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2 weeks ago
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Former New York Jets first-round draft pick Darron Lee has been kept in jail without bond as he faces a first-degree murder charge over the death of his girlfriend in Tennessee.
The ruling by Judge Tori Smith came after Lee was arrested and charged late last week. He also faces a charge of tampering with or fabricating evidence. Lee is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on 9 March.
Authorities identified the victim in the case as Gabriella Perpétuo. The couple had been living in a home they rented where the incident occurred for about 10 days, Brian Lockhart a detective in Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office testified on Wednesday.
Lockhart said he was present during the autopsy and learned the potential manner of death is blunt force trauma homicide, though an autopsy report has not been released yet.
According to an arrest affidavit, on 5 February first responders went to a home in the Chattanooga suburb of Ooltewah for a call of CPR in progress, where they found the woman already deceased.
Lee told deputies that the woman may have fallen in the shower, but according to the affidavit, there were extensive amounts of blood in different areas of the residence that were inconsistent with Lee’s statement.
Authorities carrying out a search warrant found evidence of trauma to the woman’s body, including a stab wound to her abdomen, an apparent bite mark on her shoulder, a large bruise on her head, black eyes with heavy swelling, and dried blood on her face and neck, the affidavit said.
Lockhart testified that she also had a severe brain injury and a broken neck. She had more stab wounds on her legs. Her pants were unmarked, suggesting they were put on after the injuries were sustained, Hamilton County district attorney Coty Wamp said.
The affidavit said Lee had a facial injury, lacerations on his hands, wounds on his chest and blood inside the case of his cellphone. Crime scene detectives also identified blood that had been attempted to be cleaned in multiple areas of the house, in addition to cleaning supplies near where testing confirmed blood stains but no blood was visible, the affidavit said.
Wamp said the case is eligible for capital punishment, but prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.
“Mr Lee was in a home with a female that was, for lack of a better term, beaten to death,” Wamp said in court, arguing for the judge to withhold bond. “And the explanation that he gave doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.”
Wamp said Lee, 31, was on probation in Florida for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in one county and battery in another, and on probation in Ohio for attempted batteries.
Lee was represented at the hearing by deputy public defender Mike Little, who said in court that bond is often set for homicide or first-degree murder defendants, including those with prior felonies. Little said it is too early in the case for him to be making any statements.
Lee was one of the best college players in the country during his time at Ohio State, and the Jets selected him with the 20th overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. The Jets signed him to a four-year contract that included $7.9m guaranteed but he left the team in 2019 after disciplinary problems and poor play.
Lee was a part of the Kansas City Chiefs roster that won the Super Bowl in February 2020, although he did not play in the game itself. His final NFL appearance came in November 2020 for the Buffalo Bills.
