Key facts
- Former NFL linebacker Darron Lee has been indicted on a murder charge.
- The indictment is in connection with the death of his partner, Gabriella Perpetuo.
- Prosecutors are pursuing a first-degree murder conviction.
- Perpetuo's cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, including stab wounds.
- Lee allegedly used ChatGPT to inquire about injuries without involving police.
Former NFL linebacker Darron Lee has been indicted on a murder charge in Hamilton County, Tennessee, in connection with the death of his partner, Gabriella Perpetuo. Prosecutors are seeking a first-degree murder conviction, which carries a potential life sentence, and will decide in the coming weeks whether to pursue the death penalty.
Perpetuo, 29, died in February from multiple blunt force injuries, including fractures and stab wounds, according to a medical examiner. At the time of his arrest, Lee was on probation for three separate alleged assaults involving another man, his mother, and the mother of his child.
Evidence presented in court indicated that Lee allegedly asked ChatGPT how a fall could cause severe bruising and stab-like wounds, seeking medical information without involving the police. Lee, 31, played 58 games in the NFL between 2016 and 2020 for the Jets, Kansas City, and Buffalo. He remains in the Hamilton County Jail without bond.