The attorney representing Hernandez’s family has already hinted that that is a possibility.
