Shayanna Jenkins and Aaron Hernandez: What Most People Get Wrong

If you’ve spent any time on the dark side of Netflix or followed the NFL over the last decade, you know the name. You know the fall from grace. But while the cameras usually focused on the tight end with the "killer inside," the woman standing right behind him in that Fall River courtroom often felt like the bigger enigma.

Shayanna Jenkins and Aaron Hernandez weren't just a headline; they were a high school romance that collided with a murder trial.

Honestly, it’s easy to judge from the outside. People called her a "ride or die" like it was a badge of honor, or a "co-conspirator" like she was holding the gun. But life is messier than a true-crime documentary. Nearly nine years after Hernandez took his own life in a prison cell, the dust hasn't exactly settled for Shayanna. She’s still living in the shadow of a legacy she didn't choose, but she's also carved out a weird, complicated, and very public new life in Rhode Island.

The Bristol Beginnings and the Trial that Broke a Family

They met in Bristol, Connecticut. Just kids. Aaron was the superstar athlete with the heavy baggage, and Shayanna was the girl who saw the person behind the stats. When Aaron signed that massive $40 million contract with the New England Patriots, it looked like they had won the lottery.

Then came Odin Lloyd.

The most brutal part of this story isn't just the murder—it’s the sisterhood that got shredded in the process. Odin Lloyd was dating Shaneah Jenkins, Shayanna’s younger sister. When Aaron was arrested for Odin's murder, the Jenkins sisters were forced into a literal "choose your side" nightmare.

Shayanna chose Aaron.

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She sat in that courtroom every day. She took an immunity deal to testify, and let’s be real, her testimony was a masterclass in "I don't recall." She was accused of hauling a trash bag out of their house that prosecutors claimed held the murder weapon. She told the court she didn't know what was in the bag. She said it smelled like skunk.

The rift between the sisters became the emotional centerpiece of the trial. While Shaneah sat with the victim’s family, Shayanna was blowing kisses to the man accused of killing her sister's boyfriend. They haven't been the same since.

Life After the Cell: Moving to Rhode Island

After Aaron's death in 2017, the world expected Shayanna to disappear. Most people would. Instead, she’s stayed remarkably present, mostly through Instagram.

She moved to Providence, Rhode Island, and started over—kinda. You can't really start over when your last name (which she legally changed to Jenkins-Hernandez) is synonymous with one of the most infamous crimes in sports history.

In 2018, she shocked everyone by announcing she was pregnant again. The father turned out to be Dino Guilmette, a former boxer and bar owner. They had a daughter, Giselle. For a minute, it looked like a peaceful "Chapter 2." But the ghost of the past has a way of showing up in the mail—specifically in the form of legal bills and trust fund disputes.

The Trust Fund Battle: $10,000 for Dance Lessons?

The most recent drama isn't about murder; it's about money. Specifically, the money Aaron left behind for his and Shayanna's daughter, Avielle.

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Because of a weird legal loophole in Massachusetts (the "abatement ab initio" rule, which has since been heavily debated), Aaron’s murder conviction was actually vacated because he died while his appeal was pending. This technically meant he died an "innocent" man in the eyes of the law for a brief period, though the conviction was later reinstated. Regardless, there was money involved—specifically an NFL pension and a trust.

Where the Money Goes

Court filings from 2023 and 2024 have been... eye-opening.

• The Pension: Shayanna receives about $150,000 a year from Aaron's NFL pension and social security to care for Avielle.
• The Total: Since 2017, she has reportedly received over $800,000.
• The Conflict: A court-appointed trustee, David Schwartz, has been fighting Shayanna over how that money is spent.

The internet went wild when it came out that Shayanna requested $10,000 from the trust to cover Avielle's competitive dance lessons. The trustee said no. Why? Because he pointed to $12,000 spent at HomeGoods, $18,000 in "unexplained" ATM withdrawals, and thousands spent on clothing and jewelry.

Shayanna’s side of the story is basically that she’s a single mom doing her best to give her kids a "stable" and "normal" life. But "normal" is a hard sell when you're being accused of using a child's trust fund as a personal piggy bank.

Why We Still Care About Shayanna Jenkins and Aaron Hernandez

It's 2026. Why are we still talking about this?

Maybe it’s because Shayanna represents a part of the human psyche we don't like to admit we have: the part that stays when everyone else runs. Whether that’s loyalty or delusion is up for debate. She’s gone on record with Dr. Phil and in Netflix docs saying she doesn't believe Aaron was a murderer, and she definitely doesn't believe he was gay—a major plot point in the media narrative after his death.

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She holds onto a version of Aaron Hernandez that the rest of the world refuses to acknowledge.

Actionable Insights: The Lessons From the Fallout

If you're looking for the "so what" of this whole saga, it’s not just celebrity gossip. There are real-world takeaways here:

1. The "Ride or Die" Trap
Loyalty is great until it requires you to sacrifice your own integrity or your relationship with your family. The Jenkins sisters' story is a warning about what happens when you prioritize a partner over the truth.

2. Trust Fund Oversight is Real
For anyone dealing with inheritance or trusts, this case shows that "conservator" doesn't mean "owner." If you’re managing money for a minor, every receipt matters. The court doesn't care about your "lifestyle" needs; they care about the beneficiary.

3. CTE is the Elephant in the Room
We can't talk about Aaron without mentioning the stage 3 CTE found in his brain. It doesn't excuse a murder, but it explains the impulsivity and the cognitive decline. It’s a reminder that what we see on the surface is rarely the whole story.

Shayanna is still out there, raising two girls and posting tributes to Aaron on his birthday. She’s a woman caught between the memory of the boy she loved in high school and the reality of the man the world remembers.

If you want to understand the legalities better, look into the Massachusetts Abatement Doctrine. It's the reason why the financial side of this case became such a mess. Understanding how "innocence on a technicality" works can change how you view the entire post-trial timeline. For now, Shayanna continues to navigate a life that is part influencer, part grieving widow, and part cautionary tale.

Check the public court records in Bristol County if you're curious about the ongoing status of the conservatorship; those documents are updated more frequently than the news cycles and offer the most accurate look at where the money is actually going.**