Ex-NFLer Darron Lee
Turned to ChatGPT After GF’s Death
… Prosecutors Say
Published
March 10, 2026
8:33 AM PDT
Former NFL linebacker Darron Lee used ChatGPT after allegedly murdering his girlfriend in their Tennessee home, prosecutors said during a court hearing on Monday.
Lee — who played five seasons in the NFL — appeared in Hamilton County Court a month after Gabriella Perpetuo was found dead inside their Ooltewah home.
During the hearing, Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp disclosed new information from the February incident … claiming Lee, the day before Perpetuo was found dead, asked ChatGPT what to do when someone was not responsive.
The 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, slit her eye?”
“Idk, but she isn’t waking up or responding, what do I do?”
Former NFL player Darron Lee used ChatGPT to try & help clean up a crime scene. pic.twitter.com/ogafNESxmd
@LLMSherpa
Prosecutors also showed one of ChatGPT’s alleged responses to his messages … which said, “Here’s what to say without framing it as ‘police trouble.'”
Lee also allegedly asked AI if a slip-and-fall accident could cause puncture wounds.
Wamp argued that Lee was using the AI chatbot as a legal advisor to help him cover up a crime scene.
Lee — a first-round NFL draft pick who suited up for the Jets, Chiefs, Bills, and Raiders — has been charged with first-degree murder and tampering with or fabricating evidence.
A GoFundMe was launched for Perpetuo’s family … to help pay for funeral expenses and attorney fees.
“The tragic and sudden loss of Gabriella has created emotional and financial hardships, any help makes a difference,” the fundraiser read.
“We also hope to raise awareness and find ways to help prevent other lives from being destroyed by domestic violence.”
If Lee is convicted, prosecutors say they will pursue the death penalty.
