The story of Aaron Hernandez has recaptured the nation's attention thanks to Netflix's Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez docuseries. Now, his brother has decided to shed light on Hernandez's life and sexuality.
During his upcoming appearance on The Dr. Oz Show, Jonathan Hernandez recalled his brother telling their mother that he has had sex with men prior to him taking his life.
"He’s like, 'Mom, you’re going die never knowing your son,'" the older Hernandez said. "Then all of a sudden they have this conversation and they’re both flooded with tears across from each other."
While Hernandez admits that his brother carried the "weight" of being in the closet, he's unclear if this pressure pushed him into killing Odin Lloyd.
"That’s one of the questions and, you know, head scratches that they still have regarding really this entire case," Hernandez said when discussing his brother's sexuality and motive behind the murder of Lloyd. "There’s just so many questions regarding everything. And, for me to sit here and say it was this or that, I can’t say. All you can do is look at the evidence that was provided."
It appears that their mom was the only member of their immediate family that his brother confided in. Still, he didn't tell her until he was behind bars following a murder conviction. Hernandez believes that his brother was hiding this secret his whole life to escape ridicule or punishment from their father.
"I don’t know if he would have been able to finish his sentence," Hernandez responded when asked if his brother would've been able to talk to his father about his sexuality. "I don’t know at all, I really don’t. I can’t imagine him even being able to or my dad would have thought he could beat that out of him."
Hernandez went on to detail the abuse they experienced at the hands of their father.
"I don’t think ‘beat’ is really even the word that can be expressed when you literally have to blow on your brother’s wounds because of the creases of a belt or handprint in your body, and the burning sensation it has," Hernandez explained. "You now have a rule that in your household, you can get beat, but you stay away from the face, so other people can’t notice."
This is Hernandez's first interview since the docuseries premiered. This series dives deep into Aaron Hernandez's life in an effort to figure out what drove him to violence. He thinks this intimate look at his brother made the project very "powerful."
"I think [it’s] so powerful, and at least to me it is something that’s hard to deal with but also beautiful in the same aspects, as conflicting that is, because there’s limited experiences where you hear that," he said while fighting back tears. "To hear his voice throughout it was like he was alive."
Jonathan Hernandez's full conversation with Dr. Oz will air on Thursday.
