Dennis Hernandez, the brother of late New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, was sentenced on Friday to 18 months in prison, which he had already served, for making threats to carry out a shooting at the University of Connecticut and to kill three people, including a judge, in 2023.
Dennis, 38, known as “DJ” when he played quarterback and wide receiver for UConn football in the mid-2000s, was experiencing serious mental health issues at the time of the threats. His public defender, Josh Ewing, explained that Dennis has been receiving treatment and taking medication since then.
U.S. District Judge Sarala Nagala in Hartford also sentenced Dennis to three years of supervised release. During this period, he must continue with his mental health and substance abuse treatment, allow probation officers to monitor his electronic devices, and stay away from UConn and other places he had threatened.
Dennis, who apologized for his actions in court, was expected to be released from custody later that afternoon. Federal Bureau of Prisons records confirmed that he was no longer in custody by Friday evening.
State criminal charges in Connecticut and Florida in other cases, including one involving allegations that he threw a brick with a media-criticism note onto property in Bristol, are expected to be dropped due to the federal case. Ewing noted these incidents occurred during the same mental health crisis.
Ewing did not respond immediately to messages after the sentencing. However, in court documents, he stated that Dennis was “horrified” by how his actions scared others, felt remorseful, and was committed to maintaining his mental health.
In December, Dennis pleaded guilty to the felony charge of transmitting interstate communications with a threat to injure.
Authorities said that in July 2023, Dennis drove to UConn and to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he had once been a quarterbacks coach, to plan a shooting. Court filings revealed he was facing financial problems, was upset about other people being hired as football coaches, and felt entitled to a job at UConn.
That same month, prosecutors said Dennis made several Facebook posts threatening to harm or kill three individuals from other states, including a state court judge.
Dennis’s mother, Terri Hernandez, told police during his 2023 arrest in Bristol that he had mental health issues, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. When he was arrested, he was shocked with a Taser after he came out of his sister’s house, arms raised, shouting “shoot me” and threatening to harm officers.
Terri Hernandez and other family members and friends wrote letters supporting Dennis’s release from detention.
