Overview
- Authorities in Hamilton County charged Lee, 31, with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence after 29-year-old Gabriella Perpetuo was found dead in Ooltewah on Feb. 5.
- First responders were called for a report of CPR in progress and pronounced Perpetuo dead, with preliminary findings indicating homicide.
- Arrest records describe blood spatter on walls and floors, broken glass in the kitchen, and areas that appeared to have been cleaned, as well as a one-inch abdominal stab wound on the victim.
- Deputies documented scratches on Lee and blood on his cellphone case, while Lee told investigators he found her unconscious and suggested she may have fallen in the shower.
- Lee is being held without bond at the Hamilton County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, with public records noting his Ohio State and NFL career and a 2023 domestic-violence case that ended in a plea.