Darron Lee, a former NFL linebacker, faces first-degree murder charges in the death of his girlfriend Gabriella Perpetuo at their Tennessee home. Prosecutors say Lee turned to ChatGPT for guidance on covering up the crime scene shortly after the incident. The case involves detailed messages where Lee described injuries and sought ways to explain them as accidental.
Darron Lee, 30, a former Ohio State linebacker drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, is accused of killing 29-year-old Gabriella Perpetuo at their home about 30 miles outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. The incident occurred last month, leading to charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
According to testimony at a preliminary hearing on Monday, Lee panicked after the event and used ChatGPT as what District Attorney Coty Wamp described as "a legal adviser, as a defense attorney." Prosecutors presented Lee's messages to the AI, where he wrote: "Don't know what to do right 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, self-inflicted) she stabbed herself, slit her eye? Idk but she isnt waking up or responding. what do I do?"
Lee inquired about whether stab wounds could resemble punctures from a fall, specifying locations like the middle gut and side hip, and noting swollen eyes and blood everywhere. ChatGPT responded with possibilities, such as falls causing puncture-like wounds under specific conditions, and advised seeking immediate help for swollen eyes, crossing into "seek immediate help territory, not 'meh, ice it.'" Lee replied, "Bet. She got blood all over the damn place."
These exchanges happened roughly 12 hours before Lee called 911, claiming Perpetuo had fallen in the shower. He told responding officers, "She wasn't saying anything and that's when I called 911 immediately and I was like what is going on.. I was asleep for a long time."
Body camera footage showed a house in disarray, with broken glass in the kitchen and blood throughout. An autopsy revealed stab wounds and bruises on Perpetuo's head, eyes, arms, and torso, indicating a physical struggle, according to detectives. The judge found sufficient evidence to proceed to a grand jury.