Three handwritten notes were found in the cell next to a Bible authorities said then. Jamie Eldridge comes days after former National Football League player Aaron Hernandez hanged himself in his cell at the Souza-Baranowski prison.
In addition to clearing Hernandez's name, the legal move, at the behest of his family including his girlfriend, Shayanna Jenkins Hernandez, could help protect his estate from liability in civil lawsuits filed by the survivors of his alleged victims.
The troubled man was remembered by his family and friends at a private service on Monday afternoon (Apr. 24), in his hometown of Bristol, Conn.
The guests included twin National Football League players Mike and Maurkice Pouncey; prominent medical examiner Dr. Michael Baden, whom Hernandez's family retained to perform an independent autopsy; and at least one of Hernandez's defense attorneys.
Earlier this month, Hernandez was found not guilty of murder in a 2012 drive-by shooting that killed two.
As reported by ESPN, courts in MA have held that when a defendant dies before having an appeal heard, the conviction is vacated. A lawyer for 22-year-old inmate Kyle Kennedy, who is also housed at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, said Monday that the third letter was addressed to his client.
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A judge on Friday ordered key evidence preserved, granting a request from Jenkins-Hernandez so the family can investigate the circumstances of his death.
Kennedy's lawyer Larry Army said in a statement to NBC Boston on Monday that Kennedy was "very saddened by the loss of his friend, Aaron Hernandez".
Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn, said prosecutors will be opposing the motion to vacate Hernandez's murder conviction.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Plainclothes and uniformed police officers surrounded O'Brien Funeral Home on Lincoln Avenue long before and throughout the two-plus-hour ceremony, closed to anyone without an invitation. The cause of death is asphyxia caused by hanging. The burial will be private at an undisclosed location.
"The family of Aaron Hernandez wishes to thank the public for its thoughtful expressions of condolences", the statement said.
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