Netflix premiered Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez on January 15, 2020, a three-part documentary series totaling 200 minutes. Directed by Geno McDermott, the series originated from a documentary film titled *My Perfect World: The Aaron Hernandez Story*, first shown at the DOC NYC festival before Netflix expanded it into the multi-episode format.

The series examines Aaron Hernandez's conviction for the June 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd, a friend and acquaintance. Born in 1989 in Bristol, Connecticut, Hernandez had appeared destined for NFL stardom. He played college football at the University of Florida before the New England Patriots drafted him at age 20 and signed him to a lucrative five-year contract worth $40 million. His fall from that pinnacle forms the documentary's central narrative arc.

Beyond the Lloyd case, Killer Inside investigates Hernandez's suspected involvement in the double murder of two Boston-area men, crimes for which he was never convicted. The series explores whether his criminal associations and violent behavior extended beyond the one murder charge that ultimately imprisoned him.

The documentary's three episodes break down Hernandez's trajectory chronologically and thematically. Episode 1 focuses on his arrest for Lloyd's murder and traces his early life and key relationships before his rise to professional football prominence. Episode 2 examines red flags that emerged during his college years at Florida, his NFL draft experience, and his documented relationship with criminals. Episode 3 covers the spectacle of his first trial, his second trial featuring celebrity legal representation, and investigates the potential impact of concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) on his behavior and mental state.

McDermott's production includes exclusive courtroom footage, recorded prison and jail phone calls made by Hernandez after his conviction, and interviews with teammates, friends, officials, attorneys, and journalists who covered the case. Notable contributors include crime writers Dan Wetzel and Kevin Armstrong, the latter of whom authored a book about the trial.

Hernandez's family background emerges as a crucial thread throughout the series. His father Dennis had a criminal history, including a 1992 attempted cocaine arrest and assault charges related to his work as a youth coach. The family experienced financial instability—filing for bankruptcy when Aaron was nine years old—and his mother was arrested when he was 11 for running an underground sports gambling operation from their home. These domestic factors contextualize the psychological environment in which Hernandez developed.

The documentary takes on added significance following Hernandez's death. He died by suicide in 2017 while imprisoned, and a subsequent autopsy revealed he suffered from severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)—a degenerative brain condition linked to repeated head trauma. This medical finding reframes discussions about culpability, mental capacity, and the long-term neurological consequences of professional football.

Killer Inside represents a comprehensive attempt to understand Hernandez not merely as a criminal, but as a product of his circumstances: family dysfunction, criminal associations, neurological injury, and access to unprecedented wealth at a young age. The series balances investigative journalism with psychological analysis, offering viewers multiple frameworks for understanding how a promising athlete descended into violence and self-destruction.

**Sources:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_Inside:_The_Mind_of_Aaron_Hernandez https://screenrant.com/aaron-hernandez-documentary-facts-leaves-out/ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/killer_inside_the_mind_of_aaron_hernandez/s01 https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81062828 https://netflix.fandom.com/wiki/Killer_Inside:_The_Mind_of_Aaron_Hernandez