A former first-round NFL draft pick is facing intense scrutiny after prosecutors revealed that he allegedly turned to artificial intelligence for advice following the violent death of his girlfriend.
Darron Lee, a former linebacker selected by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, is accused of brutally killing his girlfriend, Gabriella Carvalho Perpétuo, inside a Tennessee home last month. During a preliminary court hearing, prosecutors said Lee had multiple conversations with ChatGPT in the days leading up to and following her death, asking questions that appeared to seek guidance on how to explain or conceal the incident.
According to details described in reporting from the New York Post, investigators say Lee asked the chatbot what to do after claiming his fiancée had injured herself and was no longer responding. In another exchange, he reportedly asked whether puncture wounds could result from a slip-and-fall accident, suggesting he may have been trying to craft a potential explanation for her injuries.
Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp told the court that Lee had dozens of back-and-forth conversations with the AI system over a two-day period, discussing the situation and asking how to handle interactions with emergency services.
“He asks how to cover it up. He asks what to say to 911,” Wamp said during the hearing.
Lee later called authorities and told them he had discovered Perpétuo unresponsive at their home in Ooltewah, Tennessee, outside Chattanooga. In police body-camera footage shown in court, Lee appears confused as he describes finding her after waking up.
At one point, he suggested that Perpétuo — who he said suffered from narcolepsy — may have fallen in the shower, according to testimony.
However, investigators say the evidence inside the home told a much different story.
Detectives described blood throughout multiple rooms, including on the walls, floors, stair railings, and hallway. They also found broken glass, alcohol bottles, and a shattered microwave. Cleaning supplies, including bleach wipes and a spray bottle, were reportedly discovered upstairs.
The autopsy revealed extensive injuries. Medical examiners determined Perpétuo died from severe blunt-force trauma, along with a broken neck, stab wounds, bruising, and bite marks. Officials concluded the injuries were inconsistent with an accidental fall.
Lee has since been denied bond as the case moves forward through the legal system. Prosecutors are reportedly pursuing the death penalty.
The case has drawn national attention not only because of Lee’s former NFL career but also because it highlights the increasingly unusual ways technology can appear in criminal investigations.
Authorities say the investigation remains ongoing as prosecutors continue building their case against the former professional athlete.
