A shocking story, which began  in 2012, came to a tragic end on April 19 in Lancaster, Massachusetts as former New England Patriots’ tight end Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell after reportedly hanging himself.

When Hernandez joined the Patriots in 2010, no one could have predicted that the talented twenty-two-year-old star from Florida would take such a sharp turn in his life just 3 years later and be charged in not one, but two, murder cases in 2012 and 2013. NFL Draft as he fell from a likely first- or second-round  pick to being picked up by the Patriots in the fourth round. The star, who averaged 200 yards receiving, more than 34 receptions, a season playing alongside Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow at Florida, leaves behind a wife and a 4-year-old daughter.

Hernandez was in prison on a murder conviction in the death of Odin Lloyd, the boyfriend of his fiancé’s sister. According to USA Today, Hernandez gunned down Lloyd, a semi-professional football player, on June 17, 2013 because, as sources say, the two were carrying weapons and a bag of marijuana, which led to disputes between the two and a motive to kill for Hernandez. The subsequent trial drew intense media scrutiny of Hernandez’s life and his background. Not long after the initial charges were filled out, the Patriots cut ties with the troubled player just 45 minutes after his arrest confirmation. It was clear that the organization wanted nothing to do with this matter.

During his trial, other charges of carrying weapons came up. The second charge against Hernandez came from Boston Police, who said that he was the shooter in a double homicide. The victims,  Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, both immigrants who lived in Boston, apparently spilled a drink on Hernandez and did not apologize, which angered the young player, reported CNN.

While serving his life sentence for the Lloyd killing, the trial for the double murder took place  on a no-bail option but was good for Hernandez because more evidence was being torn into which could help prove his innocence. On April 14th, 2017, some good news finally came to Hernandez in court. Prosecutors  dismissed the first-degree murder charge in the double homicide; Hernandez would serve only for the case of Lloyd and other armed assault charges. Some hope, some strength, some sort of positivity came on this day for Hernandez and his family.

Sadly, as this positive news came to light for Hernandez’s family, they all came crashing down just 5 days later. On April 19, 2017, Hernandez, 27, was found dead in his  cell, leaving behind just 3 notes, and a past which could have turned into a legacy if he had chosen the right path to take for his career, life, and family.