Bristol County

Spending by Aaron Hernandez’s former fiancé ‘merits scrutiny,’ lawyer of daughter’s trust says

It’s been nearly six years since Aaron Hernandez died by suicide at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, MA where he was serving life for murder.

According to court documents reviewed by Boston 25, Hernandez’s former fiancé, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez has received $832,040.83 to care for the couple’s now 10-year-old daughter, Avielle, since his death. As Avielle’s conservator, Jenkins-Hernandez receives checks from Hernandez’s NFL pension and social security amounting to about $150,000 a year.

In September, Shayanna-Jenkins requested $10,000 for Avielle’s dance lessons from a trust set up in the 10-year-old girl’s name. The independent third party trustee who oversees the fund denied the request, arguing that Jenkins-Hernandez should have enough money to cover the cost. In a court filing, the attorney for the trustee wrote that Jenkins-Hernandez has had, “$832,040.83 available to her since her appointment as conservator to pay for dance lessons.”

In court paperwork, Attorney Robert O’Regan pointed to Jenkins-Hernandez’s spending habits and questioned if her purchases benefited Avielle. In a 3-year period, from 2018 to 2021, she reported spending $10,505.17 in bank service charges — mostly bounced checks according to the document. She reported spending $27,878.54 on clothing, $23,734.99 in home goods, $18,406,04 in “unexplained” ATM withdrawals and there was a $3720.00 payment made to Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Avielle is not of college age.

Regan wrote, “large amounts of money are spent… with little clear identification of how these disbursements benefit Avielle.”

Boston 25 reached out to Jenkins-Hernandez for comment. Her lawyer sent a statement that reads, “the allegations made against my client are unfounded, and I have, and will continue to, respond to such allegations on behalf of my client through the legal process. My client is a devoted mother doing her best to provide a stable life for her children, which is why she created the Trust in question in the first place. The facts, when presented in full, will bear these truths out.”

Jenkins-Hernandez has asked a judge to order the trustee to pay the $10,000 for her daughter’s dance lessons and she wants a new trustee appointed to oversee the fund.

Attorney O’Regan has asked that Jenkins-Hernandez be removed as Avielle’s conservator and that a special conservator installed. He’s requested a full accounting of Jenkins spending in 2022.

“My client has fiduciary duty to Avielle. It is more or less the same duty that Shayanna has as conservator. It is to see to it the resources her father left behind for Avielle are used to support Avielle,” he said.

A new court date has not been set yet in this case.

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