Grand jury charges Darron Lee with murder in death of Gabriela Carvalho Perpétuo

A Hamilton County, Tennessee grand jury has formally indicted former NFL linebacker Darron Lee on a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of his girlfriend, Gabriela Carvalho Perpétuo. Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp confirmed the case is eligible for the death penalty, though a final decision on whether to seek that sentence will be made as proceedings continue. An arraignment date in Hamilton County Criminal Court had not been scheduled as of the indictment.

Lee, a first-round pick of the New York Jets in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, was arrested by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office on February 6, 2025, and initially charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. Prosecutors subsequently dismissed the tampering charge. "We will focus solely on the murder of Gabriella," Wamp said. Lee played three seasons with the Jets, one with the Kansas City Chiefs, and one with the Buffalo Bills before his NFL career ended following the 2020 season.

At Lee's bond hearing in February, Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Detective Brian Lockhart testified that blood was found on the staircase, handrails, walls, and floors and in nearly every room of the residence. Investigators also recovered shattered glass, alcohol bottles, and cleaning supplies including bleach wipes and a spray bottle on the upper floor. Lee called 911 and told dispatchers he had found Perpétuo unresponsive, suggesting she may have fallen in the shower. Investigators allege he consulted an AI chatbot after her death to research injuries consistent with a shower fall in an attempt to stage the scene. An autopsy found that Perpétuo suffered multiple severe brain traumas, a broken neck, widespread bruising, bite marks on her shoulder and thigh, stab wounds on her legs, and facial bruising and cuts. The medical examiner determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma.

Lee had prior law enforcement contact before the Tennessee arrest. Court records document a 2023 incident in Ohio in which he allegedly pushed a woman and struck her in the face multiple times. A Tennessee Department of Corrections and Parole officer testified at the bond hearing that Lee was also serving probation for an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon conviction in Florida, and that he had relocated to Tennessee without supervisory approval, placing him in violation of his probation terms in both matters. Lee was denied bond and remains in custody. The indictment does not alter that status.