Former NFL linebacker Darron Lee, who was apart of the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl team in 2019, has bene formally indicted on first-degree murder in connection to the death of his girlfriend. If convicted, Lee could face the death penalty.
According to reports, a grand jury in Hamilton County, Tennessee has indicted Lee on first-degree murder in the death of Gabriella Carvalho Perpetuo, which occurred in Ooltewah in East Tennessee earlier this year. Prosecutors dismissed a separate charge of evidence tampering and will focus solely on the murder charge at trial.
Lee is accused of killing Perpetuo in an Ooltewah residence and attempting to conceal what happened. Evidence has suggested that he even used ChatGPT to help him deal with someone who was unresponsive.
An autopsy of Perpetuo’s body indicated “multiple injuries” per News 9 ABC. Lee is currently the subject of a $50 million wrongful death suit by Perpetuo’s family.
Court records have reportedly shown that there were prior allegations of domestic violence involving Lee prior to his arrest in Tennessee.
He is currently being held in custody pending trial.
If convicted of first-degree murder in Tennessee he faces life imprisonment or the death penalty. Prosecutors have not ruled out seeking the death penalty in the case.
Lee was an All-American at Ohio State before going No. 20 overall to the New York Jets in the 2016 draft. He played three seasons in New York and recorded 273 tackles and four sacks before being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019.
As a member of the Chiefs that year he contributed mostly on special teams and got to be a part of the team’s Super Bowl LIV run despite being inactive for the Super Bowl itself.
Lee played several games for the Buffalo Bills in 2020 and was part of the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad for the 2021 offseason before being released from injured reserve.
