Prison official: Former NFL star Aaron Hernandez hangs self in cell

MILFORD, Mass. — A prison official says former NFL star Aaron Hernandez has hanged himself in a prison cell and has been pronounced dead at a Massachusetts hospital.

Hernandez, who was already serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder, was acquitted just last Friday in a 2012 double slaying prosecutors said was fueled by his anger over a spilled drink.

The former tight end for the New England Patriots wept quietly as the verdicts were read in Boston.

Hernandez, 27, grew up in Bristol, Connecticut, and played for the Patriots from 2010 to 2012.

About six weeks after the double slaying in 2012, Hernandez signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Patriots and went on to play another season.

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The Associated Press