Darron Lee, a member of the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl LIV-winning team, has hired Neal Pinkston, a former Hamilton County district attorney with two decades of homicide experience, to lead his defense against a first-degree murder charge in Tennessee.
Pinkston spent eight years as the county's elected prosecutor before switching to defense work, and his arrival raises new questions about how the case against the former NFL linebacker moves toward trial.
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Lee, 31, appeared in a Hamilton County courtroom Wednesday and entered no plea during Wednesday's arraignment , which under Tennessee law functions as a not guilty plea, according to Local 3 News reporter Madison Sims. The former New York Jets first-round pick has been jailed without bond since his February arrest.
"Not everybody alleged to have committed a crime has committed a crime," Pinkston said outside the courtroom, as quoted by Local 3 News . "Mr. Lee's matter interested me."
Pinkston spent eight years as Hamilton County's elected district attorney, prosecuting hundreds of homicide, rape and child abuse cases before returning to private practice, according to his law firm's official biography. A Middle Tennessee State University and University of Tennessee College of Law graduate, he lost his 2022 re-election bid to current DA Coty Wamp. He replaces public defender Mike Little, who represented Lee through his earlier appearances.
"There was a lot of evidence presented that will be gone through and dissected to see if any of it remains or should go forward," Pinkston said, as quoted by Local 3 News , adding that he intends to scrutinize the state's case closely before Lee's next hearing.
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Lee was taken 20th overall by the Jets in the 2016 draft out of Ohio State, and started 36 games over three seasons in New York before moving on to the Kansas City Chiefs , Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Raiders, according to Yahoo Sports . He was on Kansas City's roster for the team's Super Bowl LIV win over the San Francisco 49ers but did not play in the game. Lee's rookie contract, worth $10.22 million over four years, made him one of the highest-paid linebackers in his draft class.
Prosecutors allege Lee killed his girlfriend, Gabriella Perpétuo, 29, at their Ooltewah home in February. Investigators have described extensive injuries to Perpétuo's body, including blunt force trauma and multiple wounds, and her death was ruled a homicide. Investigators have also cited evidence that Lee asked ChatGPT for advice on handling an unresponsive person the day before Perpétuo's body was found, according to a report by NBC Sports' Mike Florio. Lee told police at the time that Perpétuo may have slipped in the shower.
A Hamilton County grand jury indicted Lee on the murder charge last month, and prosecutors dropped a separate tampering-with-evidence count that had accompanied his arrest. Whether the state will pursue the death penalty remains undecided.
Court records show Lee faced domestic violence allegations in prior relationships, including a 2023 Ohio case involving his mother and the mother of his young son. He pleaded guilty to related misdemeanor charges in that matter and served probation.
Perpétuo's family has filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit and has attended every hearing, wearing shirts bearing her name and a domestic violence hotline number.
Pinkston requested a continuance until early July at a June hearing to finalize his role in the case. Lee's next court date is scheduled for October 8.
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