TENNESSEE — A civil lawsuit has been filed against former Ohio State and NFL linebacker Darron Lee, who is facing murder charges in connection with his girlfriend’s death in Tennessee.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The family of Lee’s girlfriend, Gabriella Perpétuo, filed the lawsuit against Lee, claiming he caused her “pre-death pain and suffering,” our news partners at WBNS in Columbus reported.
Perpétuo’s family is asking for no less than $50 million for compensatory and punitive damages, as well as for Lee to cover her funeral costs.
TRENDING STORIES:
- 33-year-old man dead, child injured after being hit by train
- Ohio police officer arrested on rape, abduction charges
- Dash cam video shows 6 car crash on I-70 in Clark County
As News Center 7 previously reported, Lee was charged with first-degree murder in Perpétuo’s death.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee responded to a home in the Chattanooga suburb of Ooltewah for a report of CPR in progress.
When they got to the home, they found Perpétuo already deceased.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that Lee told deputies Perpétuo may have fallen in the shower. Still, court records indicate there were extensive amounts of blood in different parts of the home that were inconsistent with his statement.
An investigation revealed Perpétuo suffered multiple stab wounds, an apparent human bite mark on her shoulder, a severe brain injury, and a broken neck.
Lee also had a facial injury, lacerations to his hands, wounds on his chest, and blood inside the case of his cellphone, the AP reported.
Court documents also stated investigators identified blood that had been attempted to be cleaned in more than one area of the house.
Lee, who was on probation in Ohio and in two counties in Florida, was identified as the suspect and taken into custody.
At a hearing on Wednesday, a judge kept Lee in jail without bond.
He’s set to appear back in court in March.
As previously reported, Lee was a two-year starter with the Buckeyes. During his time in Columbus, he was named the defensive MVP of the 2015 Sugar Bowl and was a member of the 2014 national championship team, WBNS reported.
He was a first-round draft pick for the New York Jets in the 2016 NFL Draft. He played 58 games from 2016 through the 2020 season as a member of the Jets, the Kansas City Chiefs, and then the Buffalo Bills.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
