I was a big fan. Was really holding hope he was innocent and would redeem himself. The evidence for the Odin murder was pretty damning. Wonder if he took his life as a result of the shame he was feeling to let his loved ones down.
Here is an interesting tidbit to consider. Since Hernandez cannot assist with his appeal, the law says the conviction should be vacated according to current Massachusetts law. Consequently, on his record it will show that we was charged with Odin's murder but not convicted. The law is the same in several states in the US as well as the federal level.
So though the 4 year old daughter of his may grow up one day to find out her daddy was alleged to have killed someone no one can ever technically refer to him as a murderer since there is no record of a conviction. Based on the body of evidence it is obvious that Hernandez's legal team had no chance of overturning the verdict on appeal. It was literally a stab in the dark. The suicide in his mind may have been the last opportunity to salvage some of the irreparable damage to his reputation, spare his family any further pain from this unrelenting disappointment, and put an end to the legal expenses which essentially jeopardized his family's well-being financially.