Darron Lee Indicted for 1st-Degree Murder in Girlfriend's Death, Facing Potential Death Penalty
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 11
Darron Lee Indicted for 1st-Degree Murder in Girlfriend's Death, Facing Potential Death Penalty
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 11
Summary
A Hamilton County grand jury indicted former NFL linebacker Darron Lee on Wednesday for first-degree murder in the death of girlfriend Gabriela Carvalho Perpétuo, putting the case on a potential capital-punishment track.
Prosecutors dropped a separate evidence-tampering charge to focus on the homicide case, while District Attorney Coty Wamp said a final decision on seeking the death penalty will come later.
Investigators say Lee called 911 on Feb. 6, 2025 and suggested Perpétuo may have fallen in the shower, but detectives described blood throughout the home, shattered glass and cleaning supplies that appeared to indicate staging.
An autopsy found multiple severe brain injuries, a broken neck, bruising, bite marks and stab wounds, and ruled the cause of death blunt force trauma; authorities also allege Lee used ChatGPT after her death to ask about shower-fall injuries.
Lee, a 2016 first-round Jets pick who last played in the NFL in 2020, remains jailed without bond; no arraignment date has been set.