Jared Wickerham/iStock/Thinkstock(BOSTON) — The autopsy on the body of former NFL star Aaron Hernandez has been completed by the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Hernandez’s defense attorney, Jose Baez, said on Thursday during a press conference.
The results of the autopsy were not made public.
Hernandez’s body has been released to his family for burial, but the medical examiner has retained custody of his brain, despite the family’s wish to donate it to the Boston University CTE Center, Baez said. CTE stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a type of brain injury found in athletes and others who have experienced repetitive brain trauma.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said on Thursday that he has confidence in the investigation being conducted by the state’s Department of Correction into what went wrong. Hernandez was found dead in his cell on Wednesday. Prison officials said he committed suicide.
“Look, any time anybody kills themselves in a prison, something clearly went wrong,” the governor said, adding that he supports the department’s leadership.
Baker said that at this time, he does not believe anyone has been disciplined in the wake of Hernandez’s death.
Hernandez was found hanging from a bedsheet tied to the window of his cell at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, Massachusetts.
One of Hernandez’s attorneys, Ronald Sullivan, told the Boston Globe that Hernandez was on the phone with his longtime fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, about seven hours before his death. Sullivan did not say what the couple discussed but said they spoke until about 8 p.m.
The Massachusetts State Police and Worcester County District Attorney’s Office have launched an investigation into Hernandez’s death. Police and prosecutors will look at Hernandez’s recent time in prison, including prior fights and any gang-related disputes that might have occurred.
His legal team will also be conducting its own investigation, Baez said.
Hernandez was dropped from the New England Patriots’ roster in 2013 after he was arrested for the murder of his friend, Odin Lloyd.
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