New details have emerged in the case against former New York Jets first-round pick Darron Lee after authorities say he murdered his girlfriend … with police detailing the gruesome scene they found at the home and prosecutors indicating they will seek the death penalty.
Lee appeared in a Tennessee courtroom on Wednesday following Friday’s arrest for first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the death of Gabriella Carvalho Perpetuo.
Prosecutors said there was the presence of “blood in every room,” including inside a vehicle in the garage. They say Lee was the one who called 911, telling dispatchers Perpetuo was unresponsive and that he believed she fell in the shower.
Prosecutors said, when deputies arrived, Lee informed them she had narcolepsy … but officers apparently weren’t buying his version of events.
Detective Brian Lockhart of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office provided details of the scene he discovered at the house … stating that there was blood “going up the staircase, on the hand railing there was blood, on the walls there was blood, on the floor in the living room there was blood, in the floor on the hallway and the stairs.”
He said they discovered Gabriella on “the floor lying on her back,” adding that they saw that the microwave was shattered and that glass was scattered throughout the house. He also noted the presence of alcohol bottles — and says they found cleaning supplies upstairs.
“The scene was in disarray,” Lockhart said.
Authorities say an autopsy on Perpetuo revealed severe brain trauma, a broken neck, bruising across her body, a bite mark on her shoulder and thigh, stab wounds to the legs and facial trauma. Her death was determined to be from blunt force trauma.
District Attorney Coty Wamp argued that Lee should be held without bail as he posed a significant risk. While Lee’s defense team asked for the court to set bond … the judge sided with the DA — keeping Lee in custody.
As it turns out, it appears Lee shouldn’t have been in Tennessee to begin with. A Tennessee Department of Corrections and Parole officer said Lee was on probation for an aggravated assault with deadly weapon conviction in Florida … and that he moved to Tennessee without approval from his probation officer — which allegedly violated the terms of his supervision.
Lee is due back in court on March 9.