Day one of NFL free agency brings big contracts and early winners
Chris Bumbaka recaps the first day of NFL free agency, highlighted by Kenneth Walker III going to the Chiefs and Mike Evans signing with the 49ers.
- Former NFL linebacker Daron Lee has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend Gabriela Perpetuo.
- Prosecutors presented evidence at the March 9 hearing that Lee used ChatGPT to ask an unresponsive person what to do hours before calling police.
- Lee, who was on probation for previous domestic violence charges, is being held without bail in Tennessee.
A former NFL and Ohio State football player asked ChatGPT what to do if someone is found dead in their Tennessee home, unresponsive for more than 12 hours before calling police.
Daron Lee, 31, was charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in Hamilton County, Tennessee, and remains in custody without bail. Lee appeared at a preliminary hearing March 9, where a judge ordered his case to be referred to a grand jury.
Lee, who last played for the Buffalo Bills in 2020 during a five-year NFL career, is accused of killing his girlfriend, Gabriella Perpetuo, 29, inside the house the couple had moved into 10 days before she was found dead on February 5.
Chattanooga’s WDEF-12 News reported that a preliminary autopsy revealed that Perpetuo suffered multiple injuries that led to death, including an extracted front tooth, a fractured jaw, a cerebral hematoma, shallow stab wounds, and a fractured neck.
WDEF reported that detectives presented evidence collected during a forensic download of Lee’s cell phone at a March 9 hearing. The evidence included a conversation with AI agent ChatGPT on February 4, about 12 hours before police were called.
Detectives testified that Lee called the AI agent “Allie” and sent messages using the nickname “Xander,” a shortened version of Lee’s middle name.
One of the messages shown in court read: “I don’t know what to do now. My fiancé is acting weird again and I’m a mess now.” “When I woke up, her eyes were swollen (I didn’t do anything, it’s self-harm). Did she stab herself and cut her eyes open? But she doesn’t wake up or react, what should I do?”
WDEF reported that ChatGPT responded to Lee and said the situation was “serious.” The AI agent explained what the wound looked like after Lee asked about it being “like a puncture wound from hitting something,” the TV station reported.
Lee also sent messages asking what he should tell his friends and about possible injuries if he fell in the shower.
According to the TV station, ChatGPT responded, “Okay, stop joking for half a second. It’s possible to fall and get a swollen eye, but that’s in the realm of ‘get help right now,’ as opposed to ‘well, cool it down.'”
“Really? She had blood everywhere,” Lee replied.
Lee initially told responding deputies that Perpetuo had fallen in the shower and was found unresponsive. Perpetuo was found on the living room floor of his home.
Detectives testified at a previous hearing that they found bloodstains in nearly every room of the couple’s home, including on railings and walls. There also appears to have been an attempt to sort out some of the evidence.
Perpetuo’s family filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against Lee. The Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office previously said it was evaluating the case to determine whether to seek the death penalty. That process is still ongoing and no decisions have been made yet.
In 2023, Lee was charged with domestic violence in Franklin County Municipal Court after an incident involving a female family member. During that investigation, Dublin Police learned of another incident involving the mother of Lee’s child.
Lee pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in 2025 and was sentenced to probation, but was on probation at the time of Perpetuo’s death.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.
