Aaron Hernandez. Michael DeHoog/Sports Imagery/ Getty Images
Late NFL star Aaron Hernandez’s brother, Dennis “DJ” Hernandez, has officially been sentenced after threatening to carry out a shooting on the University of Connecticut’s campus.
U.S. District Judge Sarala Nagala sentenced DJ, 38, to 18 months of prison time already served and three years of supervised release on Friday, February 7. DJ must continue mental health and substance abuse treatment and allow probation officers to monitor his electronic devices, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
DJ has been in custody since his July 2023 arrest, which came days after he made multiple Facebook posts threatening to harm or kill three people, one of which was a judge. That same month, DJ threatened to carry out a mass shooting at UConn. Court documents alleged that his vehicle was identified on campus in July 2023.
“I would recommend remaining away from there because when I go I’m taking down everything. And don’t give a f— who gets caught in the crossfire,” DJ allegedly wrote. “I’ve died for years now and now it’s others people turn. I’m prepared to give my life. So if I don’t get to see you on the outside know I love you always. Not all shootings are bad I’m realizing. Some are necessary for change to happen.”
Josh Rivera bulked up and brought Aaron Hernandez to life for American Sports Story. Rivera, 29, plays the late NFL player in Ryan Murphy’s forthcoming miniseries, which is set to premiere via FX on September 17. Nearly a month before the show’s first episode is scheduled to air, fans got a first look at what […]
In December 2024, DJ pleaded guilty to transmitting interstate communications containing a threat to injure. He was also ordered to stay away from UConn, along with other locations he threatened, on Friday.
Multiple outlets have reported that DJ has been released from custody.
DJ is the older brother of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron who died by suicide in his prison cell at age 27 in April 2017.
Aaron was arrested in 2013 for the murder of Odin Lloyd. Two years later he was found guilty of first-degree murder and subsequently charged for the double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. He was acquitted of those two crimes two days prior to his death.
Aaron Hernandez’s fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins, slammed the jokes made about the late NFL star during The Greatest Roast Of All Time: Tom Brady Netflix special. “It’s sad that I’m trying to raise my children in such a cruel world,” Jenkins, 34, told TMZ in an interview published on Monday, May 6. The New England Patriots […]
Aaron was posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that develops after repeated traumatic brain injuries, including concussions.
Aaron and DJ were portrayed by Josh Andrés Rivera and Ean Castellanos, respectively, in American Sports Story, which aired on FX late last year. The 10-episode miniseries followed Aaron’s life, from his time as a child growing up in Connecticut to his college football career at the University of Florida and in the NFL. The show also gave insight into his arrest and how his family was impacted by the highly publicized trial.
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