Sumith Prasad
FX’s crime drama series ‘American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez’ offers glimpses of Aaron Hernandez and Shayanna Jenkins’ relationship in the first two episodes. In reality, their companionship strengthened after she became pregnant with his daughter. After their engagement in October 2012, they welcomed Avielle Janelle Hernandez on November 6, the day the football player was born. Her birth was a turning point in his life. He realized that it was time to do things the “right way” and stop being “young and reckless.” Aaron wanted to raise her like how he was raised. However, he was separated from her when she was just seven months old.
Avielle Janelle Hernandez Lost Her Father When She Was Four
Aaron Hernandez was charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd in June 2013. After his arrest, he was tried and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Following the sentence, he was tried again in relation to the 2012 Boston double homicide case, which involved the murders of Daniel Jorge Correia de Abreu and Safiro Teixeira Furtado. While the legal proceedings were progressing, Shayanna Jenkins brought Avielle Janelle Hernandez to court so that her father could meet her. Aaron sent her a flying kiss from the defendant’s side when she visited him during the trial. The football player then tragically killed himself in April 2017 when Avielle was just four years old.
One of Aaron’s suicide notes was addressed to Avielle. In the letter, he promised her that he would never leave her and that he was entering a “timeless realm.” “I’ll see you all in the heavens, awaiting you all with the same love. Never fear me, but love me with all of you!” further reads the note. Avielle was in the headlines when her mother sued the NFL and the New England Patriots, Aaron’s team, in September 2017 on her behalf. The lawsuit sought $20 million in damages, alleging that the NFL didn’t “disclose, treat, or protect” her father from the “damage that could be inflicted from repetitive impact injuries.”
The lawsuit was filed after Aaron was posthumously diagnosed with stage III Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). A judge then made it clear that Avielle couldn’t sue the parties because her father wasn’t employed by the NFL’s Patriots when he was diagnosed with CTE. A little over a year after Aaron’s death, in June 2018, Shayanna welcomed Avielle’s sister, Giselle, with Dino Guilmette, a former boxer based in Providence, Rhode Island. The big sister has been taking care of her little sibling ever since. “I never have to worry about them taking care of each other,” their mother shared back in July 2020.
Avielle Janelle Hernandez is Working Hard to Become a Professional Dancer Today
Avielle Janelle Hernandez currently lives with her mother, Shayanna, and her sister, Giselle, in Rhode Island. In April 2024, she started attending the 6th grade. She is a dancer who aspires to become a professional in the future. She has been committed to competitive dancing at least since the age of six. As a proud mother, Shayanna witnessed her eldest daughter performing as a mouse in the classical ballet ‘The Nutcracker’ and completing five years as a dancer back in 2020. Avielle also participates in several solo competitions, with her mother among the audience to cheer for her.
“Avielle has been working so hard, just like her dance friends, and I can’t wait to see her on stage!!!! Let’s do this, my babe,” Shayanna shared in March 2021, ahead of a competition. The mother had also expressed once that her father, Aaron Hernandez, would have been immensely proud of her accomplishments as a star dancer. Her interest in performing arts was visible in her joy of watching a production of ‘Frozen’ in March 2024. In May, earlier this year, she received her first communion. She joined her mother and sister, Giselle, to celebrate her and the latter’s baptisms as well.
Shayanna witnessed the occasion with pride, expressing that Avielle “saved” her. While not dancing and attending school, the young girl is surrounded by her mother and Giselle. From what we can share, Shayanna and her two daughters are nothing but inseparable. Avielle celebrates joyous occasions and holidays with her loved ones. The eldest one has happily joined her mother and sister for several outdoor activities, including apple picking, beach excursions, and a visit to Disneyland.
Avielle Janelle Hernandez Had Been Indirectly Involved in Several Controversies
Avielle Janelle Hernandez was back in the spotlight between 2022 and 2023, specifically when Shayanna Jenkins was accused of misusing money from Aaron Hernandez’s trust fund for his daughter. The legal battle between the mother and the trustee, David Schwartz, began after the former asked the trust to reimburse around $10,000 that covered Avielle’s dance lesson fees. Schwartz denied the reimbursement, stating that the cost should have been settled from the yearly allowance of around $150,000 given to Shayanna for Avielle’s daily expenses. The trustee and his team examined the mother’s expenditures and found bills like $12,000 at HomeGoods unrelated to the football player’s daughter.
Shayanna responded to the accusation by stating that she has always prioritized her children. “Since Aaron’s death, my sole focus has been on raising and providing as stable a life for my children as possible. All monies I have spent have been with this singular focus in mind, and this will continue to be my focus going forward,” she shared in an e-mail sent to The Boston Globe. Avielle’s name returned to the headlines when Shayanna criticized the jokes made about Aaron and his death during Netflix’s special ‘The Roast of Tom Brady.’
Shayanna added that Avielle shouldn’t have to listen to jokes made about Aaron’s death in prison. While controversies and discussions concerning the late football player and his actions/crimes remain in the spotlight, his daughter is gradually building her life as a dancer. She has a supportive mother and a beloved sister by her side to work for her dreams. As she continues to conquer stages with her performances, we are sure she will make her loved ones even prouder.
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