Photo of Gabriella Perpétuo, Darron Lee
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Prosecutors say ex-NFL linebacker Darron Lee beat and butchered his girlfriend in every room of his Ooltewah, Tennessee home.

Lee, 31, was taken into custody on February 5 at his residence on the 7500 block of Snow Cone Way in Ooltewah, near Chattanooga. He faces charges of murder and evidence tampering

A judge denied bail for Lee during a bond hearing on Wednesday. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty, WTVC reported.

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Chilling details revealed the savagery inflicted on Gabriella Perpétuo by Lee. Prosecutors described the horrific scene in the house – including “blood in just about every room.”

Perpétuo was topless and died from blunt force trauma, severe brain trauma, a broken neck, and large bite marks on her shoulder and thigh, according to an autopsy obtained by the New York Post.

She also had stab wounds to her legs and significant injuries to her face.

“The scene was in disarray,” Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Detective Brian Lockhart testified on Wednesday.

“There was blood going up the staircase, on the hand railing. There was blood on the walls. There was blood on the floor in the living room. There was blood on the floor, on the hallway and the stairs,” Lockhart said.

He described a shattered microwave in the kitchen, and broken booze bottles scattered in the home. Detectives discovered cleaning supplies upstairs, including bleach wipes and a spray bottle.

Lee is being held at the Hamilton County jail without bond.

He was previously charged with assault and domestic violence in 2023.

He allegedly pushed a woman “against the wall, throwing her to the floor and striking her face and head 8 to 9 times with his closed fists,” according to Tennessee’s News 9.

Lee was the New York Jets’ first-round draft pick in 2016.

He also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills. The standout linebacker at Ohio State was named defensive MVP of the 2015 Sugar Bowl.