Prison officers first found Aaron Hernandez’s body around 3 a.m. on April 17, after a passing guard noticed a hanging bedsheet blocking his view into the player’s cell (via The Independent). Hernandez had made it as difficult as possible for prison staff to enter his room, stuffing cardboard into the tracks of the cell door and covering the floor in shampoo to make it slippery.
An inspection of Hernandez’s body revealed bloody circular marks on both his feet, as well as a small incision to the middle finger of his right hand. According to the Daily Mail, officers found “John 3:16” daubed in blood on the walls, as well as the word “ILLUMINATI” and a shaky half-finished drawing of the Illuminati sign. The symbol, a triangle with an eye at the center, symbolizes the all-seeing eye of God and later became associated with the conspiratorial group (via the BBC).
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A copy of the Bible was left open at the scene, with verse John 3:16 marked out in blood. Finally, Hernandez had written 3:16 again in ink on his forehead. The passage in question is a popular and well-known one (per The Independent): “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The graffiti found in Hernandez’s cell seems to confirm previous reports that the NFL star had become increasingly religious while in prison (via The Boston Globe).
