Darron Lee: Prosecutors reveal Ex-NFL star used ChatGPT to cover up girlfriend’s gruesome murder

Prosecutors revealed during a preliminary hearing that former NFL linebacker Darron Lee allegedly consulted ChatGPT for advice on handling an unresponsive person and explaining injuries shortly before reporting the death of his girlfriend, Gabriella Carvalho Perpétuo.

The 30-year-old Lee, a Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, faces first-degree murder charges in the February 5, 2026, incident at the couple's home in Ooltewah, about 20 miles northeast of Chattanooga.

Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp presented evidence on March 9, 2026, arguing that Lee used the AI chatbot as a "legal advisor" to concoct a cover story.

TMZ Sports reported that messages recovered from Lee's phone showed him describing a fictional scenario involving a woman named "Allie", believed to represent Perpétuo, with swollen eyes, self-inflicted stab wounds, and unresponsiveness.

One message read: "Don’t know what to do right now, Fiancée 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, silt her eye? Idk but she isn’t waking up or responding, what do I do?"

Lee also queried whether stab wounds could result from a slip-and-fall, and ChatGPT responded with suggestions on framing the situation without implying "police trouble."

Body-camera footage played in court depicted Lee telling deputies he was upstairs and unaware of what happened, attributing broken glass to a reheated house causing a window to shatter.

Crime scene photos revealed blood in multiple rooms, including on walls and the kitchen island, detected via forensic tools like Bluestar.

Per The Guardian, a preliminary autopsy by Dr. Stephen Cogswell detailed 12 injuries on the 29-year-old nurse, including blunt force trauma to the face, a fractured cheekbone, broken teeth, shallow stab wounds to the chest and thigh, a bite mark on her shoulder, and a fatal cervical spine fracture. Prosecutors suggested the violence may have spanned days, describing the scene as "sinister."

Lee, a 2016 first-round draft pick by the New York Jets out of Ohio State, played for several teams before his NFL career ended in 2020. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Chiefs but did not participate in the game.

The couple had moved into the home just 10 days prior. Judge Tori Smith bound the case over to a grand jury, with Lee held without bond. Meanwhile, prosecutors will reportedly push for the death penalty if Lee is found guilty.