Warning: The following story includes graphic details and descriptions of an alleged murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against former New York Jets linebacker and first-round NFL Draft pick Darron Lee, who was recently arrested in Tennessee after he was arrested in connection with the alleged murder of his girlfriend.
The 31-year-old Lee was denied bond by a Chattanooga, Tenn., judge at a court hearing Wednesday. He is charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Lee allegedly called police to a rented Ooltewah (Tenn.) home last week and told officers that his girlfriend, Gabriella Carvalho Perpétuo, had narcolepsy and likely fell in the shower. However, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Detective Brian Lockhart testified that there was blood “in just about every room” and on the staircase, handrails, walls and floors. Additionally, Lockhart said that the microwave was shattered and alcohol bottles were present throughout the house.
“The scene was in disarray,” Lockhart said. “You walked in the door [and] there were boxes. A lot of stuff in the living room. The deceased was in the floor lying on her back.”
LEE UPDATE: A Hamilton County judge has granted NO bond to former NFL player Darron Lee, who is charged with first degree murder in the death of Gabriella Perpétuo last week in Ooltewah. District Attorney Coty Wamp says she is actively seeking the death penalty in the case. pic.twitter.com/UFGIUS691L
— WDEF News 12 (@wdefnews12) February 11, 2026
Perpétuo was found with severe brain trauma, a broken neck, stab wounds to her legs and significant injuries to her face. According to WTVC NewsChannel 9 in Tennessee, Perpétuo also had large bite marks on her shoulder and thigh.
While searching the home, detectives found bleach wipes, a spray bottle and other cleaning supplies. They also located Lee’s passport, along with a bag containing clothing and personal belongings, inside a BMW in the garage.
Lee has prior convictions in Florida and Ohio and a history of violence, including a 2023 arrest on two counts of assault and domestic violence after he allegedly attacked his mother. The mother of Lee’s son also told police that he had attacked her the previous October. Following a later charge for felony drug possession, Lee pleaded guilty to a lesser offense last year and received a 90-day jail sentence, with 88 days suspended. Lee was also placed on probation through February 2027.
“Not only is he a danger to this community,” Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp said, “[but] he’s a danger to communities in Ohio and Florida. I would argue based on his convictions, he’s a danger to women.”
NEW: This is absolutely sickening.
Former NFL linebacker Darron Lee and first-round pick, Super Bowl champ with the Chiefs, just got denied bond after allegedly brutally murdering his 29-year-old girlfriend Gabriella Perpetuo.
Court testimony dropped bombshells: broken neck,… pic.twitter.com/MbjtHfBd4A
— Dapsy𓃵 (@symplyDAPO) February 11, 2026
A four-star defensive back prospect from New Albany, Ohio, Lee signed with Ohio State University in 2013. He moved to linebacker ahead of the 2014 season and later became a second-team All-American for the Buckeyes.
The Jets selected Lee No. 20 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, and he recorded 73 tackles in 13 games and nine starts as a rookie. Lee spent the next two years as a full-time starter before the Jets and new coach Adam Gase dealt him to the Kansas City Chiefs in May 2019.
Lee played all 16 regular-season games for the Chiefs, who defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl that year. The veteran linebacker saw action in two games for the Buffalo Bills in 2020, and he has not been on an NFL roster since spending the 2021 preseason with the Las Vegas Raiders.
