Aaron Hernandez reportedly had gang ties, feared for his life

Aaron Hernandez has been sent to Bristol County House of Corrections, where he is currently being held without bail after being charged with murder on Wednesday. After Hernandez arrived, Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson spoke to the media about the facility’s screening process, which he said involves figuring out if an inmate has any gang ties before placing them in a cell alone or with a bunkmate.

According to TMZ, Hernandez does have connections to gang members from his home town of Bristol, Conn. The former New England Patriots tight end reportedly joined a gang when he was a teenager and has been trying to distance himself from the members after signing a $40 million contract extension, but he was not completely successful.

[Related: Girls of Twitter think Aaron Hernandez is sexy despite murder charge]

TMZ sources said that people in the gangster world felt Hernandez owed them something, but that it was more about time and respect than money. The 23-year-old allegedly feared that people he used to associate with were trying to kill him in the months leading up to the murder of Odin Lloyd. It is not known whether he felt that way about rivals or friends who he “betrayed.”

As the story continues to unfold, I’m sure we will be getting a much clearer picture of why Hernandez was involved in the case — regardless of if he pulled the trigger or not. Hernandez has a tattoo on his right hand that has led to speculation about gang involvement. It’s impossible to believe he allegedly killed a man simply because he didn’t like the people he was talking to. There has to be more to it than that.

See all the LBS coverage on the Aaron Hernandez murder case