The Hernandez family is hit with heartache again.
The uncle of former Patriots football star Aaron Hernandez died Saturday morning.
Robert Valentine, 49, was the brother of Terri Hernandez, Aaron Hernandez’s mother.
Police say the moped he was driving hit a curb. He was then thrown from the moped and landed in a driveway where he struck a curb, police said.
Investigators said he was not wearing a helmet.
“My brother, he is the best guy in the world and he has three beautiful daughters,” said Patrick Valentine, uncle to Hernandez and brother to Robert.
Valentine said his brother Robert was an influence on the life of Aaron Hernandez, whose father died several years ago.
As for the recent murder charges against his nephew, Valentine remains hopeful that the truth will come out.
Hernandez has been charged with the June murder of Odin Lloyd, and the case against Hernandez continues to grow as new evidence emerges that doesn’t paint him in the best light.
“Aaron is going to be innocent. He’s going to be proven innocent,” said Patrick Valentine. “He might have a couple of gun charges, but he was looking at other things on his back burner.”
Robert Valentine is the second member of the Hernandez family to die in an accident this summer.
Back in June, Hernandez’s cousin’s husband, Thaddeus Singleton, crashed his car into the Farmington Country Club and was killed.
“We’re all here right now, loving each other and we hope everything goes good for everyone, you know. It’s just a hard thing right now,” he said.
Robert Valentine is not the same uncle who owns the Lake Avenue house where police have conducted multiple searches.