Aaron Hernandez: From NFL Superstar to Cold Blooded Killer

Killer Psyche

Wondery | Treefort Media

True Crime, Exhibit C

4.6 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 4 March 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong examines the case of Aaron Hernandez. Once a rising NFL star at the top of his game, Hernandez’s legacy took a dark turn when his past caught up with him, resulting in a murder conviction – and, eventually, his own death. Candice discusses how a devastating combination of a troubled upbringing and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) could have played a role in his deadly actions.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Want to get more from Killer Psyche?
0:02.3	Subscribe to Wondery Plus for early access to new episodes, ad-free listening, and exclusive content you cannot find anywhere else.
0:12.8	Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.
0:19.0	A listener note, this episode contains adult content and is not suitable for everyone. Please be
0:26.5	advised.
0:32.6	Every great tragedy starts with promise.
0:39.3	A young prodigy gifted beyond his years, destined for greatness.
0:45.9	But talent alone does not guarantee a hero's journey.
0:50.5	Sometimes the weight of expectation, the pull of past wounds, and the lure of power
0:57.5	creates something else entirely.
1:01.2	A fall.
1:03.1	In the Star Wars universe, Anakin Skywalker was a warrior who was strong with the force, a Jedi
1:10.5	night destined to bring balance.
1:13.4	But beneath the surface, the dark side whispered to him, feeding on his fears, his anger,
1:20.7	and his need for control. Those same emotions, unchecked, unresolved, led him down a path directly to the dark side,
1:32.0	a path that transformed him into Darth Vader, a name synonymous with power, destruction,
1:40.2	and tragedy.
1:42.3	Aaron Hernandez was a different kind of warrior, a rising NFL superstar.
1:48.8	Hernandez was an unstoppable force on the field, but he was plagued by demons, an internal battle
1:57.2	that few truly saw.
1:59.6	The pressures of fame, the ghosts of his past, and his own violent instincts
2:05.5	pulled him deeper into darkness. Worse yet, those who should have shielded him from his worst
	...

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