Aaron Hernandez Trial

Aaron Hernandez wrote a pen pal a letter from inside his jail cell, declaring his innocence, saying his murder charges are God's plan, and vowing to return to the NFL ... and TMZ has a copy.

We have verified with law enforcement the

is the real deal. You can read it yourself ... among the highlights:

-- "The world just makes things out of false accusations ... and it will all die down, especially when they say NOT GUILTY"

-- "All the people who turned on me will feel like crap."

-- "God put me in this situation for a reason."

-- "Can't wait to sign [autographs] again when I'm playing again an [sic] prove all the haters WRONG."

As for the fan who received the letter, Karl ... he just called in to "TMZ Live" and told us he wrote Hernandez first.

Karl says he sent the letter because he was in the same jail 15 years ago, and wanted to reach out to Hernandez to give him some encouragement.

Karl also says he would like to visit Aaron in jail -- if Aaron will let him.

FYI, Hernandez -- who's been accused of murdering semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd -- has been denied bail and will remain behind bars until his trial.

11:37 AM PT -- Aaron's attorney is objecting to the additional release of information regarding the case to the media, saying it's having a negative impact on Aaron's right to a fair trial. The judge wasn't convinced.

11:30 AM PT -- During the beginning of the hearing, Aaron looked at his family in court and mouthed the words "I love you." The parents of Aaron's alleged victim Odin Lloyd were also present in court. It got emotional.

11:11 AM PT -- Prosecutors have requested a continuance, asking for more time to present evidence to a grand jury. Aaron's lawyer objected, asking for the case to be dismissed because prosecutors were dragging their feet, but the judge sided with the prosecution. Aaron is due back in court for another probable cause hearing on August 22.

11:05 AM PT -- Aaron is in the courtroom, but he's not wearing a jumpsuit this time ... he's in a normal suit. No tie though!

NFL star and murder suspect Aaron Hernandez is due back in court today ... the first step before he faces a grand jury on charges he murdered 27-year-old semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd.

It's called a probable cause hearing, which is where prosecutors are supposed to establish two things: 1) that a crime has been committed, and 2) that Hernandez committed the crime.

The probable cause hearing is meant to give prosecutors a chance to show that there's enough evidence to bring the case before a grand jury for a formal indictment, at which point a pretrial date will be set.

As we reported, Hernandez has been denied bail and will remain behind bars until he's acquitted ... or the case is dismissed.

It's possible prosecutors will file for a continuance today -- meaning they won't have to present all their evidence in court ... and they'll go straight to the grand jury stage. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 11AM PST/2PM EST.

Aaron Hernandez will NOT be moved out of solitary confinement at the Bristol County Jail ... after officials decided it would be in his "best interest" to remain isolated from the general population, TMZ has learned.

As we previously reported, the alleged murderer was placed in solitary right after he was booked -- fearing violent inmates might view the former NFL star as a "prize." But officials vowed to review Aaron's situation and would consider moving him if they felt it was safe.

But officials met yesterday and a rep for the jail tells TMZ ... after serious discussion, they decided NOT to move Hernandez, believing it would be in his "best interest" to stay. The insinuation -- he's still in danger.

The jail rep says the ex-NFL star is "doing well" behind bars ... and hasn't had any problems so far.

Ex-New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez CONFESSED that he fired the shots that killed Odin Lloyd ... this according to a police document that cites a witness ... who cites another witness.

OK, so it's a confession that's 3 degrees removed from Aaron Hernandez ... but cops in Miramar, Florida believed the tip was good enough to bring to a judge in an effort to get a search warrant connected with the investigation.

First, some background -- prosecutors in the murder case believe Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace were with Hernandez when Lloyd was murdered. Both Ortiz and Wallace are currently in custody.

Now, according to documents filed by the Miramar Police Dept., Ortiz told investigators ... that Wallace, told him ... that Hernandez told him that he shot Lloyd.

You follow that?

It's double hearsay, to say the least ... but with life sentences on the line, it might not be the last time these guys (allegedly) point the finger at each other.

For his part, Hernandez insists he's not guilty.

Hundreds of New England Patriots fans lined up outside the Patriots Pro Shop today to exchange their Aaron Hernandez jerseys, and one thing was clear ... they wanted NO part of the accused murderer.

According to ESPN's Adam Shefter, more than 500 Hernandez jerseys were returned by 11:00 AM ET, which was just 90 minutes after the program opened.

TMZ spoke with a few people who waited in line to turn in their jerseys ... a few of whom had bought the jerseys for their kids and wanted to exchange the AH ones for players who were "a better role model."

The man who claims Aaron Hernandez shot him in the face earlier this year has been ordered by a judge in Massachusetts to appear before a grand jury later this month.

Alexander Bradley was ordered by Superior Court Judge Joan Alexander to appear July 17. Bradley had been fighting the interstate subpoena, claiming he required medical treatment in Florida.

As TMZ first reported, Bradley sued Hernandez last month, claiming Hernandez shot him in the face following an altercation at a Miami strip club.

Aaron Hernandez downed a ton of hard liquor, cussed out security guards ... and refused to leave when they confronted him ... in a Hermosa Beach, CA sports bar.

According to sources who were in Chelsea Pub & Lounge on April 19th ... the then New England Patriots star was drinking double Patron Silver shots all night in between glasses of Adios Motherf**kers -- a wonderful vodka, rum, tequila, and gin concoction.

We're told Hernandez repeatedly tried to walk outside the bar WITH his drink, and didn't understand why security wouldn't let him -- and began yelling and cursing at the bar staff.

When asked to leave ... Hernandez simply sat down (pictured above) and told security he wasn't leaving.

Aaron Hernandez has been moved into solitary confinement ... away from the general population ... because officials believe he could be a prize for blood-thirsty, fame-hungry inmates, TMZ has learned.

TMZ spoke with Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson who tells us ... Aaron has been moved from the medical ward at Bristol County Jail to a "Class 2 Unit" -- where he is isolated from the general population.

Hodgson explains, "The reason for this move is simply to protect him. We wouldn't want some inmate trying to get any notoriety by attempting to harm Aaron Hernandez."

In his Class 2 unit, Hernandez is allowed 3 hours outside of his cell per day. Hodgson says, "He can have access to the phone, yard for fresh air, and the common room."

Hodgson says there are no TVs inside the common room or inside Aaron's cell.

We're told Aaron will stay in this unit for at least a week -- and then officials reevaluate the situation and decide if they want to move him to a different unit.

As for visitors, officials tell us Aaron can choose five people to put on a visitor list.

Aaron Hernandez is NOT in the general population of jail ... because jail officials are concerned for his safety ... TMZ has learned.

We're told Hernandez -- who has been charged with first degree murder -- has been in the medical ward since his arrival last week. We're told authorities are concerned because of the former Patriots star's celebrity status ... other inmates might try to harm him.

Sources say at the time of this post, jail officials were meeting to decide what to do with Hernandez -- whether to put him in the general population or a more segregated environment.

For now ... Hernandez is in the medical wing ... allowed out of his cell for 1 hour a day.

Police have a theory as to why they think former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez killed Odin Lloyd -- he knew secrets that could have destroyed Aaron's relationship with his fiancée and the team.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... there are several operating theories, but a prevailing one based on evidence they have already unearthed is that Lloyd "mouthed off" to Hernandez about "secrets" Hernandez had told him in the past.

As for what the nature of the secrets -- we're told they involve 2 issues: Aaron's involvement in drugs and Aaron's involvement in several violent incidents.

Our law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... they do not believe Lloyd tried to extort Hernandez -- in other words, ask for money in return for secrecy. The theory is that Hernandez went ballistic after Lloyd started throwing damaging information in Hernandez's face -- information Hernandez thought would end his relationship with his fiancée and his football career.

Short story -- Odin's crime may have been that he was a blabbermouth.

The staff at the Bristol County House of Corrections has been warned -- if you treat Aaron Hernandez like a celebrity, you're in serious trouble.

TMZ has learned ... the Bristol County Sheriff issued a warning to all jail staff members about taking photos or seeking autographs from the county's most famous alleged murderer.

And there's more ... jail staffers have been instructed to give Hernandez NO SPECIAL TREATMENT. Same food, same privileges, same everything.

We're told any staffer who violates the rule is subject to discipline ranging from an admonition to outright termination.

Busy week, with lots of alleged bigotry front and center -- from Alec Baldwin's Twitter rant, to Paula Deen's Titanic-like career plunge. So we gotta ask ...

The semi-pro football player that Aaron Hernandez allegedly shot and killed was laid to rest Saturday.

Odin Lloyd's funeral took place at the Church of Holy Spirit in Boston. Friends, relatives, and well-wishers all showed up to pay their respects.

As TMZ previously reported ... Hernandez has been charged with Odin's murder, after his body was found not far from the ex-NFL star's home. Prosecutors claim the killing stemmed from an incident that occurred between the two men at a nightclub.

Officials believe they have now apprehended ALL THREE men involved in the murder of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd on June 17th, including Aaron Hernandez.

The Bristol County D.A. in Massachusetts tells TMZ, law enforcement apprehended suspect #3 Ernest Wallace this morning in Miramar, Florida ... more than a thousand miles away from the scene of the crime.

As we reported, the other two suspects -- Aaron Hernandez and Carlos Ortiz -- were both arrested earlier this week.

Aaron Hernandez has been named a person of interest in a 2012 double murder investigation, TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... investigators now believe Hernandez had "some involvement" in the shooting incident from July 2012, when two men were killed in a late night drive-by in Boston.

Despite the connection, we're told officials don't have enough on Hernandez yet to elevate him from "person of interest" to "suspect." The investigation is ongoing.