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A Tennessee judge denied bond Wednesday for Darron Lee, the former New York Jets linebacker now facing a first-degree murder charge in what prosecutors are describing as a brutal killing of his girlfriend.
Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Tori Smith made the ruling after hearing testimony about the Feb. 5 death of Gabriella Perpétuo. Lee’s also charged with tampering with or fabricating evidence.
The details that came out in court were pretty grim.
Detective Brian Lockhart from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office testified Wednesday that he was there during the autopsy. The preliminary finding? Blunt force trauma homicide. They’re still waiting on the official autopsy report.
According to the arrest affidavit, first responders showed up at a home in Ooltewah (a Chattanooga suburb) after getting a call about CPR in progress. Perpétuo was already dead when they arrived.
Lee told deputies she might’ve fallen in the shower – but investigators found extensive amounts of blood throughout different areas of the house that didn’t line up with that story at all.
The couple had only been renting the home for about 10 days before the incident, Lockhart said.
What authorities found during their search was disturbing. Perpétuo had multiple types of trauma to her body – a stab wound to her abdomen, what appeared to be a human bite mark on her shoulder, a large bruise on her head, black eyes with heavy swelling, and dried blood on her face and neck.
Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp laid out even more in court. Lockhart testified that Perpétuo had a severe brain injury and a broken neck. There were additional stab wounds on her legs, but her pants didn’t have any cut marks – suggesting they were put on after she was stabbed.
Investigators also found alcohol, narcotics and a gun at the scene.
Lee himself had injuries too. The affidavit noted a facial injury, lacerations on his hands, wounds on his chest, and blood inside his cellphone case.
Then there’s the cleanup evidence. Crime scene detectives identified blood that someone had tried to clean in multiple areas of the house. They found cleaning supplies near spots where testing confirmed blood stains even though no blood was visible anymore.
“Mr. Lee was in a home with a female that was, for lack of a better term, beaten to death,” Wamp said in court while arguing against bond. “And the explanation that he gave doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.”
Wamp also revealed Lee was on probation in Florida for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in one county and battery in another. He’s on probation in Ohio too – for attempted batteries.
The case is eligible for capital punishment, though prosecutors haven’t decided yet whether they’ll seek the death penalty.
Deputy public defender Mike Little represented Lee at the hearing. He pointed out that bond is often set for first-degree murder defendants, even those with prior felonies. When The Associated Press reached out for comment, Little said it’s too early in the case for him to make any statements.
Lee’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 9.
For those who remember Lee from his playing days, he was the 20th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Jets after starring at Ohio State. He was named defensive MVP of the 2015 Sugar Bowl. The 31-year-old linebacker played 58 games across five seasons with New York, Kansas City and Buffalo before his career ended after the 2020 season.
