Prosecutors are now alleging that former NFL player Darron Lee consulted with ChatGPT after his girlfriend, Gabriella Perpetuo, died. This new information seems to rip a hole in any defense claiming a tragic accident, suggesting a potential cover-up.
According to Complex, Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp revealed this during a court hearing. Lee had queried the AI chatbot the day before Perpetuo was discovered dead in their Ooltewah home last month. It’s a pretty wild detail that someone would turn to AI for advice in such a critical moment.
The messages Lee sent to ChatGPT are pretty chilling. “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),” one message read. It continued, “She stabbed herself, slit her eye? Idk, but she isn’t waking up or responding, what do I do?” Yikes, that’s a tough read, especially the part about self-inflicted wounds.
Dude, the ChatGPT messages are wild
What’s even more telling are the responses ChatGPT gave back to Lee. Prosecutors showed some of these, including one that actually suggested, “Here’s what to say without framing it as ‘police trouble.’” Another disturbing query from Lee asked if a slip-and-fall accident could result in puncture wounds. District Attorney Wamp argued that these specific questions strongly suggest Lee was trying to figure out how to cover up a crime scene, which is just awful to think about.
Lee was arrested last month and is now facing a first-degree murder charge, held without bail. He had a pretty solid career in the NFL, having been picked by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills, and was even an offseason squad member for the Las Vegas Raiders before he retired from the league in 2021. Concerns about AI conversations appearing in criminal cases have also surfaced before, including the lawsuit revealing a chilling ChatGPT message before a man killed his mother.
Meanwhile, Gabriella Perpetuo’s family has started a GoFundMe campaign to help with attorney and funeral costs. The fundraiser paints a heartbreaking picture, stating, “Gabriella was a victim to domestic violence and abuse, and she is unfortunately no longer with us. She was residing in Tennessee when this happened and is currently still there.”
Her parents, Monique and Nilson, have traveled to Tennessee to try and bring her home to Florida so family and friends can say their goodbyes. The family is hoping to alleviate some of the financial burden covering traveling, funeral, and attorney expenses. It’s a truly terrible situation for everyone involved.
Published: Mar 11, 2026 06:30 pm