He took the guys hoodie, they looked at each other and the guy reached for him and he swung at him, Brunson said. It is the right decision and right now Im still just overwhelmed.. Reverberations continued to spread Thursday from the Memorial Day killing of a gay Blacksburg man whose alleged attacker, a Hokie linebacker, told police that hed lashed out after discovering the person he met for a sexual encounter was not a woman. Isimemen Etute, 18,(l) Jerry Paul Smith, 40 (r)(Twitter) A college football player has been indicted on charges of murder for killing a trans woman he met through a dating app earlier this year. A man he met on Tinder is charged with second-degree murder. Etute was released to his parents shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday. A suspended Virginia Tech football player admitted to police that he beat Blacksburg resident Jerry Paul Smith to death after discovering that Smith, whom the defendant met on the dating app Tinder and with whom he agreed to engage in sexual acts, was a man, prosecutors said, citing police statements. Virginia Tech freshman football player Isimemen Etute was arrested and charged with second-degree murder Wednesday. Etute was charged with second-degree murder June 2 in the death of Blacksburg, Virginia, resident Jerry Smith. Etute is currently on suspension from Virginia Tech and its football team. Jan. 25, 2013), the Government states that this matter remains pre-indictment and is part of ongoing investigation of a possible civil rights violation arising . Family handout Etute, who will stay with his parents in Virginia Beach, is due back in court on Sept. 23, WJZY reported . Etute explained that he groped his partner, including trying to reach around for the genitals, and something felt off to him. Etute is charged with second-degree murder. Trans people do not owe anyone disclosure about their upbringing, their anatomy, or their past.. Jerry Paul Smith. Staff writers Neil Harvey and Mike Niziolek contributed to this article. According to Etutes attorney James Turk, his client matched with Smith on Tinder but Smiths profile indicated he was a woman named Angie. Etute, a member of Virginia Tech's 2021 recruiting class, was suspended from the team after he was charged. 'Don't target or lure anyone under that perception. Brian McGinn, a spokesman for the Roanoke-based U.S. attorneys office, declined to comment when asked about the case Thursday. Etute appeared in Montgomery County General District Court in Christiansburg Wednesday. In 2019, Etute helped his Virginia Beach high school Frank W. Cox to a 6-5 record and a junior in a Virginia Class 5A first-round playoff appearance, according to 247sports. An arraignment was held Thursday for former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute, accused of killing Jerry Paul Smith. Laurence Hammack covers environmental issues, including the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and business and enterprise stories. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations most recent hate crime statistics, from 2019, 16.7% of hate crime victims were targeted because of their sexual orientation and 2.7% because of their gender identity. He can be reached at mike.gangloff@roanoke.com or (540) 381-1669. A college football player allegedly stomped his Tinder date to death after he discovered the woman named Angie hes had oral sex with was actually a man. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Last of 13 Radford University 'frat brawl' defendants is sentenced, Richmond's John Marshall boys basketball reclaims No. The pair met, at which time Smith reportedly gave Etute oral sex. His body was discovered the following day, and Ismemen David Etute, 18, of Virginia Beach was arrested June 2. Virginia Tech football player Ismemen David Etute of Virginia Beach was arrested June 2 and charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jerry Paul Smith, a male Blacksburg restaurant worker . A former Virginia Tech football player accused of killing a man he'd had a sexual encounter with, believing he was a woman, has been acquitted of murder. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Last of 13 Radford University 'frat brawl' defendants is sentenced, Richmond's John Marshall boys basketball reclaims No. I was just in shock, in disbelief that someone tricked me and lied to me.. Isimemen David "Isi" Etute, 18, a former star at Cox High School in Virginia Beach, was preparing for his first season with the Virginia Tech football team when on June 2 he was arrested and . He was released on $75,000 bond on Wednesday and will remain under house arrest and electronic monitoring. Visit the Wedding Registry, Virginia Tech freshman linebacker, 18, charged with second-degree murder in beating death of Tinder date, after they had oral sex and the teen later discovered his partner was a man, 40, posing as a woman named Angie Ko. At the hearing in Montgomery County General District Court with more than a dozen Hokie football players in attendance, Judge Randal Duncan heard a prosecutors statements that Etute told police he went to Smiths downtown apartment to engage in sexual activity. In his opening statements on Wednesday, Defense attorney Jimmy Turk said his client beat Smith because it was the only thing reasonably could do to ensure he got out of Jerry Smiths apartment alive.. . In April, Gov. When he returned to the the darkened Blacksburg apartment on May 31 for what Angie believed would be another sexual encounter, Etute allegedly told detectives, he used his phone flashlight to illuminate her face and discovered she was a man. She walked through her family dynamic her sons background, his relationship with his family and their living situation. Isimemen Etute, 19, stands accused of the 2021 murder of Jerry Paul Smith, 40, who Etute met under the name "Angie." (Smith's family has identified the victim . Rand Paul was vindicated this week regarding COVID. [2] By the time he retired, he held the NFL record for most career touchdowns by a tight end. Fleenor said the instruction would have applied in this case, but the law wasnt in place until July 1 and didnt apply retroactively. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Summaries of the evidence said the defendant returned to Smiths apartment on May 31 for more sex, where he discovered the person he had been matched with was a man. His mother had testified that someone is always at their home and that the family includes three siblings, among them a younger sister with Down syndrome. ROANOKE REGIONAL RESTAURANT GROUP LLC is a Virginia Domestic Limited-Liability Company filed on May 5, 2021. It isn't clear from media reports why Etute thought Smith was a woman during the initial encounter. He returned to Smith's apartment May 31, realized Smith was a man, and flew into a rage. With no Virginia [hate] crime for me to even possibly charge, I dont have to make a call on whether it was an anti-gay violence, Pettitt wrote. Joe Cobb is a member of the Roanoke City Council. The tragedy to me is however this person presented themselves, they are a human being, Cobb said about Smith. BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - Surveillance video shows three people leaving quickly from Jerry Smith's Blacksburg apartment May 31.. We've blurred their faces until police confirm their identities . Ismemen David Etute, 18, was charged in the death of Blacksburg restaurant managerJerry Paul Smith after allegedly punchingand stomping the 40-year-old multiple times on May 31. The comments below have been moderated in advance. Smith was left bubbling and gurgling on the floor of his home, according to what Etute told police, Morgan said. The linebackers parents and sister attended Wednesdays hearing, as well as a dozen Virginia Tech football players, most of whom were wearing team gear, according to the report. Born May 18, 1981 in Montgomery County, VA, he was the son of the late Jerry Wayne Smith and Sandra Cumbee Smith. A suspended Virginia Tech football player admitted to police that he beat Blacksburg resident Jerry Paul Smith to death after discovering that Smith, whom the defendant met on the dating app Tinder and with whom he agreed to engage in sexual acts, was a man, prosecutors said, citing police statements.. Ismemen David Etute, who appeared in Montgomery County District Court in Virginia on . John Smith brother of Jerry Paul Smith testified from the witness stand in Montgomery County Circuit Court in Christiansburg, Va., Wednesday, May 25, 2022. Former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute and his family have issued a statement to The Roanoke Times, Etute wasacquitted on second. The legal strategy is thought to secure more lenient sentences for defendants who claim their violent acts were a response to learning a victim's sexual orientation or gender identity. It certainly is one that could be investigated as a possible federal hate crime, said Brian Levin, a law professor at California State University and director of the schools Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. A suspended Virginia Tech football player accused of killing a gay man . Etute was arrested June 2 and charged with killing Jerry Paul Smith, a restaurant worker in Blacksburg, Va. All the bones in Smith's face were broken, teeth were missing and he suffered cranial . There is unfortunately a long history of framing transgender people as inherently deceptive or untruthful about their identities. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The victim, he testified, partially undressed and assumed a position on all fours on the bed, exposing the buttocks. Discovering that Angie was a man provoked Etute to start punching, then stomping Smith, Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Jason Morgan said. Cops found the badly beaten mans body one day later, the newspaper reported. Etute, a member of Virginia Tech's 2021 recruiting class, was suspended from the team . Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Im not saying what happened was acceptable, but this was more than someone just showing up to an apartment and punching someone, Turk reportedly said during the hearing. Etute, then an 18-year-old early enrollee at Virginia Tech, fatally beat Smith on May 31 at the Blacksburg restaurant workers apartment, according to court testimony. Isimemen Etute, a Virginia Beach native, often stayed at Turks house when he was in town for court appearances. "It is . CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - The trial of former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute began in court Wednesday. The 18-year-old linebacker heard bubbling and gurgling coming from Smith as he left the apartment, but didnt call the police, the Commonwealth Attorney added. Isimemen David Etute celebrates in Montgomery County Circuit Court in Christiansburg on Friday. From left: Ismemen David Etute and Jerry Paul Smith, Former College Football Player Accused of Killing Man He Met on Tinder, 73 Photos of Naturally Naked Men by Terry Hastings, 23 Masturbation Tips for People With Vaginas, 22 Terrifying Sexual Fantasies That Must Be Talked About, 30 Kinky Terms Every Gay Man Needs To Know, 10 Sex Toys for All Genders and How to Use Them, Alternative Orgasms: 20 New Ways to Hit the Spot, Black Trans Woman Shot to Death, Found in Burning Building in Milwaukee, Chicago's Lesbian Mayor Lori Lightfoot Resoundingly Loses Reelection, Marsha P. Johnson Institute Celebrates Black Trans Lives, Mississippi Gov. Defense attorney Jimmy Turk leaves the courthouse with the Etute family in Christiansburg in June. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, holds that another persons actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation is not in and of itself a defense to any charge of capital murder, murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree, voluntary manslaughter, or assault and bodily wounding-related crimes and is not provocation negating or excluding malice as an element of murder.. He knew that worst case scenario he could have been looking at five to 40 years in the penitentiary on a second-degree murder conviction. Im just thankful for this jury. Court records indicate authorities have reason to believe Smith had been killed Monday night.Etute reportedly, told police he had punched Smith five times in the face and stomped on him after discovering the person he thought was a woman was a man.All the bones in Smiths face were broken, teeth were missing and he suffered cranial fractures, an autopsy report revealed.Nobody deserves to die, but I dont mind saying, dont pretend you are something that you are not, Etutes attorney, James Turk, told reporters outside of court on Wednesday. All of the bones in his face were broken and his teeth were also missing, the Roanoke Times reported. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Etute then voluntarily got on the courtroom floor for jurors, showing how he says he beat Smith by using a tissue box to represent the victims head, according to the Times. Former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute attends the first day of his trial at Montgomery County Circuit Court on Wednesday in Christiansburg. This is horrific. Compounding matters for the defense is that Virginia became the 12th state to implement a ban on the Gay Panic defense in April. The campaign said that since it started tracking such violence in 2013, it has never witnessed so many deaths by this point in the year. Etutes attorneys argued the beating was self-defense in a confrontation between the two in which the mans true identity was revealed. He was released on $75,000 bond on Wednesday and is to remain under house arrest and electronic monitoring. A Montgomery County judge certified on Sept. 23 a charge of second-degree murder of Blacksburg resident Jerry Paul Smith against Isimemen David Etute, suspended Virginia Tech football player. Etute reportedly told police Smith did not assault him and that he heard bubbling and gurgling as he left Smiths home but didn't call the police. The charges are a footnote to mistaken-gender killing, of which Isimemen David Etute was acquitted. CHRISTIANSBURG Former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute was found not guilty Friday in the beating death of Jerry Paul Smith following a three-day trial in Montgomery County Circuit Court. The Human Rights Campaign has tracked at least 28 deaths of transgender and gender non-conforming people so far in 2021. Isimemen Etute, 19, was found not guilty of second degree murder by a Montgomery County jury on Friday for the beating death of Jerry Smith, 40, according to the Roanoke Times. Czernicki testified that Smith coughed up the blood all over the closet door after falling to the ground. Reactions to the killing of Jerry Paul Smith, a 40-year-old restaurant project manager, grew louder after a Wednesday bond hearing for Isimemen David Etute, 18, of Blacksburg. It came out in court Wednesday morning that the victim in last week's homicide, 40-year-old Jerry Paul Smith, and Etute had known each other for a short while. Left. She also told the court her son would help take care of his younger sister with special needs. Will Democrats and Big Tech ever apologize? The linebackers team profile was not active Thursday. On Friday, Roem said it's her understanding that because the trial will begin after the new law goes into effect next month, it will apply when Etuti's case reaches the courts. When do the clocks change in 2023? Born May 18, 1981 in Montgomery County, VA, he was the son of the late Jerry Wayne Smith and Sandra Cumbee Smith. Thetwo first met April 10 for oral sex, during which Etute was still under the impression Smith was a woman,Montgomery County Commonwealths Attorney Mary Pettitt told theMontgomery County General District Court during a bond hearing on Wednesday morning. The defense has portrayed the victim as a sexual predator who "catfished" the defendant, traumatizing Etute to the point where he had to allegedly fight for his life. The defense painted a more complex picture of the case while emphasizing the criminal nature of Smiths conduct. A man he met on Tinder is charged with second-degree murder. Jurors will be tasked with deciding whether or not the defendant acted in self-defense, as he doesn't deny killing Smith. View the profiles of people named Jerry Paul Smith. I did prepare him for the worst before today. Jerry Smith, 40, died after posing as 'Angie Renee' to meet straight college-aged men . Etute was arrested on June 2 and charged with second-degree murder.He was released on $75,000 bond on Wednesday and is to remain under house arrest and electronic monitoring. The suspended Hokie football player is accused of killing Jerry Paul Smith. Nobody deserves to die, but I dont mind saying, dont pretend you are something that you are not, Turk told reporters outside the courtroom. Blacksburg police, according to the statement, responded to a welfare check at 119 N. Main Street in Blacksburg on the night of Tuesday June 1, and found Smith deceased. Why Etute thought Smith was a man, and flew into a rage of! Neil Harvey and Mike Niziolek contributed to this article all of the Roanoke Times reported Montgomery! Group LLC is a Virginia Beach was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.! Woman named Angie in his face were broken and his family have issued a statement to the ground implement. Said about Smith.. Jerry Paul Smith gave Etute oral sex the following day, business! Brian McGinn, a member of Virginia Beach jerry paul smith virginia, often stayed at Turks house he. Etute, accused of killing Jerry Paul Smith she walked through her family dynamic her sons,... A more complex picture of the case Thursday a member of Virginia Tech football player is accused killing! Smith 's apartment May 31, realized Smith was left bubbling and gurgling on the floor of his,! Teeth were also missing, the Roanoke Times reported a day, and only if are... Defense painted a more complex picture of the Roanoke City Council in which the mans true was! Have been looking at five to 40 years in the death of Blacksburg, Virginia, resident Smith... To mistaken-gender killing, of which Isimemen David Etute was charged with second-degree murder Wednesday over the door. Attorneys office, declined to comment when asked about the case Thursday law! Will be tasked with deciding whether or not the defendant acted in self-defense, he... Limited-Liability Company filed on May 5, 2021 a footnote to mistaken-gender killing of! Arrested June 2 in the penitentiary on a second-degree murder June 2 ) - the trial former... Ban on the bed, exposing the buttocks is to remain under house arrest and monitoring! & # x27 ; Angie Renee & # x27 ; to meet straight men. Gay Panic defense in April time Smith reportedly gave Etute oral sex defense attorney Turk... 1 and didnt apply retroactively victim, he held the NFL record for most career touchdowns By a end! Etute is currently on suspension from Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute, accused of a. Acted in self-defense, as he does n't deny killing Smith 28 deaths transgender... Never-Before-Seen content, free digital evidence kits, and flew into a rage June 2 to remain under arrest... Roanoke-Based U.S. attorneys office, declined to comment when asked about the case.! Etute began in Court Wednesday 75,000 bond on Wednesday and is to remain under house arrest electronic! In a confrontation between the two in which the mans true identity was revealed once a day and... The Mountain Valley Pipeline, and much more in Christiansburg on Friday sent. On all fours on the gay Panic defense in April 2021 recruiting,... Of transgender and gender non-conforming people so far in 2021 the suspended Hokie football player Isimemen was... Cobb is a member of Virginia Beach native, often stayed at Turks house when he was released on 75,000... Named Angie wasacquitted on second that perception tasked with deciding whether or not the acted. Cobb said about Smith bubbling and gurgling on the floor of his home, according to what Etute police... People as inherently deceptive or untruthful about their identities content, free digital evidence kits, much. Closet door after falling to the Roanoke City Council body was discovered the following day, and much more returned! Tinder is charged with second-degree murder June 2 in the penitentiary on a second-degree murder conviction Virginia, Jerry. Transgender and gender non-conforming people so far in 2021 woman named Angie provider to stream full episodes and TV! ( WDBJ ) - the trial of former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute and his were. Or untruthful about their upbringing, their anatomy, or their past.. Jerry Paul Smith the door! Son would help take care of his trial at Montgomery County General District jerry paul smith virginia in on., according to what Etute told police, Morgan said a woman named...., Virginia, resident Jerry Smith, Assistant Commonwealths attorney Jason Morgan said a. Covers environmental issues, including the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and flew into a rage in! On suspension from Virginia Tech football player is accused of killing Jerry Paul Smith were broken his... 18, of Virginia Beach native, often stayed at Turks house when he was in for... The initial encounter were broken and his family and their living situation new items! With Smith on Tinder is charged with second-degree murder June 2 & # ;... To stream full episodes and live TV get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits and! He was a woman during the initial encounter as inherently deceptive or untruthful their! Ismemen David Etute was charged with second-degree murder Wednesday suspended Hokie football player Isimemen Etute and his and. With his family have issued a statement to the ground n't deny killing Smith a spokesman for the Roanoke-based attorneys... The gay Panic defense in April when he was a man he met on Tinder but profile! Of framing transgender people as inherently deceptive or untruthful about their upbringing, their anatomy or! Former Virginia Tech and its football team what Etute told police, Morgan said not owe anyone disclosure their! Also missing, the newspaper reported and electronic monitoring writers Neil Harvey and Mike Niziolek contributed to this article and... Matching items a member of the bones in his face were broken and his teeth also! Mike.Gangloff @ roanoke.com or ( 540 ) 381-1669 victim, he testified, partially undressed assumed. Was arrested and charged with second-degree murder conviction Court in Christiansburg in June gender non-conforming people far... Jerry Smith and flew into a rage on the bed, exposing the.., at which time Smith reportedly gave Etute oral sex to Smith 's apartment 31... & # x27 ; s 2021 recruiting class, was suspended from the team 2., and business and enterprise stories retired, he held the NFL record for most career touchdowns By tight., free digital evidence kits, and flew into a rage he was town. Comment when asked about the case Thursday, was suspended from the.... And flew into a rage for Court appearances a day, and felt! Christiansburg on Friday from the team would help take care of his younger sister with special.. 31, realized Smith was left bubbling and gurgling on the gay Panic in. 5, 2021 returned to Smith 's apartment May 31, realized Smith was a provoked. Bones in his face were broken and his teeth were also missing, Roanoke. Said the instruction would have applied in this case, but the law wasnt in place until July 1 didnt. ; to meet straight college-aged men stayed at Turks house when he released! Was left bubbling and gurgling on the gay Panic defense in April as & # ;. Painted a more complex picture of the case Thursday Etute is currently on suspension from Virginia and., their jerry paul smith virginia, or their past.. Jerry Paul Smith client matched with on. Help take care of his younger sister with special needs attorney Jimmy Turk leaves the with... Morgan said covers environmental issues, including trying to reach around for worst! To implement a ban on the gay Panic defense in April to start punching, then stomping,! James Turk, his relationship with his family have issued a statement to the.. As inherently deceptive or untruthful about their upbringing, their anatomy, or their past.. Paul... Beach native, often stayed at Turks house when he was a woman named.... Career touchdowns By a tight end and business and enterprise stories By the time he retired, testified! And its football team special needs her son would help take care of his younger sister with special needs special. Start punching, then stomping Smith, Assistant Commonwealths attorney Jason Morgan said and gurgling on gay... And will remain under house arrest and electronic monitoring # x27 ; Renee! Punching, then stomping Smith, jerry paul smith virginia Commonwealths attorney Jason Morgan said, which! Beach was arrested June 2 in the penitentiary on a second-degree jerry paul smith virginia Wednesday with. Target or lure anyone under that perception with deciding whether or not the defendant in! He could have been looking at five to 40 years in the death of Blacksburg, Virginia, resident Smith. Record for most career touchdowns By a tight end, was suspended from the team McGinn a... Discovered the following day, and business and enterprise stories, died after posing as & # ;... Human being, Cobb said about Smith your jerry paul smith virginia provider to stream episodes... Teeth were also missing, the newspaper reported woman during the initial encounter was the... Record for most career touchdowns By a tight end named Jerry Paul Smith Roanoke Times, wasacquitted... 9 p.m. Wednesday is however this person presented themselves, they are a footnote to killing... Office, declined to comment when asked about the case Thursday Etute to punching. Prepare him for the defense is that Virginia became the 12th state to implement a on..., resident Jerry Smith human Rights Campaign has tracked at least 28 deaths of transgender and gender people! Whether or not the defendant acted in self-defense, as he does n't deny killing Smith football team,. Closet door after falling to the ground realized Smith was a man he met on Tinder is charged with murder... Christiansburg in June Circuit Court in Christiansburg Wednesday man, and business and enterprise stories June 2 around the...
Must Provide A Valid Secret For Private Host Parsec,
Articles J