Former NFL linebacker Darron Lee consulted the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT for guidance on handling an unresponsive person and explaining injuries more than 12 hours before authorities discovered his girlfriend dead in their Tennessee home, prosecutors said during a preliminary hearing.
Lee, 31, a New Albany, Ohio, native who played for the New York Jets and other teams, faces charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the Feb. 5 death of Gabriella Perpetuo, 29. Prosecutors allege Lee used the AI tool as a “legal advisor” to help cover up the crime, sending dozens of messages over a two-day period.
Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call at the couple’s home near Ooltewah Elementary School, where they found Perpetuo with multiple injuries, including a suspected stab wound to the abdomen, a head bruise, black eyes and a bite mark on her shoulder. Medics pronounced her dead at the scene after attempting life-saving measures.
Lee initially told investigators Perpetuo may have fallen in the shower, but authorities said the amount of blood at the scene and other evidence contradicted his account. Cleaning materials were found near blood on walls, according to court documents.
A forensic download of Lee’s phone revealed interactions with ChatGPT, which he nicknamed “Allie” while using the alias “Xander.” Prosecutors displayed several messages in court, including one sent the day before Perpetuo was found dead:
“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? [I don’t know] but she isn’t waking up or responding, what do I do?”
Other queries to the chatbot included questions about whether a fall could cause bruising to both eyes and “two stabby looking wounds,” as well as “allie, what should I tell my friend to handle someone non-responsive but wants to call the police.”
Lee also allegedly asked for advice on getting medical help without involving police and on explaining injuries without “framing it as police trouble,” according to evidence presented.
“You have Mr. Lee using ChatGPT as a legal advisor, as a defense attorney, asking ChatGPT to basically give him advice on how you cover up a crime scene,” Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp told the court.
Lee, who won a national championship with Ohio State in 2014 and was a first-round draft pick by the Jets in 2016, played in the NFL through 2021. He has a prior criminal history, including a 2022 accusation of assaulting two women in Ohio, for which he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of attempted assault in 2025.
At the March 9 hearing in Hamilton County court, a judge denied bond for Lee and bound the case over to a grand jury. Perpetuo’s family has filed a civil lawsuit against him.
Flip the pages for photos of Ms. Perpetuo.
