A former NFL linebacker is facing the most serious charge possible after prosecutors say his girlfriend was found dead inside their Tennessee home — and that he allegedly turned to ChatGPT for guidance just before deputies arrived.
Darron Lee, 31, appeared in Hamilton County Court on Monday, March 9, for a preliminary hearing in the case tied to the death of his 29-year-old girlfriend, Gabriella Perpétuo. She was found dead on Feb. 5 inside the couple’s home in Ooltewah, a suburb outside Chattanooga.
Inside the hearing, prosecutors introduced body-camera footage from responding deputies and described what they say were recovered messages from Lee’s phone — prompts they allege he sent to ChatGPT that morning.
Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp argued in court that Lee was allegedly using the AI chatbot “as a legal advisor” while asking for advice on “how to cover up a crime scene.”
According to local reporting cited in court, one of the alleged prompts described a fiancée with swollen eyes, claimed injuries were “self inflicted,” and said she “isn’t waking up or responding,” followed by “what do I do?” Prosecutors also displayed alleged follow-ups asking what to tell a friend about someone nonresponsive, whether puncture-like wounds could come from a fall, and a final message complaining there was blood “all over the damn place.”
Body-cam video played in court also captured Lee speaking with a deputy about what he said he found that morning. In the footage described by outlets covering the hearing, Lee said he came downstairs, saw Perpétuo on the couch, tried talking to her, and then called 911 when she didn’t respond.
Deputies testified they found signs of violence inside the home, including large amounts of blood and shattered glass, according to reports.
Lee’s public defender, Mike Little, pushed back in court, saying investigators still don’t know what happened inside the home — only that “something happened.”
An autopsy found Perpétuo suffered multiple injuries — including hematomas, abrasions, fractures, and facial lacerations — and the cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma, according to reporting on the case.
Lee, a first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft who later won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs, has been held without bail since his arrest on Feb. 5. The judge again ruled he will remain in custody and the case was bound over to a grand jury.
Prosecutors have indicated they may seek the death penalty if the case goes to trial, and Perpétuo’s family has filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit, according to reports.
Lee has not been convicted, and the allegations will be tested as the case moves forward.
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