Former NFL Player Darron Lee Faces Murder Charges After What He Told Police at Scene

A former NFL player is staring down the possibility of the death penalty after the grand jury indictment that formalized what prosecutors have been building toward for months — a case with an unexpected digital twist at its center.

Darron Lee, who spent four seasons in the NFL with three different teams, was indicted on June 9, 2026, on a first-degree murder charge in the death of his girlfriend.

Prosecutors are weighing whether to seek the death penalty, a decision expected in the coming weeks, and the evidence they say will support that charge is unlike anything typically seen in a murder case.

What Lee allegedly did in the hours before calling 911 has drawn national attention and raised serious questions about how artificial intelligence is changing the way courts gather and evaluate evidence.

Found Unresponsive in Their Home

Gabriella Carvalho Perpetuo was found dead inside a home on Snow Cone Way in Ooltewah, Tennessee, after deputies responded to a 911 call on February 5, 2026. She was 29 years old.

A medical examiner's report confirmed her death was a homicide caused by multiple blunt force injuries. The report documented 12 distinct injuries, including multiple hematomas, bone fractures, a stab wound to the chest, cuts on her hands and fingers, and a bite mark on her shoulder collected for DNA testing.

Injuries were found in different stages of healing. The report also noted blood in multiple rooms, signs of a violent struggle throughout the home, and a firearm and multiple cell phones among the items recovered at the scene. Toxicology results detected cannabinoids but no alcohol.

According to the wrongful death complaint later filed by Perpetuo's mother, the injuries included blunt force trauma resulting in a severe brain injury, a fractured cervical spine, multiple stab wounds to the chest, abdomen, and leg, and extensive bruising to the left side of her face.

What He Said When Officers Arrived

When deputies arrived at the home, body camera footage — later played in open court during Lee's March preliminary hearing — captured him speaking with officers at the scene.

"She wasn't saying anything, and that's when I called 911 immediately, and I was like, 'What is going on? [...] I was asleep for a long time," Lee said in the footage.

He told officers he had come downstairs and found Perpetuo on the couch, unresponsive. He said he did not know what had happened, suggesting she may have slipped in the shower, referencing a bath mat incident from days earlier.

Detectives also used BlueStar technology at the scene — a chemical that reacts to the presence of blood — which revealed blood throughout the home. Defense attorneys challenged the reliability of that testing at the hearing.

Days of ChatGPT Conversations Before the 911 Call

What prosecutors revealed next reframed the entire case. According to evidence presented in court, Lee had spent approximately two days exchanging dozens of messages with the AI chatbot ChatGPT before he ever dialed 911.

Prosecutors say those conversations took place after Perpetuo's death and that in them, Lee asked the chatbot how to handle the situation, including how to seek medical help without involving police.

The message prosecutors say Lee sent to ChatGPT read: "Don't know what to do right now. Fiancee [sic] did her crazy thing again and now she's messed up, I wake up and she has two swollen eyes (i didn't do anything, self inflicted) she stabbed herself, slit her eye? Idk but she isn't waking up or responding, what do I do?"

ChatGPT's response, also shown in court, included the line: "Here's what to say without framing it as police trouble." Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp did not hold back in describing what those exchanges suggested.

"You have Mr. Lee using ChatGPT as a legal advisor, as a defense attorney, asking ChatGPT to basically give him advice on how you cover up a crime scene," Wamp said in court.

A prosecutor further outlined the breadth of those conversations: Lee allegedly discussed what he had done to Perpetuo in detail, asked how to conceal it, and even asked what to say when he eventually called 911 — which he did on February 5, 2026. He was arrested the following day.

AI Evidence and What It Means in Court

The use of ChatGPT conversations as prosecution evidence has drawn commentary beyond the courtroom. Dr. Rick Dierenfeld, head of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's criminal justice department, noted that a recent federal ruling established that conversations with a public AI platform are not protected by attorney-client privilege.

"That's not privileged information. It's a third-party platform, so you've, in effect, waived your confidentiality. These user agreements, when you sign those, you're actually publishing anything you enter there publicly," Dierenfeld said.

He added that as AI replaces traditional search engines in everyday use, courts will increasingly encounter digital conversations introduced as criminal evidence.

A History of Prior Allegations

Lee's arrest came while he was on probation in two separate jurisdictions. In April 2023, he was arrested on allegations of assaulting his mother, his then-girlfriend Lindsey McGlone, and their 2-year-old son.

He was on probation in Franklin County, Ohio, stemming from those charges. He was also on probation in Alachua County, Florida, following a separate assault allegation involving another man.

Lee played 58 games in the NFL with the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, and Buffalo Bills between 2016 and 2020. He had been the 20th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.

Grand Jury Indictment and What Comes Next

On June 9, 2026, a Hamilton County grand jury formally indicted Lee on first-degree murder. Prosecutors dropped the tampering with evidence charge to focus on the more serious allegation.

A first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence in Tennessee; the decision on whether to additionally pursue the death penalty is expected in the coming weeks.

Lee is due back in court on June 17. He remains in the Hamilton County Jail without bond.

Family's Fight for Justice

Perpetuo's family has not waited for the criminal case to run its course. Her mother, Noemia Monique Carvalho Perpetuo, filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against Lee.

Noemia seeks a total of $50 million — $25 million in compensatory damages and no less than $25 million in punitive damages, citing malicious, intentional, and reckless conduct.

A GoFundMe launched by Perpetuo's cousin has raised over $63,000 of a $100,000 goal. The page describes Perpetuo as a victim of domestic violence and abuse.

A family update posted in February called for awareness around domestic violence and thanked supporters helping the family cover legal fees, travel, and therapy.

"She was loved by so many and loved those around her with her whole heart," the page reads.

The Darron Lee case is far from the only time an NFL player has faced serious legal trouble off the field.

In February 2026, Atlanta Falcons linebacker James Pearce Jr. was arrested in Florida after an alleged domestic dispute with WNBA star Rickea Jackson, a case that escalated into a protective order filing and drew its own wave of national scrutiny.