Former NFL Linebacker Darron Lee Indicted on Murder Charge in Partner’s Death

A Hamilton County grand jury indicted former NFL linebacker Darron Lee on a murder charge Tuesday in the February death of his 29-year-old partner, Gabriella Perpetuo. The indictment was returned June 9. Prosecutors dismissed a tampering-with-evidence charge to focus on the more serious allegation, Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp said.

Authorities are pursuing a first-degree murder conviction, which carries a life sentence. Wamp said a decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be made in the coming weeks. A medical examiner ruled Perpetuo’s cause of death multiple blunt force injuries.

The autopsy report listed 12 separate injuries, including several stab wounds, hematomas and bone fractures. ” Lee, 31, remains in the Hamilton County Jail without bond. At the time of his arrest he was on probation in both Alachua County, Florida, and Franklin County, Ohio.

Court records show Lee had previously been charged in three separate alleged assaults involving another man, his mother and the mother of his child. Lee played 58 games in the NFL for the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills from 2016 to 2020. The former Ohio State standout was selected by the Jets with the 20th overall pick in the 2016 draft.