A grand jury in Tennessee has handed down a formal indictment on a murder charge to former NFL linebacker Darron Lee.
The Hamilton County grand jury found sufficient evidence to indict Lee on charges of first-degree murder of his girlfriend, Gabriella Carvalho Perpetuo, earlier this year.
Prosecutors dismissed a charge of tampering with evidence against Lee in order to focus their attention on the far more serious charge of murder, Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp said in a statement.
Perpetuo’s body was discovered inside a home in Ooltewah, Tennessee, in February.
Authorities charge Lee with killing Perpetuo inside the home and then consulting an artificial intelligence chatbot on how to deal with a person who is unresponsive and injuries that would be consistent with someone falling in the shower.
“During a preliminary hearing, prosecutors presented evidence that included body camera footage, testimony from investigators, and evidence recovered from electronic devices,” News 9 reported.
A report from the Medical Examiner revealed that Perpetuo died from multiple blunt force injuries.
Lee will remain in custody as the case progresses.
The former Ohio State linebacker played three years in the NFL with the Jets, Chiefs, and Bills.