Former National Football League player Darron Lee allegedly asked ChatGPT how to get medical help without calling police after his partner became unresponsive, according to evidence presented by prosecutors during a preliminary hearing on Monday. Lee, 31, was arrested on February 5 after deputies discovered the body of Gabriella Perpetuo, 29, at a home on Snow Cone Way in Ooltewah. He is facing charges of first-degree murd£r and tampering with or fabricating evidence.
In messages presented in court, Lee reportedly asked the AI assistant whether a fall could cause bruising around both eyes and “two stabby looking wounds.” During testimony, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office detective Brian Lockhart said Lee had given the chatbot the name “Allie” and sent messages under the name “Xander.” Prosecutors noted that not all of the messages would be disclosed at this stage of the case.
According to the evidence, Lee sent a message the day before his arrest asking what someone should do if a friend needed to deal with an unresponsive person but did not want to contact the police. In the message, Lee wrote that his fiancée had “done her crazy thing again” and claimed she had inflicted injuries on herself. He said she had two swollen eyes, possible stab wounds, and was not waking up or responding.
Court records also showed that Lee discussed the injuries further and mentioned that blood was found around the scene. Investigators said some of the messages appeared to be written as though he was seeking advice for a friend rather than himself. Detective Lockhart told the court that the chatbot responded with instructions framed as advice for the supposed friend, suggesting ways to handle the situation without presenting it as a police matter.
District Attorney Coty Wamp said investigators obtained the messages through a forensic download of Lee’s phone. She added that Lee had dozens of conversations with the chatbot regarding the incident. During the hearing, Wamp also referenced findings from the medical examiner, which she said included knocked-out front teeth, stab wounds, and a broken neck. She stated that the official cause of Perpetuo’s d3ath was blunt force trauma.
According to prosecutors, Lee claimed his partner had fallen in the shower and did not report that anyone else had entered the home. Wamp argued that his conversations with ChatGPT suggested he was seeking advice on how to cover up a crime scene. Lee’s defense attorney, Mike Little, told the court that the case relies heavily on circumstantial evidence and said it remains unclear what actually happened inside the home.
General Sessions Judge Tori Smith ruled that there was probable cause for the charges to proceed to a grand jury. After learning there was a 24-hour delay between Lee’s chats with the AI assistant and the time police were contacted, the judge ordered that his bond conditions remain unchanged.
Source: https://m.lindaikejisblog.com/
