Report: Aaron Hernandez Says He’s ‘Not Guilty’ in Jailhouse Letter

Celebrity gossip site TMZ is claiming they’ve obtained a letter written by Aaron Hernandez in which the imprisoned former Patriot, now charged with murder, claims he’s not guilty. Hernandez responded to a man TMZ calls “Karl,” who says he wrote to offer Hernandez his encouragement, according to TMZ. In it, Hernandez writes:

I know everything happens for a reason and I know ‘God’ has a plan for me and something good will come out of this. The world just makes things out of false accusations and it will all die down especially when they say NOT GUILTY and all the people who turned on me will feel like crap.

Though Hernandez has pled not guilty to the charges, he hasn’t made a public statement, and certainly not one in which he so enthusiastically proclaims his innocence. In the letter, he sounds contemplative as he describes how money led him astray (in ways he doesn’t really specify):

I know there is a reason I’m going thru this and I will figure it out through my relationship with the Lord. I fell off especially after making all that money but when its all said and done ‘God’ put me in the situation for a reason. I’m humbled by this ALREADY and this will change me forever.

TMZ says they’ve confirmed the letter’s veracity with “law enforcement.” We’ve reached out to Hernandez’s legal team for comment, ourselves, but if it is genuine, Hernandez sounds, for the record, significantly more chipper about his legal prospects than many of us who heard the prosecutors lay out their preliminary case against him. The government has strung together text messages sent by the victim, Odin Lloyd, security camera footage of Hernandez entering and leaving the area where Lloyd’s body was found, and a wealth of other evidence to paint a minute by minute version of events in which Hernandez picked Lloyd up from his home and brought him to an industrial park where he executed him. Hernandez’s lawyers point out that the evidence remains circumstantial and that investigators have yet to produce a murder weapon. (Not for lack of trying.)

The charges have also spurred investigations into Hernandez’s involvement in another double murder in Boston as well as a non-fatal shooting of a former associate. Given all that, Hernandez sounds enthusiastic to hear from “Karl,” an actual supporter. “Karl” tells TMZ “he would like to visit Aaron in jail — if Aaron will let him.”  Unfortunately for Karl, Hernandez’s letter includes the stipulation, “Keep this off social media PLEASE!” by which we think he probably also meant, “Don’t give this to TMZ.com.” So … we doubt Hernandez will be welcoming ole Karl to visiting hours anytime soon.