Who Is Shayanna Jenkins? Aaron Hernandez’s Fiancée Doesn’t Respond To Apparent Suicide

Shayanna Jenkins remained silent after former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell Wednesday. The athlete died from an apparent suicide, though conspiracy theorists claimed Hernandez was murdered.

Jenkins is the mother of Hernandez’s 4-year-old daughter, Avielle, and stayed loyal to him throughout his trials. In 2015, she committed perjury, lying to the grand jury. But the charges — that she pleaded not guilty to — were ultimately dropped.

“I'm feeling great,” she said at the time, according to ESPN. “I'm happy to start my future with my daughter and move forward.”

READ: Shayanna Jenkins: How Aaron Hernandez’s Fiancée Responded In 2017 Murder Trial

Hernandez was convicted in 2015 for the 2013 murder of semiprofessional football player Odin Lloyd. Lloyd was dating Jenkins’ sister, Shaneah. Jenkins essentially through away her relationship with her sister to defend Hernandez, even though she knew the former football star was unfaithful.

She discovered his infidelity when she looked through Hernandez’s phone. “I made a decision that if I was going to move back in with Aaron that I would have to compromise on his behavior and that included infidelity and everything that came along with it,” she said during his 2015 murder trial. “I decided that it was worth fighting for, so I moved back.”

A motive for killing Lloyd was never given. The sisters became estranged after the murder, not making eye contact during the trial — except for once. While they both cried during the 2015, it was on separate sides of the court.

Before their lives were turned upside down, Shaneah lived with the couple, Hollywood Life reported.

Jenkins admitted to throwing a box away for Hernandez. She testified she didn’t ask any questions about what was in the box or why Hernandez prompted her to discard it. It’s widely believed the vessel contained the murder weapon, which was never retrieved. Jenkins testified that she put it in a “random dumpster.”

The couple once lived in a $1.5 million mansion outside Boston. As legal fees mounted for Hernandez, Jenkins and her daughter had to vacate the home. She later moved to Rhode Island, where she is originally from.

READ: Aaron Hernandez Net Worth 2017: Will Fiancée Shayanna Jenkins And Daughter Get His Money?

The couple started dating in high school but their relationship was never easy. “He was the star,’ she said at his 2015 trial, according to the Daily Mail. “There were a lot of girls trying to get his attention. We had some issues we had to work through throughout high school.”

The former athlete proposed to her in 2012, the same year Jenkins gave birth to their daughter. They were never married, but Jenkins legally took his last name in 2015.

Jenkins did not issue a public response to Hernandez’s death.

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