Aaron Hernandez's Daughter Watched Him Go to Jail — Where Is She Now?

In 2017 — two years after he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of his friend, Odin Lloyd — Aaron Hernandez died in his jail cell, leaving behind a note for his daughter, Avielle Janelle Hernandez. She was just 5 years old at the time.

Some of the most poignant photographs from the former NFL star's trial are of Avielle sitting in the courtroom on the verge of tears. Scroll down for more details about the young family the athlete left behind.

The 11-year-old lives with her mother, Aaron’s former fiancée Shayanna Jenkins, in Rhode Island. She became a big sister in June of 2018 when Shay gave birth to a baby girl named Giselle, whose father has never been identified.

Shay confirmed she was pregnant less than a month before her daughter’s arrival. "Many of you have speculated that I may be expecting another miracle which is very accurate," she wrote at the time. "I wanted to have a moment for myself alone with my daughter."

She added, "I couldn’t be a luckier woman to have such a perfect little girl that’s prepared to become the best big sister, and even more blessed to welcome another baby girl to our home… I thank everyone for the continued support and appreciate the respect for our privacy that has been shown."

Shay and Aaron knew each other since elementary school and began dating as teenagers. Despite reports that the tight end was secretly gay, Shay claimed she never suspected that Aaron had homosexual partners.

"Aaron was very much a man to me," she shared in a 2018 book about her baby daddy. "I wish I had known how he felt, just so we could have talked about it. I wouldn’t have disowned him. I would have been supportive."

She added, "I can’t fault him if he was feeling that way. When you love someone so much, you just want to be there to support them. The fact that he felt he couldn’t come out to me or he couldn’t tell me these things hurts, because we had that bond."

Shayanna is a proud girl mom on social media, and is always sharing photos of Avielle and her youngest daughter Giselle.

"Thankful in so many ways for these beautiful girls. Today I had to realize that I’m one person and only human," she captioned a photo with her daughters at a dance recital.

In another post, Shayana opened up about Aaron's death, writing, "You left this world, but not my heart."

In 2023, Shayana was accused of mishandling her daughter's trust fund — which amounts to $700,000 and she will be able to access when she turns 25 years old — a claim she quickly denied.

"Much ado about nothing... Any allegation or insinuation that she's spending money inappropriately or for any other purpose is absolutely false," her attorney told The Boston Globe.