Uncle of Aaron Hernandez dies in moped crash

A Bristol man died early Saturday morning after his moped struck a curb on Central Street by Church Avenue, and he was thrown from his moped onto a private driveway.
The operator of the moped was 49-year-old Robert J. Valentine who was driving his moped north on Central Street when he hit a curb on the right side of the road, was thrown from the moped and struck another curb. Valentine, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered life-threatening head injuries and died at the scene, a press release said.
Bristol Police Lieutenant Donn Watson also confirmed Valentine is the uncle of Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriots player who is currently being charged for the murder of Odin Lloyd. Since Hernandez’s arrest, two individuals associated with Hernandez have died. In early July, Thaddeus Singleton III was killed in a car accident in Farmington. Singleton was married to one of Hernandez’s cousins and police were planning to question him in the case of the Odin Lloyd murder.
Valentine was a resident of Stafford Avenue, and his body was sent to the Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy.
The release said that the investigation of the crash is active, and anyone with information about the crash is urged to contact the Bristol Police Department Traffic Division at (860) 584-3030.