The late New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was engaged to American Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez. She supported Hernandez throughout the trial and subsequent guilty conviction, even after he was accused of killing Odin Lloyd. She was born in Connecticut and grew up with Aaron Hernandez in Bristol’s rough neighborhoods. They started dating in middle school and had an on-and-off relationship for the following several years as Aaron Hernandez’s stardom as a football player grew. When Aaron joined the Patriots, Shayanna was a college student. After relocating together, their daughter was born in November 2012. Aaron was accused of cheating on numerous occasions throughout their relationship. The erratic sports icon was also dealing with a number of legal troubles. Shayanna stood behind her then-fiance after Lloyd’s murder, even though doing so meant opposing her sister, who was seeing Lloyd at the time of his death. In April 2017, Aaron Hernandez committed suicide. Shayanna has since appeared on television to present her perspective on the matter.
Early Childhood & Life
Jodi and Derrick Jenkins welcomed Shayanna into the world on May 29, 1989, in Bristol, Connecticut. She has a half-sister named Octavia Samuel as well as a sister named Shaneah Jenkins.
Aaron Hernandez and she have been friends since they were in elementary school. Their families had lived next door to one another for many years. Hernandez’s mother raised her and her sister by herself in the absence of their father, who was a respected member of the community and a custodian.
Connection to Hernandez
Shayanna Jenkins excelled in school and was a star athlete in her own right, winning numerous awards as a track and field competitor. When they were in middle school, their connection became more serious. They started dating in 2007, and as Hernandez rose to fame, their relationship experienced its fair share of ups and downs. Other women were a source of contention. He was a star, and lots of girls were vying for his attention, as she admitted herself during the trial.
Hernandez was chosen by the esteemed football team at the University of Florida while she was a student at a community college in her native Connecticut. He made the decision to forgo his senior year after his junior one and declare himself eligible for the NFL draft instead.
It ended up being a wise choice. He was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Despite having a starting salary that was noticeably lower than that of many of his teammates, his first deal with the organization altered in 2012 when he agreed to a $40 million contract extension.
Shayanna and Hernandez stayed in touch frequently during their separation, and when he eventually relocated to play for the Patriots, she moved in with him. They decided to spend $1.5 million on a home in a Boston suburb. She got pregnant somewhere at the beginning of 2012. They got engaged in November. On November 6, 2012, their daughter Avielle Janelle Hernandez was born.
The assassination of Odin Lloyd
Odin Llyod was a linebacker who competed for the Boston Bandits, a New England-based semi-pro football team. He was in a relationship with Shaneah when he met Hernandez. Hernandez sent two of his pals who lived outside the state a message on June 16, 2013, the evening before the murder, asking them to visit him in Massachusetts.
Hernandez’s automobile is where Lloyd sent a text message to his sister early on June 17. They were near one another for at least 10 hours before the murder, say the prosecutors.
At around 3:30 am, Lloyd was shot five times in the chest and back in an industrial park only a mile from Hernandez’s home. His wounds soon caused him to pass away.
Hernandez was arrested on June 26 at his residence and was facing charges including first-degree murder. A day later, Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace, two of his pals from out of state, were also arrested. As the investigators believed that Shayanna and Hernandez’s cousin Tanya Cummings Singleton assisted Hernandez in killing Lloyd, they were both charged as accomplices to murder. Hernandez was charged with the murder on August 22 by a grand jury, while Shayanna was charged with perjury in September.
She supported Hernandez by being present all the time in court. Her friendship with Shaneah suffered as a result. She once directly questioned Hernandez over the death of Lloyd. No, was his response.
Hernandez was additionally charged with the deaths of Safiro Teixeira Furtado and Daniel Jorge Correia de Abreu during the trial, but a jury ultimately found him not guilty of those counts in April 2017. That day, Shayanna and their daughter showed up in the court. Avielle received kisses from Hernandez, who also mouthed the words “I love you.”
She apparently asked for immunity from prosecution in exchange for giving testimony against Hernandez in January 2015, and in February she received it. Hernandez was found guilty on April 15, 2015, of the first-degree murder of Odin Lloyd and other offenses. He was subsequently given a life sentence. Shayanna adopted his last name after the conviction, despite the fact that they weren’t wed.
In April 2017, Aaron Hernandez apparently hanged himself. At roughly 3:05 am on April 19, 2017, his body was discovered in his cell. Shayanna first didn’t believe what had happened when she heard about it, so she contacted their attorney.
Events of Late
She has now shared her tale on Dr. Phil’s show and is actively pursuing legal action to see that Avielle receives some of the compensation that the NFL and the New England Patriots promised to Hernandez.
Estimated Net Worth
Unknown.