The Netflix three-part docuseries
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez is now in
contention for Emmy nominations, Deadline reported on Monday.
The documentary looks at former NFL
star Aaron Hernandez, who committed suicide in his prison cell as he
served a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the
murder of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player.
Lloyd's 2013 murder left many
unanswered questions, including a motive. Investigators have looked
into the possibility that Lloyd, who was dating the sister of
Hernandez's fiance, was killed because he knew that Hernandez was
bisexual.
Hernandez's childhood wasn't as storied
as it appeared to outsiders. His father, Dennis Hernandez was known
to be homophobic and abusive towards his wife and kids.
Producers of the series talked to
Dennis SanSoucie, who revealed that he and Hernandez were in a sexual
relationship from the 7th to 11th grades.
SanSoucie said that he came out gay to
his family and friends after Hernandez's suicide in 2017, saying that
his friend's death deeply troubled him and suggested that Hernandez's
own homophobia was to blame for his suicide. “I really, truly feel
in my heart I got the thumbs-up from him [to come out],” SanSoucie
said.
Killer Inside director Geno
McDermott told Deadline: “Especially in male-dominated
sports like football, it's very hard for someone to come out. It's
very hard for someone to basically be homosexual, and it was obvious
that was the case for Dennis and Aaron when they were growing up
through late middle school into high school.”
McDermott, who described his
documentary series as “a very layered story,” said that he hopes
it can “break through” at the Emmys.
“We were able to take this beyond
true crime and create conversations in America about the entitlement
of athletes, sexuality and sports, CTE, double life,” he
said. “It was part sports doc, it was part pop culture, it was
part true crime; then, there was the sexuality angle. I think it was
very relatable and approachable to many people. So I'm hoping this
one can break through at the Emmys.”
Emmy nominations are announced in July.