CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WATE) — The former NFL linebacker charged in the death of his girlfriend near Chattanooga will remain jailed without bond after investigator shared gruesome details of the case during a hearing on Wednesday.

Darron Lee, 31, is charged with first degree murder and tampering with evidence in the death of Gabriella Carvalho Perpétuo. She was found dead at a home in Ooltewah on Thursday.

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WTVC reported on some of the harrowing testimony provided by investigators, including the presence of blood throughout the house and in a vehicle parked in the garage.

“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. There was blood in just about every room except one,” Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Detective Brian Lockhart testified.

Blood was also detected in a vehicle in the garage registered to both Lee and Perpétuo. Lockhart testified that Lee was inside the home when deputies arrived, according to WTVC, and told investigators that Perpétuo may have fallen in the shower.

The detective testified that Perpétuo had suffered a severe brain injury and a broken neck. An affidavit previously obtained by WTVC showed investigators documented multiple injuries, including a suspected stab wound to the abdomen and what appeared to be a human bite mark on her shoulder. It also noted that forensic testing indicated that blood had been cleaned from several areas of the home.

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A state parole officer testified that Lee was on probation stemming from an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon conviction in Florida. She said Lee had moved to Tennessee without approval from his probation office in violation of his supervision. District Attorney Coty Wamp said Lee was also on probation in Ohio following a 2023 arrest in which records show Lee pushed a woman and punched her in the face multiple times.

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Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Tori Smith denied bond in the case. Wamp told WTVC that a decision on whether prosecutors would seek the death penalty has not yet been made.

Lee played in 58 NFL games for the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, and Buffalo Bills over five seasons. The Jets selected him 20th overall in 2016 draft out of Ohio State. He was the defensive MVP of the 2015 Sugar Bowl.

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