Hernandez family planning private funeral in Connecticut

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) – Aaron Hernandez’s family is planning a private funeral for the former NFL star in his Connecticut hometown.

A spokeswoman for the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association said Saturday that the service is set for Monday at a funeral home in Bristol, where Hernandez was a standout football and basketball player in high school.

The former New England Patriots tight end was found hanged in his cell at a maximum-security prison in Massachusetts early Wednesday. He was serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder and had just been acquitted of a 2012 double murder.

His death was ruled a suicide. Hernandez’s family in a statement released Saturday asked for privacy as they mourn and thanked people for offering condolences.

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