Is Aaron Hernandez the NFL's First Serial Killer?

Breaking News: Aaron Hernandez is now under investigation for a double murder in Boston's South End in July 2012, according to CNN.

The news come on the heels of Hernandez's arrest for the murder of a semi-pro football acquaintance, Odin Lloyd.

2 + 1 = 3.  Simple math, larger implications.  Three murders in two separate crimes in the span of under a year...the NFL may have its first serial killer.

'Serial Killer' is a term with significant baggage.  Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, the Zodiac…serial killers are often responsible for dozens of victims.  Hernandez is not in that category – yet: but at the pace of news in this investigation, he may yet be implicated in more murders.

Even linked to just two sets of murders, Hernandez is in rarified air.  Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend then himself in a heinous crime colored by the sadness of suicide and depression.  Ray Lewis and Marvin Harrison both came under clouds of suspicion for murder but were never convicted.  But no active NFL players have ever murdered people in two separate crimes.

No NFL players have ever been, or come close to being, serial killers.

Prosecutors appear to have strong evidence linking Hernandez to the Lloyd murder.  Evidence from his cell phone and home surveillance records places him with Lloyd before the murder and at his home shortly after.  There appears to be a credible motive and the charge of first degree murder suggests the strength of the prosecution's case.

Dec 24, 2011; Foxborough, MA, USA: New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez (81) warms up before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Photo courtesy by David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports.

The evidence in the Boston double murders is much murkier.  Still under early investigation, Hernandez has not been charged in relation to it yet and his day in court – if there is one – is months away.

So, the question we will be asking for a long time is: will Hernandez be the first NFL serial killer?

Please read these other related pages:

• Aaron Hernandez Charged With Murder
• The Aaron Hernandez Scandal

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