Aaron Hernandez feared being outed as gay

But only when he was past help did guards rush in; Hernandez died of asphyxia due to hanging, local coroners ruled.

"The preservation of evidence regarding the circumstances of Aaron Hernandez's death is crucial to a full, complete, and transparent investigation", lawyer George Leontire wrote in court papers.

In April 2015, Hernandez was convicted for shooting and killing Lloyd, a semi-professional football player, on June 17, 2013.

According to authorities, Hernandez was locked in his cell just after 8 p.m. Tuesday and then wasn't visited again until an officer discovered his body at 3:03 a.m. Wednesday.

Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, the mother of Hernandez's daughter, could take legal action in the wake of the ex-New England Patriots star hanging himself at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center.

With each passing day, the case surrounding Aaron Hernandez's suicide gets eerier and eerier.

There were also signs that Hernandez meticulously planned the suicide. Although Hernandez was convicted of killing Lloyd - and later sentenced to life in prison for his actions - police were never able to establish a true motive for the crime. Newsweek also reports Hernandez moved money into three accounts before he was arrested for murdering Lloyd: his fiancee's, his daughter's and his alleged lover's, which received the largest sum of money. The longtime gang affiliate had recently been acquitted in two other murders, his old team was visiting the White House, and he had not yet appealed his conviction in court. He also said he had not heard from officials whether Hernandez had the biblical reference "John 3:16" written on him, as a law enforcement source involved in the investigation told CNN.

The Post's story goes on to say that co-defendant Ernest Wallace told cops that Lloyd had slurred Hernandez as a "schmoocher", or someone who is gay, before his death, the report said. MA prison officials said Hernandez hanged himself in his cell and pronounced dead at a hospital early Wednesday, April 19, 2017.

Sheff is representing Lloyd's mother, Ursula Ward, in a wrongful-death lawsuit.

The Patriots have not commented on the issue. I lost my son.

Earlier this week, his family members had asked a judge to order MA prison officials to preserve evidence so they can investigate the circumstances of his death.

The 12 item list includes writings, video recordings and medical records.

A hearing has been scheduled for Friday afternoon in New Bedford, Massachusetts.