Back in June, social media was in shock over reports of Virginia Tech linebacker Isi Etute being arrested for the death of Jerry Paul Smith. Earlier this week, he was officially indicted on a charge of second-degree murder.
Etute reportedly connected with Smith through the Tinder app. The two would soon meet April 10 for oral sex, and Etute didn’t realize Smith was a man until they met again May 31. The now suspended Virginia Tech football player revealed to police he punched his sexual partner several times in the face and stomped on him after discovering the person he thought was a woman was actually a man.
The autopsy would reveal that all the bones in Blacksburg resident Jerry Paul Smith’s face were broken, his teeth were missing and he had multiple cranial fractures. The cause of death was determined to be blunt force injuries to the head.
From the report, via The Roanoke Times:
“A detective testified at Etute’s preliminary hearing that the football player told investigators that on May 31, he groped Smith to try to determine his gender, used his phone’s flashlight to get a better look at Smith in the dark apartment, then began punching him.”
Etute told the police he punched the victim five times in the face and continued punching them when the person hit the ground and “stomped” on them. He heard “bubbling and gurgling” as he left the apartment, but didn’t call the police.
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Etute graduated high school early to start at Virginia Tech in January.
