A Super Bowl NFL tight end becomes a suspect in a double-murder. Then the story gets darker.
“Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez” is a three-part Netflix docuseries tracking the shocking downfall of New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez—from NFL stardom to multiple murder charges to his suicide in prison at age 27.
Trailer for “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez”
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- Hernandez had a long-term secret sexual relationship with his high school QB Dennis SanSoucie (starting in 7th grade). Neither family knew until the trial.
- Police linked Hernandez to a 2012 double murder using a silver SUV that had been sitting in his cousin’s garage (under a tarp) for over a year.
- After his suicide, doctors found that Hernandez had the most severe case of CTE ever recorded in someone his age. His brain was so damaged it looked like an 80-year-old’s.
Watch “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez”
You can watch “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez” on Netflix here.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 96/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 81/100 (Users); 68/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: Geno McDermott directed this 201-minute true crime docuseries. He’s also behind “Unraveled” and multiple projects for Discovery ID.
Release Date: January 15, 2020
My Review of “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez”
The Setup
This doc starts at peak fame: Aaron Hernandez catching touchdown passes from Tom Brady. He’s 23, rich, and under a $40 million contract. But then comes the murder of Odin Lloyd. And then…another double homicide? What unfolds is a wild mix of violence, secrets, football injuries, and one of the most shocking falls from grace in sports history.
More Highlights from the Doc
- Hernandez’s behavior got more violent after his father’s sudden death in 2006. Family says this was the moment things shifted.
- Despite being a rising NFL star, Hernandez was hanging out with known gang members and carrying illegal weapons in his car.
- Phone calls from jail reveal chilling calmness. In one, he laughs and jokes with his fiancée about their daughter’s birthday, days after being charged with murder.
- Former teammates and coaches describe his paranoia—installing surveillance cameras at his mansion and sleeping with a gun next to him.
- After being acquitted in the double homicide trial, he died by suicide just days later in his prison cell.
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- Hernandez reportedly called his mom from jail and blamed her for his choices—saying if she had been better, he might’ve been better too.
- His fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins, moved a box from their basement right after Odin Lloyd’s murder—it’s believed to have contained the murder weapon, but it was never found.
- Hernandez’s jailhouse phone calls reveal how disconnected he was from reality—often talking about playing in the NFL again.
- He was outed as gay by multiple sources after death, but the doc questions how much that secret—and fear of exposure—contributed to his mental spiral.
- After his suicide, some believed Hernandez had used an obscure legal loophole in Massachusetts law (abatement ab initio) to erase his conviction. That loophole was later overturned.
Wrap Up
This doc is a collision of fame, trauma, secrecy, and broken systems. “Killer Inside” will leave you stunned long after the credits roll.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc