Aaron Hernandez's Four-Year-Old Daughter Begged to See Her Dad, so His Fiancée Brought Her to Court – Now She's in Eighth Grade, and Netizens Call Her 'His Twin'

The NFL star once called fatherhood a "life changer," but his daughter was only four years old when she lost her dad. Readers can see just how much Avielle has grown in the photos at the end of this article

Aaron Hernandez's rise as an NFL tight end brought him national recognition with the New England Patriots, but his football success came crashing down after the 2013 killing of semiprofessional football player Odin Lloyd.

Aaron was arrested days after Odin's death and, in 2015, was convicted of first-degree murder. Two years later, at 27, the tight end died by suicide, five days after being acquitted of murdering Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in a separate case.

Among those he left behind was his young daughter, Avielle Hernandez, whose childhood had unfolded alongside her father's arrest, imprisonment, and death.

Avielle's connection to her dad began with a date they would always share. Aaron and his fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, welcomed their only child together on November 6, 2012 — Aaron's 23rd birthday.

For the new father, her arrival immediately changed the meaning of the day. Aaron called Avielle "the best birthday gift" and spoke openly about how much becoming a parent meant to him. He told reporters:

"It's crazy. [...] Especially daddy's little girl. It's an honor. I couldn't ask for my life to be better at this point. My life is pretty good. Thank God for that. It's a blessing. I still feel blessed daily."

Aaron also said fatherhood had become a "life changer" that made him reconsider how he wanted to live. Engaged and responsible for a baby, he told reporters he needed to approach his choices differently because someone else was now looking up to him.

However, Avielle was only seven months old when her family's circumstances changed dramatically. On June 26, 2013, Aaron was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in Odin's killing.

The semiprofessional football player had been dating Shayanna's sister at the time, and prosecutors alleged that the NFL tight end and two other men picked Odin up from his home shortly after 2:30 a.m. on June 17.

The three men then took him to a secluded industrial park in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, where Odin was shot six times. Although it remained unclear who fired the fatal shots, prosecutors argued that Aaron had orchestrated the killing.

His trial began on January 29, 2015, when Avielle was two years old. On April 15, Aaron was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole.

Avielle remained part of his life during his imprisonment, and nearly two years after the conviction, the then-four-year-old made an unusual trip to see her father as he stood trial for two other killings.

Aaron's second murder trial began in March 2017 and centered on the 2012 shooting deaths of Daniel and Safiro outside a Boston nightclub. While the jury deliberated the following month, Shayanna arrived at Suffolk County Court with Avielle, marking the child's first appearance at the trial.

As Avielle has grown older, photos shared over the years have also prompted repeated observations about her resemblance to Aaron.

The visit came at Avielle's own request. According to Shayanna, her daughter had been begging to see her father, and when Aaron entered the courtroom and spotted the four-year-old sitting inside, he immediately broke into a broad smile.

Dressed in a polka-dot top, pink skirt, and white sweater, Avielle sat with her mother behind the families of the deceased. When court officers eventually led Aaron away, he turned toward his daughter and blew her kisses.

The encounter came near the end of his life. On April 14, 2017, Aaron was acquitted of murdering Daniel and Safiro but died in his prison cell a few days later. Avielle was only four. As the years passed, her life continued away from the circumstances that had surrounded her earliest childhood.

On June 16, 2018, she became a big sister when Shayanna welcomed another daughter, Giselle. Shayanna had announced the pregnancy the previous month, and sources close to the family confirmed at the time that Aaron was not Giselle's father.

More recent glimpses of Avielle have instead captured the ordinary milestones of growing up. In August 2026, Shayanna celebrated her daughter's first day of eighth grade on Instagram, sharing a photograph of the teenager standing outside and holding a personalized school sign. She wrote:

"Avi - I can't believe this is your 8th grade year. Your father would be so incredibly proud of the young lady you've become, and I continue to be in awe of you every single day."

She went on to wish her daughter a year filled with "growth, strength, beautiful memories, and so many accomplishments," before adding, "Keep shining, my girl. I'm forever proud to be your mom."

As Avielle has grown older, photos shared over the years have also prompted repeated observations about her resemblance to Aaron. Some netizens have focused on particular facial features, while others have described the similarities more broadly.

"Their smiles are exactly the same she is very pretty [sic]," one person said, while another shared, "Wow eyebrows. smile. And lips are identical [sic]." Others saw features from both of Avielle's parents.

One person commented, "Daddy's everything and mommy's eyes so pretty [sic]," while another wrote, "God Bless her she's beautiful 🥰 she looks like her daddy w moms skin tone❤️🌹😘 [sic]." For one netizen, the resemblance needed no further explanation, as they typed, "Wow she is his twin."

Those comparisons now accompany images of a teenager who was only seven months old when her father was arrested and four years old when she sat inside a courtroom after asking to see him.

More than nine years after Aaron's death, Avielle has reached eighth grade, with her mother continuing to mark the milestones of the daughter Aaron Hernandez once described as his "best birthday gift." Photos showing the resemblance that prompted people to call Avielle her father's "twin" can be found below.

Aaron Hernandez

Avielle Hernandez

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "help” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.