Former New York Jets first-round draft pick Darron Lee has been remanded in custody without bail after being charged with the first-degree murder of his girlfriend in Tennessee. The 31-year-old appeared in court on Wednesday, where Judge Tori Smith ruled that he should be held without bond. He also faces a charge of tampering with or fabricating evidence. A preliminary hearing has been set for 9 March.
The victim has been identified as Gabriella Perpétuo, who was found dead at a rented home in Ooltewah, a suburb of Chattanooga, on 5 February. Authorities were called to the scene for a report of CPR in progress, but the woman was already deceased. According to an arrest affidavit, Lee told deputies she may have fallen in the shower, but investigators found extensive bloodstains in several rooms that contradicted his account.
Detective Brian Lockhart of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office testified that an autopsy indicated blunt force trauma as the potential cause of death. The affidavit details severe injuries, including a stab wound to the abdomen, an apparent bite mark on the shoulder, a large bruise on the head, black eyes, and dried blood on the face and neck. Lockhart also noted a brain injury and a broken neck. Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp said the woman’s pants were unmarked, suggesting they were put on after the injuries were sustained.
Lee himself had facial injuries, lacerations on his hands, and chest wounds. Blood was found on his phone case, and cleaning supplies were discovered near areas where blood had been cleaned up. Wamp argued in court that the case was eligible for capital punishment, though prosecutors have yet to decide whether to seek the death penalty. “Mr Lee was in a home with a female that was beaten to death, and the explanation he gave doesn’t make any sense whatsoever,” Wamp said.
Lee was on probation in Florida for aggravated assault and battery, and in Ohio for attempted batteries at the time of the incident. His defence lawyer, Mike Little, noted that bond is often set for homicide defendants, but declined to comment further at this early stage. Lee, who won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, last played in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills in November 2020.
