Former Super Bowl champion asked ChatGPT about injuries before girlfriend’s death, court hears | NFL
Former New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee appeared in a Tennessee courtroom Tuesday as prosecutors presented evidence they say links him to the murder of his girlfriend, including messages in which he asked ChatGPT questions about injuries and how to handle an unconscious person, according to Chattanooga CBS affiliate WDEF.
Lee, 30, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Gabriella Perpétuo at the couple’s home in Ooltewah, about 20 miles northeast of Chattanooga. Police were called to the residence last month for a reported medical emergency and found Perpétuo unconscious on the living room floor. Doctors were unable to save her and WTVC NewsChannel 9 reported that she suffered a suspected stab wound in addition to other injuries.
During a preliminary hearing in Hamilton County Court, prosecutors presented body camera footage from deputies who responded to the scene. In the video, Lee tells police he doesn’t know why Perpétuo wasn’t responding.
“I don’t know,” Lee said. “I thought she would have said something but I have no idea. I was upstairs.”
Investigators described a chaotic scene inside the home, with items scattered throughout several rooms. When a deputy asked Lee about broken glass and other damage in the home, he said a window had been left open and the glass had broken when the home was heated.
Crime scene photos presented in court revealed blood in several rooms, including on the walls and on the kitchen island. Prosecutors said investigators also identified additional bloodstains using the forensic detection agent Bluestar.
A preliminary autopsy performed by Hamilton County Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Cogswell revealed that Perpétuo suffered multiple injuries that together constituted blunt force trauma, including facial contusions, a fractured cheekbone, broken teeth and a fractured upper cervical spine. The report also noted shallow stab wounds to the chest and thigh, as well as a bite mark on the shoulder.
Prosecutors also presented messages recovered from Lee’s phone showing exchanges with ChatGPT in the hours before his 911 call. According to prosecutors, Lee described a situation involving a fictitious woman named “Allie” and asked the chatbot if certain injuries might resemble injuries caused by a fall.
In one message, Lee wrote that his fiancée had “two swollen eyes” and wasn’t waking up. In another, he asked if a slip and fall could cause puncture-like injuries.
Lee: “I don’t know what to do now, Fiancee 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, I did it to myself) she stabbed herself, gouged out her eye? I don’t know but she won’t wake up or respond, what should I do?”
Lee: “Allie, what should I tell my friend to deal with someone who is unresponsive but wants to call the police”
ChatGPT: “Okay, but this is **serious but you can (hidden text) protect everyone**. Here’s exactly what you need to tell your friend, step by step.”
Lee: “don’t want to”
ChatGPT: “Got it -” doesn’t do it (hidden text) Here’s exactly what (hidden text) is the safest way to handle it without calling it a “font issue”
Lee: “a stab wound like a sting after hitting anything? »
ChatGPT: “Yeah—- that can it happens**, but there is (hidden text) to be done. Can a slip and fall cause puncture wounds? Yes, but generally only under certain conditions?
What might this look like:
– Small deep wounds resembling punctures
-Minimal bleeding at first, then swelling
-He looks “stabbed” even if he wasn’tConclusion :
-Yes: Falls can cause puncture-like injuries.
-They usually don’t look like clean stab wounds
-The context and type of surrounding injury matters more than the hole itselfIf you want, tell me:
-Where on the body?
-How many punctures?
-Depth/size?
-What objects were nearby?I can help you verify if this is consistent with a slip and fall or if it is something that needs to be evaluated as soon as possible.
Lee: “Yes, midgut and hip side?”
ChatGPT: “If you want you can tell me:
-depth (superficial vs deep)
-amount of bleeding
-time since injury
-if the pain increasesI will help you decide RIGHT level of care – no panic, just smart next steps.
Lee: “Both of his eyes are swollen?”
ChatGPT: “Okay, pause the jokes for half a second because even if yes, the eyes are swollen is still possible of a fall, but it moves into “immediate help-seeking territory,” not “meh, ice it.”
Lee: “I bet. She has blood everywhere.”
Hamilton County Prosecutor Coty Wamp argued the messages showed Lee was trying to find an explanation for the injuries and cover up what happened inside the home.
“You have Mr. Lee using ChatGPT as a legal advisor, as a defense attorney, asking ChatGPT to give him advice on how to cover up a crime scene,” Wamp told the court.
Lee’s public defender, Mike Little, said the state’s case rested entirely on circumstantial evidence.
“We know something happened inside that house, but we don’t know what,” Little said.
Hamilton County General Sessions Judge Tori Smith ruled that prosecutors presented enough evidence to move the case forward and ordered it handed over to a grand jury, which will decide whether Lee will be formally charged.
Lee remains held in the Hamilton County Jail without bail. Wamp said his office was considering pursuing the death penalty.
The Jets selected Lee with the 20th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft after a stint at Ohio State, where he developed into one of the best college players in the country. New York signed him to a four-year contract, but he left the team in 2019 after disciplinary issues and poor play.
Lee was part of the Kansas City Chiefs team that won the Super Bowl in February 2020, although he did not participate in the game itself. His last NFL appearance came in November 2020 for the Buffalo Bills.
