Former NFL linebacker Darron Lee was indicted by a grand jury in Hamilton County, Tennessee, on June 11, on first-degree murder charges and evidence tampering in connection with the death of his girlfriend, Gabriella Perpetuo.
On February 6, Darron Lee, 31, was allegedly involved in the killing of his partner in Ooltewah, TN. The medical examiner’s office ruled Perpetuo’s cause of death as multiple blunt force trauma. In fact, the autopsy listed over a dozen different injuries, including hematomas, bone fractures, and stab wounds, according to Daily Mail.
Gabriella Perpetuo, 29, was a New York-based nursing student at Broward College and was only three months away from graduation when she met her fatal end.
When Darron Lee was taken into custody, he was already on probation in Franklin County, Ohio, and Alachua County, Florida, after being charged with three counts of alleged assaults on his mother, his child’s mother, and another man.
Investigators discovered Lee’s internet history, which had him asking ChatGPT how to get medical help for someone with Perpetuo’s injuries, without calling the authorities or medical professionals. He did, however, later call 911.
The prosecution used the chatbot logs as evidence at his indictment, as well as the bodycam footage from responding officers.
The former New York Jets star told the cops that his girlfriend “may have slipped and fallen in the shower” and he “didn’t know what had happened to her.” Evidence also showed pictures from the crime scene, which had blood in every room of Darron Lee’s residence, as well as his car and garage.
All you need to know about Darron Lee’s late girlfriend
Gabriella “Bella” Carvalho Perpetuo was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, in August 1996, to Brazilian immigrant parents and high school sweethearts, Monique and Nilson Junior. She was their firstborn daughter.
According to the website, which acts as a “living sanctuary of her memory,” Bella bore a “bright red birthmark on her forehead” when she was a baby. While it faded over time as the doctors said it would, it remained her “winter secret,” as in it showed up when the air grew colder.
Darron Lee’s late girlfriend had a younger sister, Isabella, aka Little Izzy, and she was her “devoted big sister” from the start and took her “responsibility.” Bella was also surrounded by her “vibrant” extended family while growing up, including her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, all of whom she loved “fiercely.”
When she was 15, her family moved to Florida, from where she graduated high school.
“Sharp-witted and stunning, Bella was a formidable debater who rarely, if ever, lost an argument—thanks to a blend of natural brilliance and sheer stubbornness. Though she was ‘no picnic,’ she was a treasure to those who knew her,” her bio states.
Initially, Gabriella Perpetuo wanted to pursue law. She then moved to New York to work as a clinical journalist. Ultimately, she answered her true calling to nursing. Her bio continues:
“It would have been easy for her to pursue law, but her compassion led her to nursing. She felt a calling to protect the vulnerable, especially children, and she held a lifelong dream of motherhood. Whether as a nanny, an aunt, or a friend, she was the ultimate champion for every child in her life.”
Bella’s website is dedicated to celebrating her vibrant and loving personality and raising awareness about the “reality of domestic abuse.” It acts as a “beacon of hope” and “calls to action” to not only preserve her legacy but also her “lifelong passion” of serving others who “may still be in harm’s way.”
A week after Gabriella Perpetuo’s murder, her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Darron Lee seeking up to $25 million in compensation from his NFL pension, existing endorsements/ packages. During a hearing, her mother described Bella as “mini-me, but brighter.” Monique continued:
“She was a people’s person. She talked to everybody. She was friends with everybody.”
The mom of two also spoke about the bond between her daughters.
“Gabriella was a very, very hands-on big sister, just being there for her. She was very loving.”
Meanwhile, Nilson remembered that his older child was studying to become a “registered nurse” and wanted to “take care of babies, working in paediatrics.”
“All those studies, long hours at the hospital with clinicals, but she did it. She was capable of doing it, and she was capable of finishing, and she was going to be great,” Monique added.
She recalled the exact moment the police came to her door and informed them of Bella’s murder. Monique had kneeled and prayed to God to have “mercy” on her child, but it was “too late.”
“I appreciate every single kind word that I heard about my daughter. I’m not surprised, but it is surprising to see how many lives she touched… Perpetuo means forever. Bella Perpetuo forever will be. We love you. We all love you.”
Last year, Darron Lee was reportedly given a “free pass” on a domestic violence charge. It remains unclear who the complainant at the time was.
Back then, their attorney, C. Mark Warren, shared in a statement:
“This is the worst possible thing that can happen to a parent or a family. Money is not going to change that, but it can offset funeral expenses and punish the defendant in a way the criminal action cannot.”
Warren continued:
“We have already retained a private investigator to search for assets of the defendant, who we know as an NFL football player. We also know he had an NFL pension plan… Because that’s job number one in this case, is to find the assets of the defendant, capture them and keep them from being transferred to somebody else so the family can have some compensation for what they’re going through and the loss of their daughter.”
Darron Lee’s past run-in with law also includes him being restrained by fellow NFL star Leonard Williams at the Governor’s Ball Music Festival in Randall’s Island in June 2017. It was after Darron Lee was involved in a heated verbal exchange with a female guest. When he failed to show up to a court hearing over a week later, an arrest warrant was issued in his name.
If convicted, Darron Lee is looking to face life imprisonment or even the death penalty. The sentencing is awaited next week. The athlete remains at Hamilton County Jail without bond.
Edited by Pallavi K