NEED TO KNOW
Former NFL linebacker Darron Lee was accused and charged in connection with the February murder of his girlfriend, Gabriella Perpetuo
On Tuesday, June 9, a grand jury indicted Lee on a first-degree murder charge but dismissed a tampering with evidence charge
He faces a possible life sentence or death penalty and remains in jail without bond ahead of his June 17 court date
Former NFL linebacker Darron Lee has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge.
The former NFL pro, who played for the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, is accused of killing his girlfriend, Gabriella Perpetuo.
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On Tuesday, June 9, Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp said that a grand jury returned the indictment and dismissed the tampering with evidence charge to focus on the murder charge, ESPN reports.
The 29-year-old woman died of multiple blunt force injuries in February, a medical examiner reported, per ABC 9. She was found in her Ooltewah, Tenn., home and had 12 different injuries, including multiple hematomas, bone fractures, and stab wounds.
He was arrested on Feb. 6 on a charge of murder. He was then accused of asking ChatGPT how to get medical help without alerting authorities. Allegedly, he used the artificial intelligence to learn if a fall could bruise someone’s eyes and “two stabby looking wounds,” per the outlet.
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Darron Lee on November 12, 2017 in Tampa, Florida.
Credit: Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty
He could face a life sentence in prison or the death penalty, the latter of which will be discussed in court in the coming weeks. He is due to appear in court on June 17. He remains in the Hamilton County Jail without bond.
In April 2023, he was arrested on allegations of allegedly assaulting his mother and his then-girlfriend, Lindsey McGlone, and their son, who was 2 years old at the time. He was on probation following the assaults in Franklin County, Ohio. He was also on probation in Alachua County, Fla., for assaulting a man, per The Bleacher Report.
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PEOPLE reached out to the Hamilton County District Attorney for comment.
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