Five days before Aaron Hernandez committed suicide on April 19, he was acquitted of a double homicide, but was still serving life in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty two years ago of the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd.

That being said, he was looking forward to appealing that conviction, making the timing of his reported suicide all the more baffling.

Recently surfaced prison records, however, reveal how the daily rigors of prison might have possibly led the former NFL star to the point of taking his own life via hanging.

A new Daily Mail report describes Hernandez's "hell behind bars," and the prison records revealing that the former New England Patriots tight end was attacked by his fellow inmates several times and had regular run-ins with prison guards at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, Massachusetts.

The records also reveal that Hernandez would eat his own prison letters so that they wouldn't be confiscated, and even devoured 20 Honey Buns in one night, possibly spelling just how miserable he had gotten by the way of being stuck behind bars as a result of his crime.

According to these records, he seemingly couldn't handle repeatedly being tried by inmates in prison even though his own heinous actions got him there in the first place. 

This is just one theory as to what may have driven Hernandez to take his own life. The other surfaced via his suicide note to his fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, in which he specifically tells her "you're rich."

Earlier this month, a judge agreed to dismiss Hernandez's murder conviction, using an obscure Massachusetts law that vacates convictions if the person was appealing during the time of his or her death.

Prosecutors have alleged that the note is proof that Hernandez knew all along that an abatement of his conviction would make Jenkins-Hernandez the recipient of the roughly $6 million on the remainder of his Patriots' contract. And that would essentially help take care of her and their 4-year-old daughter, Avielle.

Meanwhile, Hernandez's lawyer and fiancée have expressed doubts over Hernandez's suicide, saying that they just don't think he would have taken his own life.

BET Sports News — Get the latest news and information about African-Americans in sports, including weekly recaps, celebrity news and photos of your favorite Black athletes.