Former NFL Linebacker Darron Lee Indicted on First-Degree Murder Charge in Girlfriend's Death

A grand jury in Hamilton County, Tennessee formally indicted 31-year-old former NFL linebacker Darron Lee on a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of his 29-year-old girlfriend, Gabriella Carvalho Perpetuo, who was found dead in February at a home near Ooltewah. Prosecutors dismissed a separate tampering-with-evidence charge to concentrate on the murder allegation, according to District Attorney Coty Wamp. The medical examiner determined Perpetuo's cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, with an autopsy documenting 12 distinct injuries including bone fractures, multiple hematomas, stab wounds, and bite marks. Investigators allege Lee used ChatGPT to research injuries consistent with a shower fall and how to obtain medical help without calling police, before ultimately calling 911 and claiming Perpetuo had fallen. At the time of his arrest, Lee was already on probation in both Ohio and Florida stemming from three separate alleged assault cases involving another man, his mother, and the mother of his child. The case is eligible for the death penalty, though prosecutors have not yet made a final decision on whether to seek that sentence. Lee, who was selected 20th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft and last played in the league in November 2020, remains in Hamilton County jail without bond pending arraignment.