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Former NFL linebacker Darron Lee will remain behind bars as he faces a first-degree murder charge in Tennessee.
Lee was taken into custody last week. In addition to the murder charge in connection with his girlfriend’s death, Lee faces a charge of tampering with or fabricating evidence.
On Wednesday, a Hamilton County Criminal Court judge ruled that Lee, who spent the first three years of his professional football career with the New York Jets, would remain in jail without bail.
Lee is not expected back in court until next month, but prosecutors signaled Wednesday that the case could carry the death penalty.
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Former New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee was arrested by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office on February 6, 2025 and charged with first degree murder and tampering with evidence. (Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com/Hamilton Country Sheriff’s Office)
Although Hamilton County Prosecutor Coty Wamp made it clear there was no final decision on whether to pursue the death penalty, he cited factors that could make the case eligible for capital punishment.
“Mr. Lee was in a house with a woman (who) was, for lack of a better term, beaten to death,” Wamp told the court, arguing for the judge to deny bail. “And the explanation he gave makes no sense.
FORMER NFL PLAYER DARRON LEE ARRESTED AMID ALLEGATIONS OF BEATING HIS OWN MOTHER, MOTHER OF 2-YEAR-OLD SON
“You walked in the door, there were boxes,” said Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Det. Brian Lockhart said, according to NewsChannel9.
“A lot of stuff in the living room. The deceased was on the floor, lying on her back. There was blood coming up the stairs. On the banister there was blood. On the walls there was blood. On the living room floor there was blood. On the floor of the hallway and stairs.”
Darron Lee (50) of the Kansas City Chiefs sits on the bench during a game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on September 29, 2019, in Detroit. (Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
The victim in this case lived in a rental home with Lee. The home is also believed to be where Lee allegedly committed the crime over an estimated 10-day period, Lockhart said Wednesday.
The detective said he was present during the autopsy and was told the potential cause of death was homicide by blunt force trauma. An autopsy report has not yet been released.
According to an arrest affidavit, first responders went to a home in the Chattanooga suburb of Ooltewah on Feb. 5 for a CPR call in progress, where they found the woman already dead.
Lee told deputies the woman may have fallen in the shower, but, according to an arrest affidavit, there were large amounts of blood in different areas of the home, which was not consistent with Lee’s statement.
Darron Lee of the New York Jets runs the ball in the third quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on September 10, 2018, in Detroit. (Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
Authorities who executed a search warrant found several types of trauma on the woman’s body, including a stab wound to the abdomen, an apparent human bite mark on her shoulder, a large bruise on her head, black eyes with significant swelling and dried blood on her face and neck, according to the affidavit.
Investigators also found alcohol, drugs and a gun, the affidavit states.
The affidavit said Lee had a facial injury, lacerations on his hands, chest injuries and blood in his cell phone case.
Detectives also identified blood that someone had attempted to clean in several areas of the home, in addition to cleaning supplies near where testing confirmed there were blood stains but no blood was visible, the affidavit states.
Wamp said Lee was on probation in Florida for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in one county and battery in another and on probation in Ohio for attempted battery.
Mike Little, a deputy public defender representing Lee, told The Associated Press it was premature for him to make any statements.
The Jets selected Lee in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He later played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, last appearing in an NFL game in 2020.
