Sumith Prasad
FX’s crime drama series ‘American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez’ depicts the birth of Aaron Hernandez and Shayanna Jenkins’ relationship as two high school sweethearts. After the football player moves to Florida from Bristol, Connecticut, to play for the Florida Gators, they become separated. In reality, the couple reunited after the footballer signed for the NFL’s New England Patriots. They got engaged in 2012 while expecting their daughter, Avielle Janelle Hernandez. Even though the couple planned to marry in 2014, Aaron was arrested for murdering Odin Lloyd, the partner of Shayanna’s sister, Shaneah, the year before. She was on his side throughout the trial proceedings, even when her sibling joined Lloyd’s family.
Shayanna Jenkins Continued to Support Aaron Hernandez Until His Death
While Aaron Hernandez’s trial was progressing, Shayanna Jenkins was a constant source of support for him. She remained on his side throughout the legal proceedings that were concluded in April 2015 with a guilty verdict and a life in prison without the possibility of parole sentence. At the time, she was dealing with a perjury charge, as the prosecutors in the case accused her of lying to the grand jury that convened to delve into her husband’s crimes. The next month, the prosecution dropped the charge, allowing her to “start my future with my daughter and move forward.”
When Aaron was tried again in 2017 concerning the murders of Daniel Jorge Correia de Abreu and Safiro Teixeira Furtado, Shayanna returned to the court to be on his side. She never doubted his supposed innocence, expressing that he was not a monster, as people believed. In April 2017, Aaron was found not guilty of murdering the two Boston men, and in the same month, he killed himself in his prison cell. He died after writing suicide notes to his fiancée and their daughter, Avielle Janelle Hernandez. In the note addressed to Shayanna, he called her his “soul-mate” and an “angel.”
Aaron also expressed his love for Shayanna and wrote that he would always be with her. Even though the investigation into the football player’s death ended with the conclusion that there was no foul play involved, she does not believe that he killed himself. “I don’t think this was a suicide. […] The feedback I was getting from our last talk had nothing to do with suicidal thoughts,” she said while appearing on ‘Dr. Phil’ in 2017. She further added in the same interview that Aaron was “excited to come home” in the wake of his not-guilty verdict in the 2012 Boston double homicide case and the pending appeal of his conviction.
Shayanna Jenkins Was Involved in Several Legal Battles/Lawsuits After Her Fiancé’s Passing
In November 2017, a few months after Aaron Hernandez’s death, Shayanna Jenkins sold their mansion in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, and moved to Rhode Island. She welcomed her second daughter, Giselle, in June 2018. The child’s father is Dino Guilmette, a boxer based in Providence, Rhode Island. In the same year, Aaron’s estate settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Odin Lloyd’s mother, Ursula Ward. It was followed by another settlement in July 2019, this time with the families of Daniel Jorge Correia de Abreu and Safiro Teixeira Furtado, the victims of the 2012 Boston double homicide case. Shayanna’s legal battles hadn’t ended at the time.
In 2017, Shayanna sued the NFL and the New England Patriots after Aaron was diagnosed with stage III chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) on behalf of their daughter, Avielle. The lawsuit, which sought $20 million in damages, accused the NFL of “[failing] to disclose, treat, or protect” Aaron from the “damage that could be inflicted from repetitive impact injuries.” However, the suit didn’t yield any favorable results for her since the football player was not an active employee of the Patriots at the time of his diagnosis. Her legal battles extended against David Schwartz, the trustee of Aaron’s trust fund, in 2022.
Aaron set up the trust fund for his daughter, Avielle. When Shayanna asked the trust to reimburse her eldest child’s dance lesson fee, valued at $10,697, Schwartz declined, stating that the family has been receiving funds from the football player’s NFL pension and social security to pay the fee. Upon further examination, the trustee’s representatives claimed that the money Shayanna had been spending included bills unrelated to Avielle. She countered the claim by stating that she spent the money to raise her children and provide them with a stable life.
Shayanna Jenkins is a Dedicated Working Mom Today
Shayanna Jenkins is an insurance agent affiliated with Symmetry Financial Group in Rhode Island. Her areas of expertise include life insurance, retirement plans, and indexed universal life (IUL) insurance. She is also an event planner at a firm with a significant presence in states such as Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. While not working, Shayanna is a committed mother who has expressed that she lives for her two children. In August 2024, she prepared Avielle and Giselle to join the 6th and 1st grades, respectively. When her eldest child performs dancing and participates in competitions, she is present to cheer for the former.
Shayanna witnessed Avielle receiving her first communion as a proud mother in May 2024. She also commemorated her two daughters’ baptism the same month. In addition to celebrating Christmas and Easter together, the mother takes her two girls to several events and attractions, including Disneyland and a production of ‘Frozen.’ The family regularly spends time together at beaches, where she cherishes her children’s joy. In August 2024, she seemingly was vacationing in Jamaica. While Shayanna regularly shares glimpses of her life with Avielle and Giselle, she has chosen to keep her relationship status private.
Even though Shayanna and Dino Guilmette share Giselle and are both based in Rhode Island, there aren’t any indications that they are currently dating. Radar Online described Dino as her fiancé back when she was pregnant with Giselle. His father, Bill, expressed his wish to see them get married to the same outlet as well. However, there aren’t any reports to conclusively say that they are married or even together, for that matter. Like Shayanna, Dino is also a private person regarding recent developments in his relationship front.
Shayanna Jenkins Cherishes Aaron Hernandez’s Memories Every Year
Shayanna Jenkins continues to remember Aaron Hernandez every April 19, the day he died seven years ago. She expressed that the late football player was “loved [and] missed” on this year’s death anniversary, further stating, “I will always wake up every day only to remember you are not here and have to feel that ache all over again.” Over the years, Shayanna has remembered Aaron with love, expressing her wish to “walk right up to Heaven and bring you home again.” She has been cherishing his memories with the promise of always loving and carrying him in her heart.
Shayanna extensively discussed her relationship with Aaron in Netflix’s 2020 documentary series ‘Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez.’ In the same year, she revealed that she “wouldn’t have loved him any different” if he had opened up about his sexuality to her. In May 2024, she reacted against the jokes that referred to Aaron during the Netflix special ‘The Roast of Tom Brady.’ “It’s sad that I’m trying to raise my children in such a cruel world,” she told TMZ, adding that Avielle shouldn’t have to watch the jokes made about her father’s death in prison.
Even though seven years have passed since Aaron’s death, Shayanna continues to honor what he was to her. She is living her life for her two children, who bring her unparalleled joy. She is a proud mother who stands beside the two girls as they grow in a world that can appear insensitive. As Aaron’s life returns to the spotlight through ‘American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez,’ Shayanna continues to build a world of her own and her children.
Read More: Terri Hernandez: Where is Aaron Hernandez’s Mom Now?
