Aaron Hernandez's Cousin Pleads Guilty to Contempt Charge

It seems that former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has the support of those closest to him. Either that or they’re scared for their lives if they cooperate with authorities. On the heels of multiple coincidental deaths surrounding the Hernandez case, comes this doozy.

Hernandez’s cousin, Tanya Singleton, has apparently pled guilty to contempt charges after she refused to testify against him before a grand jury (via Fox Sports).

A cousin of ex-New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez was expected to plead guilty to a criminal contempt charge filed after she refused to testify against him before a grand jury.

Prosecutors have said they would seek two years’ probation and home confinement on Tuesday for Tanya Singleton, 38, of Bristol, Connecticut, who has been undergoing treatment for a recurrence of breast cancer.

Her attorney reportedly pushed for no jail time due to the fact that it would “hasten” her death from cancer.

The interesting aspect of this story is that prosecutors had agreed to give Singleton immunity if she agreed to cooperate.

If you remember correctly, three people linked to the Hernandez case have suddenly died since he was originally charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd in June of 2013. Among those who died was Thaddeus Singleton III, who had previously been married to Tanya Singleton (via NY Daily News).

This has all the makings of a crime drama. A thug (Hernandez), buying out those close to him (either with cash or threat of violence) in order for them not to testify against him in open court. We don’t even really need to get too much into the fact that the three people who have died close to Hernandez were going to be important parts of the state’s case against the former NFL tight end.

For their part, prosecutors appear to understand full well what is going on here (via The Boston Globe).