The Latest: Connecticut town prepares for Hernandez funeral
BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) The Latest on the funeral for Aaron Hernandez (all times local):
6:10 p.m.
A jailhouse friend of Aaron Hernandez says one of three notes the former NFL star left in his cell before killing himself was addressed to him.
Lawrence Army, a lawyer for inmate Kyle Kennedy, said late Monday he's requested the note be turned over to this client, who has not yet seen it.
Prison officials didn't immediately comment.
Army declined to describe Kennedy's relationship to Hernandez but said through a spokesman that Kennedy was not his cellmate and had been placed on suicide watch at the maximum-security prison in Massachusetts as a precaution. Army said Kennedy is no longer on suicide watch.
Authorities have said Hernandez left the notes before he hanged himself Wednesday, but they've declined to say who they were addressed to or what the notes said.
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5:05 p.m.
Aaron Hernandez's family plans to have his remains cremated after the ex-NFL star hanged himself in prison.
A spokeswoman for the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association says the family opted for cremation.
Hernandez's brain was removed during an autopsy and given to concussion researchers at Boston University for study.
Mourners gathered Monday for a private funeral for the former New England Patriots tight end in his hometown of Bristol, Connecticut.
Hernandez was serving a life sentence at a maximum-security prison for a 2013 murder when he hanged himself in his cell last week. His death came just days after he was acquitted of a 2012 double-murder.
It's not clear when the burial will take place, which organizers said would also be private.
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4:15 p.m.
Aaron Hernandez's family is expressing thanks to the public for its empathy and understanding after the ex-NFL star hanged himself in his prison cell last week.
Ronald Sullivan is one of Hernandez's lawyers. He read a statement Monday thanking people for their ''thoughtful expressions of condolences.''
Sullivan says Hernandez's family appreciates being able to say their final goodbyes in privacy. He says: ''They love him and they miss him.''
Hernandez was at a maximum-security prison in Massachusetts serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder.
About 50 family members and close friends gathered Monday for an invitation-only funeral in Hernandez's hometown of Bristol, Connecticut.
The mourners included NFL players Brandon Spikes and twin brothers Mike and Maurkice Pouncey.
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3:20 p.m.
Mourners are filing out of ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez's funeral.
Those in attendance Monday included New England Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes, Miami Dolphins center Mike Pouncey and his twin brother, Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey.
Hernandez hanged himself last week in his cell at the maximum-security prison where he was serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder.
About 50 family members and close friends gathered for the invitation-only funeral in Hernandez's hometown of Bristol, Connecticut.
It's not clear when the burial will take place, which organizers said would also be private.
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1:50 p.m.
NFL players Mike and Maurkice Pouncey are among those paying final respects to former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez.
Mike Pouncey is a center for the Miami Dolphins, and Maurkice Pouncey plays the same position for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The twins are among about 50 mourners who are gathering for Hernandez's private funeral in his hometown of Bristol, Connecticut.
Hernandez hanged himself last week in his cell at the maximum-security prison where he was serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder.
Other mourners included prominent medical examiner Dr. Michael Baden, whom Hernandez's family retained to perform an independent autopsy. Massachusetts' chief medical examiner did the official autopsy and ruled the death a suicide.
Baden is joined by his wife, Linda Kenney Baden, a defense attorney.
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1:20 p.m.
A Massachusetts lawmaker is asking for oversight hearings to examine suicides by both prison inmates and guards.
The request from Democratic state Sen. Jamie Eldridge comes days after former NFL player Aaron Hernandez hanged himself in his cell at the Souza-Baranowski prison. The maximum-security lockup is located in Eldridge's Senate district.
He requested the hearing in a letter Monday to the co-chairs of the Legislature's Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.
Citing federal data, Eldridge wrote that Massachusetts has the nation's fourth highest prisoner suicide rate. He says state data shows 12 correction officers at seven prisons took their own lives between 2011 and 2015.
He's calling for a review of suicide prevention programs in state correctional facilities with an eye toward drafting legislation to address the issue.
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1:10 p.m.
A Massachusetts judge has ordered a district attorney to hand over copies of three suicide notes left by ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez by the time he is buried.
An attorney for Hernandez's fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins Hernandez, made the request in court Monday morning, hours before Hernandez's funeral in Bristol, Connecticut.
Hernandez, who was serving a life sentence in a 2013 murder, took his own life last week, just days after being acquitted in a 2012 double slaying.
Hernandez left three notes next to a Bible.
A lawyer for Jenkins Hernandez said Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.'s office had refused to share the contents of the notes until the investigation into Hernandez's death is complete.
The judge said Early's office can redact information from the notes to protect the ongoing investigation.
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12:40 p.m.
Aaron Hernandez's fiancee, mother and brother are among those who have turned out for the private funeral in the former NFL star's hometown of Bristol, Connecticut.
Two men in suits checked IDs in the funeral home's driveway as guests drove up, police closed a street outside to traffic and television news crews were stationed in a lot across the street.
The invitation-only service is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Monday.
At one point Hernandez's mother, Terri Hernandez, stepped out ahead of the service to smoke a cigarette on the funeral home's front porch.
The former New England Patriot tight end was found hanged in his cell in a maximum-security prison in Massachusetts last week.
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12:05 p.m.
Aaron Hernandez's fiancee is asking a Massachusetts judge to release copies of the three notes the former NFL star left in his cell last week before he killed himself.
Hernandez, who was serving a life sentence, left the notes next to a Bible.
The Boston Globe reports that Shayanna Jenkins Hernandez's attorney George Leontire made the request to the judge Monday morning, hours before Hernandez's funeral was to begin in Bristol, Connecticut. Leontire says the family has a right ''to know their loved one's final thoughts.''
The lawyer says Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.'s office has refused to share the notes' contents. He says Early's office won't do so until the investigation into Hernandez's death is complete.
The Associated Press left messages for Early's office seeking comment on the filing.
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11:35 a.m.
Police have closed off traffic outside a funeral home that will be the site of a funeral service for former NFL player Aaron Hernandez.
The private service for family and friends is being held Monday afternoon in Bristol, Connecticut, where Hernandez grew up.
The former New England Patriots tight end was found hanged in his cell in a maximum-security prison in Massachusetts last week. The death has been ruled a suicide.
Police cruisers were parked at the entrance to the funeral home and television news crews were set up across the street several hours ahead of the 1 p.m. service.
The burial will be private at an undisclosed location.
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1:50 a.m.
Former NFL player Aaron Hernandez's Connecticut hometown is preparing to say farewell to him.
A private funeral service is scheduled for 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Monday for the former New England Patriots tight end, who was found hanged in his cell in a maximum-security prison in Massachusetts last week. Hernandez was serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder and had just been acquitted of a 2012 double murder. His death has been ruled a suicide.
Services will be at a funeral home in Bristol. The burial will be private at an undisclosed location.
Hernandez's family in a statement Saturday asked for privacy as they mourn.
Scientists at Boston University are studying Hernandez's brain for any signs of repeated trauma suffered during his years of playing football.
