The first-degree murder case against former NFL linebacker Darron Lee could include an effort to seek the death penalty.
Via Meg Doyle of NewsChannel9.com, Hamilton County, Tennessee, District Attorney Coty Wamp said during a Wednesday bond hearing that the evidence against Lee includes two “aggravating factors” that would qualify Lee for capital punishment. After the hearing, Wamp told Doyle that a decision has not yet been made as to whether the death penalty will be pursued.
Lee was denied bond pending trial. The case against bail included testimony that Lee had moved from Florida to Tennessee in violation of the terms of probation for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Lee was also on probation for a 2023 incident in Ohio, for an incident in which Lee pushed a woman and punched her in the face multiple times.
In this specific case, the details are troubling. Gabriella Carvalho Perpétuo was found dead in a rented home. The scene was described in court as chaotic and violent.
“There was blood going up the staircase, on the hand railing there was blood, on the walls there was blood, on the floor in the living room there was blood, in the floor on the hallway and the stairs . . . there was blood in just about every room except one,’ Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Detective Brian Lockhart testified during the bond hearing.
Lee told investigators that the deceased had narcolepsy and likely fell in the shower.
Lockhart also testified that the microwave oven was shattered, and that broken glass was scattered throughout the premises. Detectives found cleaning supplies upstairs, including “bleach wipes, a spray bottle, and a full bag.” The charges against Lee include a claim that he tampered with evidence.
Lockhart said in court that the victim suffered “severe injuries, including severe brain trauma, a broken neck, bruising across her body, a large bite mark on her shoulder and thigh, stab wounds to her legs, and significant facial trauma.” The cause of death was blunt force trauma.
Lee was a first-round pick of the Jets in 2016. He spent three years with the Jets, one with the Chiefs, and one with the Bills.
