Aaron Hernandez's Lawyer Believes Former TE Could Have Been Murdered

Aaron Hernandez's lawyer, Jose Baez, reportedly believes the former New England Patriots tight end could have been murdered in prison Wednesday.

Per ESPN.com, the Massachusetts Department of Correction issued a statement Wednesday ruling Hernandez's death suicide by hanging.

According to TMZ Sports, sources indicated Baez is set to launch an investigation and feels inmates or prison staff may have orchestrated Hernandez's murder.

Baez later released a statement, via NBC Nightly News:

The 27-year-old Hernandez was serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the 2013 murder of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd.

Last week, Hernandez was found not guilty of the 2012 shooting deaths of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado outside a Boston nightclub.

Per Department of Correction spokesman Christopher Fallon, Hernandez was found just after 3 a.m. ET on Wednesday and pronounced dead one hour later.

Fallon added that officials had no previous concern about Hernandez being suicidal.