Aaron Hernandez Officially Not a Murderer Anymore

On April 19, the Massachusetts Department of Correction announced that former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell, where he was serving a life sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd. He apparently had hanged himself, and the medical examiner officially ruled his death a suicide the next day, though Hernandez's family and representatives continue to question that ruling.

This would all be weird and morbid bookkeeping, except that the manner of Hernandez's death actually became a legal issue thanks to a quirk in Massachusetts law called "abatement," which holds that a murder conviction can be vacated if the convicted person dies before an appeal is heard. Prosecutors argued that by taking his own life, Hernandez forfeited his right to protection under the law, pointing to the suicide note addressed to his fiancee and found in his cell that read "You're Rich," among other allusions to his intentions.

On Tuesday, however, a judge held that the law still applied, ruling that no one can ever know why he killed himself. Therefore, as of today, Aaron Hernandez is no longer convicted of killing Odin Lloyd in July 2013.

A further quirk related to Massachusetts's process of abatement is that the New England Patriots may now be required to pay out on the rest of Hernandez's NFL contract, because they can no longer claim he has been convicted of murder. According to the attorney for Odin Lloyd's family, this could mean up to $6 million being paid to Hernandez's estate. According to court documents, his estate is currently worth nothing.