Former NFL Player Accused of Using ChatGPT To Cover Up “Sinister” Murder

Summary

Podcast Summary: “Former NFL Player Accused of Using ChatGPT To Cover Up ‘Sinister’ Murder”

Podcast: Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Present
Host: iHeartPodcasts
Episode Air Date: March 11, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the shocking case of former NFL linebacker Darren Lee, who is standing trial for the murder of his fiancée, Gabriella Perpetuo, in Tennessee. Uniquely, prosecutors allege that ChatGPT was used not only for guidance during and after the crime but potentially as an “accomplice” in the attempted cover-up. Amy and T.J. break down disturbing details from the crime scene, Lee’s bizarre AI interactions, the role of technology in modern investigations, and memorable moments from the preliminary hearing—including gut-wrenching quotes from the judge and district attorney.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Background of Darren Lee and the Crime

• Darren Lee’s NFL Past

  • Former Ohio State star, 2015 Sugar Bowl defensive MVP, first-round NFL pick, and Super Bowl champion as a Kansas City Chiefs roster member (03:10–05:58).
  • Career fizzled after a few years; now 31 and facing first-degree murder and evidence tampering charges.

• Crime Scene Details

  • Lee is accused of murdering his fiancée in a manner described as “heinous as hell” (03:10).
  • Scene described by prosecutor as extraordinarily violent—stab wound to the abdomen, bite mark, severe head trauma, and blood found throughout the house. (06:40–07:25).

  “There are crime scenes, and then there are crime scenes like this. The autopsy showed […] a stab wound to her abdomen, a bite mark on her shoulder, bruising to her head, two black eyes with heavy swelling, dried blood on her face and neck.”
  — Amy Robach (06:40)

2. How ChatGPT Was Allegedly Used

• Lee’s Use of AI to Cover Tracks

  • Lee allegedly turned to ChatGPT for advice on covering up the crime, including questions about wound explanations, how to sound credible on a 911 call, and more. (03:52–04:31, 08:50-09:16).

  “The accusation is this particular man […] used ChatGPT to try and cover up the crime, cover up the crime scene, ask what to say for a 911 call, literally getting instructions on how to evade or avoid getting arrested and being convicted.”
  — Amy Robach (03:52)

  • The hosts discuss how this marks an evolution from old cases in which Google search histories were scrutinized. (04:31–04:48).

  “Isn’t this just that? But we have AI now.”
  — TJ Holmes (04:31)

• ChatGPT Messages Presented in Court

  • Lee’s queries to ChatGPT included statements such as:

    • “Don’t know what to do right now. Fiance 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.) She stabbed herself, slit her eye. I don’t know, but she isn’t waking up or responding. What do I do?” (11:12)
    • “What should I tell my friend to handle someone non-responsive but wants [or doesn’t want] to call the police?” (12:00–12:39)
    • Sought ways to explain stab wounds as accidents: “Can stab wound-like punctures be explained from hitting anything?” (14:04)

  • Hosts note how Lee seems to be “laying the groundwork for a defense” through his AI queries (11:33).

  “He’s asking for a way to describe her stab wounds without it actually coming from someone stabbing.”
  — Amy Robach (14:04)

  • ChatGPT’s answers included possible explanations (falls sometimes cause puncture wounds but not typically clean knife stabs), but also probed for more details about the wounds (14:35).

• Timeline and Evidence Collection

  • Authorities are using a combination of forensic evidence, autopsy findings, and Lee’s real-time AI messages to reconstruct the sequence of events (10:13).
  • The sheer weight and “overwhelming” nature of the circumstantial evidence are discussed (13:26).

• AI’s Role in Crime and Society

  • Hosts reflect on the dark and previously unfathomable applications of widely accessible AI technology (07:50–08:50), including prior cases where ChatGPT suggested ways to commit self-harm.
  • Amy comments:

    “It seems like everyone under 40 knows how to use it, and typically it's used for good. … But wow, this is a glaring example of how it could be used for something horrific.” (08:08–08:50)

3. Body Cam Footage and Lee’s Statements to Police

• Lee’s Explanations vs. Reality

  • When confronted by police about the broken glass and chaotic state of the house, Lee claims:

    “Glass is shattered because she had left the window open. And so when it got warm and when we reheated the house it just like exploded. So I was cleaning that up.”
    — Darren Lee, quoted by Amy Robach (20:46–21:30)

  • Both hosts deride the absurdity of this explanation:

    “Do we need to call a scientist? Is that even physically possible?”
    — TJ Holmes (21:30)

  • When asked why his fiancée was unconscious, Lee says:

    “I don’t know. I thought she would have said something but I have no idea. I was upstairs.”
    — Darren Lee, quoted by Amy Robach (22:27)

4. Prosecution and Judicial Response

• Prosecutor and Judge’s Standpoints

  • The D.A. is considering the death penalty, underscoring the “sinister” and “next-level” violence of the crime (22:54).

  • The judge’s remarks emphasized the depravity and excess violence:

    “I’m even more convinced now that the offense was especially heinous, atrocious and cruel and that it involved torture or physical abuse beyond that necessary to produce death.”
    — Judge’s statement, quoted by TJ Holmes (23:26)

  • Amy amplifies this:

    “Sinister speaks to a whole other level of evil and violence.” (24:31)

• Legal Status

  • Grand jury will review evidence; Lee held without bond pending indictment and possible death penalty consideration.

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Most Memorable Quotes

• “He literally—according to police—used a bot and artificial intelligence to try and help him cover up the crime.” — Amy Robach (04:48)
• “What’s going through anybody’s mind to ask ChatGPT that given what the scene was at that house?” — TJ Holmes (11:12)
• “He must have ChatGPT that as well.” — Amy Robach (22:13)
• “Sinister speaks to a whole other level of evil and violence.” — Amy Robach (24:31)
• “That quote from the judge kind of brought it home for me… the offense was especially heinous, atrocious, and cruel and that it involved torture or physical abuse beyond that necessary to produce death.” — TJ Holmes (23:26)

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Notable Segments & Timestamps

• Lee’s Football Legacy and Downfall (03:10–05:58)
• Gruesome Crime Scene Details (06:40–07:25)
• ChatGPT as Alleged Accomplice (04:31–05:15, 09:16–15:12)
• AI Message Content from Lee’s ChatGPT Interactions (11:12–15:42)
• Body Cam Footage Analysis (20:16–22:47)
• Quotes from Judge and D.A. on Severity (23:26–24:31)

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Overall Tone & Reflections

• Style: Conversational, at times incredulous and darkly amused by the bizarre lengths Lee allegedly went to with AI. Clear emphasis on the horror of the crime and the novelty, yet gravity, of technology’s intersection with criminal behavior.
• Perspective: Strong focus on evidentiary details and the legal process, but underscored by the hosts’ personal reactions—shocked, disturbed, and occasionally morbidly bemused by the case’s absurdities.

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Summary Conclusion

Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes deliver a gripping, unsettling discussion about Darren Lee’s alleged crime and the unprecedented use of AI as a potentially incriminating—and instructive—“accomplice.” The episode is as much a chilling crime story as it is a cautionary tale about the unforeseen ways technology weaves into even the darkest corners of society. Listeners are left with a sense of both awe at investigative forensics and a warning about AI’s dual-edged nature. The judicial process continues, with Lee awaiting grand jury indictment and the specter of a death penalty trial looming.

Transcript

[Amy Robach]

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[TJ Holmes]

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[TJ Holmes]

hey there folks. It is Wednesday, March 11, and he is a former Ohio State superstar, a former first round draft pick. He even has a Super bowl ring with the Kansas City Chiefs. But right now, this former NFL linebacker is still sitting in jail charged with first degree murder and his accomplice, according to prosecutors. Chat GPT and with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. The crime itself is heinous as hell. You throw in this chat GPT element of it. Rose. We cover a lot of stories, a lot of crime stories, a lot going on right now. This one is wild.

[Amy Robach]

It is. It's one of those headlines that stops you because yes, the details of this crime, which we will get into that prosecutors are alleging is horrific. But to think that now with technology at everyone's availability, people, and the accusation is this particular man and his name is Darren Lee, use Chat GPT to try and cover up the crime, cover up the crime scene, ask what to say for a 911 call, literally getting instructions on how to evade or avoid getting arrested and being convicted.

[TJ Holmes]

First of all, that's just stupid at this point. If you don't think that's going to be tracked down, aren't we? I didn't think about it till you were just talking. We have covered a lot of trials where someone's Google search history becomes an issue. Isn't this just that? But we have AI now. Normally he would have been typing this stuff, right?

[Amy Robach]

He's taken it and brought it to a new level. Now he's not just Google searching articles. No, he's actually asking a bot to help him. And the way you put it, I hadn't thought about it like this, but actually as an accomplice after the fact, people can be charged for trying to help someone cover up a crime. He literally According to police, used a bot and artificial intelligence to try and help him cover up the crime.

[TJ Holmes]

And we should always, as we should say, innocent until proven guilty. Right now, Darren Lee is innocent. Even though Darren Lee is sitting in a jail in Tennessee. This happened right outside of Chattanooga. He is sitting in jail in Tennessee. He had a hearing yesterday in which we got a lot more detail and that's why the story has now been making a renewed run through the headlines. But Robes, he's 31 years old, arrested for this murder that happened last month, we should say, but he is sitting. He will not be getting out of prison before his trial. Now, this guy, a lot of people might not know his name off the top of your head, but he played in the Sugar bowl in 2015 and he was the defensive MVP.

[Amy Robach]

Wow.

[TJ Holmes]

Tells you anything.

[Amy Robach]

Wow.

[TJ Holmes]

Okay. If you play at Ohio State, first of all, you're a big deal. You star in that game, you're a big deal. You're a first round draft pick, you're a big deal. Now, he didn't have a great NFL career. Only ended up playing three or four years for three different teams. And one of those teams, Robes was the Kansas City Chiefs. He was on their roster in 2020, didn't play in that game and he was inactive. But as a member of the roster, you get a Super bowl ring. So the guy, look, you make it to these levels, you're a stud at what you do. But here he is now facing a first degree murder charge and the charge of tampering with and fabricating evidence. Now we get to the crime here, Robes. It look, don't know what happened in that house, but they describe a scene in which this young lady suffered.

[Amy Robach]

Suffered. And that is the part that is just so disturbing. The prosecutor put it like this. This sent chills up and down my spine. There are crime scenes and then there are crime scenes like this. The autopsy showed that his fiance, Gabriella perpetuo, she was 29 years old, had a stab wound to her abdomen, a bite mark on her shoulder, bruising to her head, two black eyes with heavy swelling, dried blood on her face and neck. And they describe a house with glass shattered. The entire home seems upended. And blood in different rooms, including going up this stairwell. I mean, this was a horrific scene to walk into.

[TJ Holmes]

Didn't they suggest that this might have. She might have suffered over days?

[Amy Robach]

Yes, they believe it could have gone on. They believe she could have been beaten and, and killed slowly over a two day period while he was communicating with Chat GPT.

[TJ Holmes]

So and that's look the wheel. I'm surprised we've done stories and I know a lot of these companies are starting to get lawsuits and whatnot when it comes to. I think we've been covering suicides.

[Amy Robach]

Correct.

[TJ Holmes]

Right. Kids. I think what we've been seeing will ask a chat GPT how do I kill? What should I do? And the thing actually suggests harm ways to kill yourself. Yes. So, yes. They need to get that worked out. We're seeing it used. And Rose, we're gonna see this more, are we not?

[Amy Robach]

Oh, my goodness, yes. I mean, look, I don't even know how to use this type of technology, but it seems like everyone under the age of 40 does. And typically it's used for good. To actually learn new skills or to figure out what's going on or to

[TJ Holmes]

get some perspective for shortcut on your homework assignment.

[Amy Robach]

Yes. In fact, my daughter was telling me because I was trying to understand how to read something. She's like, just take a picture of. Upload it to chat GBT and it will tell you what it means. What are you actually talking about? I had no idea you could do these things. Yes. So it's mostly used for good. Right. But wow, this is a glaring example of how it could be used for something horrific that wouldn't even cross my mind.

[TJ Holmes]

And it sounds like your robes. Before we get into these chat GPT messages with they. Which they did share in court. The. The scene at the house you were just describing ropes. A lot of. They said it was clear that somebody tried to clean it up. So a lot of the blood you're describing, you couldn't see with the naked eye. And they said once you went in there and put those lights on it, blood's everywhere like this. It was. It was hardly a room in the house that didn't have blood.

[Amy Robach]

That's what they said.

[TJ Holmes]

Damn, Rose. And he. I watched somewhat. What they had is the body cam video that's gonna be tough to get

[Amy Robach]

around, let me tell you. It is. So we'll get into this. It is so fascinating to see what he put into chat GPT as to what he should do, what he should say. Then you've got the body cam footage that you just mentioned where we actually hear what he tells police, which is

[TJ Holmes]

crazy, given the scene they describe. It's. That's going to be. That video is going to be played and that you could see that trial. You can see that trial happening playing out right now. And it's. It's overwhelming the stuff they have against him. Right now. But again, innocent until proven guilty, but rolled in court yesterday. They started sharing some of these messages and it started, they say before she died. So what is your understanding here? He is premeditated? Had he started the process, are they suggesting or he was just starting to ask questions ahead of time, getting ready to kill her?

[Amy Robach]

They don't know that's the truth. They said they don't know how it all happened and when it all happened. But they're trying to piece together from the forensic evidence in the house and certainly from her autopsy to these real time messages between Lee and Chad GPT and they're trying to put it all together. In fact, they're taking it's so much evidence they have, they're actually sending this to a grand jury to get the exact indictments and to proceed that way because there is just so much information. But we know that one of his first questions to Chat GPT was don't know what to do right now. Fiance did her crazy thing again and now she's messed up. I wake up and she has two swollen eyes. He puts in parentheses I didn't do anything self inflicted. She stabbed herself, slit her eye. I don't know but she isn't waking up or responding. What do I do?

[TJ Holmes]

What's going through anybody's mind to ask Chat GPT that given what the scene was at that house. You start like what is on a person's mind? Is he really think he's gonna fool somebody by typing in my his himself that she has self inflicted? Does he think he's covering his tracks?

[Amy Robach]

I think he thinks he is laying the groundwork for a defense that he didn't know what to do and so he's actually already denying doing anything. In a search question with Chat GPT and somehow he thinks putting in parentheses I didn't do anything self inflicted would be a good defense.

[TJ Holmes]

Isn't this again the first one? Don't they say they believe this one was out or he did this before she died?

[Amy Robach]

On this one they think it's possible, which is awful to think about her suffering. And then he said, what should I tell my friend? Because he was implying that it was. He was asking for a friend. I mean it almost seems like.

[TJ Holmes]

I know none of this is funny, but that is absolute hilarious.

[Amy Robach]

There's a reason why we say asking for a friend.

[TJ Holmes]

Yes, because I don't want you to think it's me.

[Amy Robach]

Oh, exactly as before you.

[TJ Holmes]

We say it all the time. He's doing this Ro. This is. That's silly.

[Amy Robach]

It's not funny, but it's laughable. And that's the point. He says, what should I tell my friend to handle someone non responsive but wants to call the police?

[TJ Holmes]

He's lost.

[Amy Robach]

This makes no sense. You call 91 1, you call 911 but this is what Chat GPT doesn't say to call 91 1. It says okay, but this is serious, but you can. And then this is redacted. Protect everyone. Here's exactly what to tell your friend step by step. And when it was interesting he said but wants to call the police, he corrects the question. He asks Chat GBT and says doesn't want to call police. So now piecing it all together, Darren Lee is asking Chad GPT what should I tell my friend to handle someone non responsive but doesn't want to call the police? Why wouldn't you want to call the police if you find someone non responsive?

[TJ Holmes]

Ropes all that. What you're saying makes sense. I we, we've been watching a lot of cases and I struggle sometimes with circumstantial evidence. Right. I'm like it's hard to put somebody in jail the rest of their lives if there's not a smoking gun, right? But I've had lawyers tell me and you are more so good about explaining and being on board with circumstantial evidence. This is one of those cases where it is so overwhelming from a circumstantial standpoint. Robes he is laying out to everyone based on our common sense that he's guilty.

[Amy Robach]

Exactly. He's asking chat he's asking Chad GP2 sorry, I can't even talk asking Chat GPT if stab wound like puncture punctures can be explained from hitting anything. Like he's asking for a way to describe her stab wounds without it actually coming from someone stabbing. Like could you get a stab wound from any other way?

[TJ Holmes]

I thought it was interesting. Chat GPT tried to give him answers on some of this stuff.

[Amy Robach]

He they did. Chad GPT said yes, it can happen. Can a slip and fall cause puncture wounds? Yes, but usually only under specific conditions. What can it look like? And he was saying the Chat GBT said bottom line, yes, falls can produce puncture appearing wounds. They usually don't look like clean knife stabs. So then it asks Lee to say where on the body, how many punctures, depth and size, what objects were nearby, Literally trying to create a scenario in which he could say something other than a knife or him stabbing her could have created the wounds that were on her body.

[TJ Holmes]

These messages are or they are wild. And you know I have another question. Robes when you talk to Chat GPT, can you always do it just voice or do you have to type?

[Amy Robach]

Oh, I think you can do voice on your phone. Oh, you can do both. Yes, because he even asks if, when, when he asks where or when chat I say he when Chat GPT asks where the stab wounds were. He wrote middle gut and side hip middle gut. I just oh God. Yes.

[TJ Holmes]

Well folks stay here. We'll also tell you yes, we heard plenty about what Chat GPT said. We heard a lot about what Darren Lee said. But I guess Robe certainly for me, one of the most powerful things we heard in court came from the judge in describing what happened in that house and this crime. Stay here. Foreign

[Amy Robach]

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[TJ Holmes]

Success starts with your drive and American Public University is here to fuel it.

[Amy Robach]

With affordable tuition and over 200 flexible online programs, APU helps you gain the skills and confidence to move forward whether

[TJ Holmes]

you're changing careers, starting fresh or pursuing a lifelong passion. APU's programs are designed for people who never stop you.

[Amy Robach]

Bring the fire. APU will fuel the journey. Learn more at apu Apus. Edu.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. It is stock up savings time now through March 31st. Spring in for storewide deals and earn four times the points. Look for in store tax to earn on eligible items from Smart Water, Healthy Choice, Continental, arrowhead, Red Bull, St James, Tillamook and Special K. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more. Enjoy savings on top of savings when you shop in store or online for easy drive up and go pickup or delivery restrictions apply. See website for full terms and conditions.

[Public Investing Announcer]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. Screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comDisclosures Are you

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[TJ Holmes]

All right, we continue here on Amy and TJ and Ropes. It feels a little bizarre to to have any smile of any kind, but we were just going over before we were coming back here. You're about to go through some of the body cam stuff we have from the police officers of the day of Darren Lee's arrest in ropes he the responses he was given giving to why that house looked the way it looked. Again a scene of absolute horror. Stuff broken, blood everywhere. The answers he was given robes are ridiculous.

[Amy Robach]

They. They are ridiculous. They. They actually got. I think they're more laughable than even the chat GPT questions he was asking. So yes, police finally arrive after he finally calls 911 and the deputy. You can hear the deputy on the body cam footage asking Darren Lee was what is with all the broken stuff in there? And his response is and I am quoting him, glass is shattered because she had left the window open. And so when it got warm and when we reheated the house it just like exploded. So I was cleaning that up. That was long before I was just going to sleep. I thought she was going to come down and finish it up, find a dustpan. But I come back down and then this is what happened.

[TJ Holmes]

Do we need to call a scientist? Is that even physically possible?

[Amy Robach]

Never heard of that before. Never covered a case like that in my life. An explosion usually comes from a gas leak or something that dramatic.

[TJ Holmes]

But. But is his attorney going to try to do an experiment in the defense and prove why that how that's possible in a house? What made me think about because it's happened to me before with the dishwasher. Is that what he's talking about? You know when you. You do your dishes and it's still hot in there and still steamy and you open it before it's ready and hadn't cooled off and some cool air gets in there and maybe a glass will crack. Is that what he was getting at?

[Amy Robach]

Maybe. I guess you're right that me I never even thought about that.

[TJ Holmes]

That's the only thing he can do.

[Amy Robach]

He must have chat GPT that as well.

[TJ Holmes]

It's so hot in here. Then it got cold. Then he got hot again. Glass explodes the whole house.

[Amy Robach]

Yeah. And then when they asked him on the body cam why his fiance was lying unconscious on the living room floor in the condition she was in here was his direct quote. I don't know. I thought she would have said something but I have no idea. I was upstairs.

[TJ Holmes]

He's. He's. He's innocent until proven guilty. So we can. Did he enter a plea? Oh, is this just a preliminary? No, maybe not.

[Amy Robach]

No. No. Because it's a preliminary hearing. From my understanding is now the next thing that happens is while he is he wasn't given bond as you pointed out, he will be behind bars. But they are actually giving this all to a grand jury to get the specific indictments. Because right now the D A said given this case and what they've seen, they are considering pursuing the death penalty. So he may go from having a Super bowl ring to literally sitting on death row in a matter of a few years.

[TJ Holmes]

It's a 31 year old man, young man still, and right now, innocent man Robes. The thing that got me in listening to the judge, the judge, after hearing all this stuff, look, a lot of people in listening to us now might be going, well, obviously the judge knows more than we do, has gone through this stuff more than we have. But this, this, the, the quote from the judge kind of brought it home for me, saying, quote, I'm even more convinced now that the offense was especially heinous, atrocious and cruel and that it involved torture or physical abuse beyond that necessary to produce death ropes. That speaks the, the level of violence we're talking about is personal and vicious and angry in a way that robes is beyond an accident or wanting even somebody dead. Well, this stuff they describe is awful. And the judge looking at it is like, you did not need to do all this to kill somebody.

[Amy Robach]

Oh, I know. The D A described the crime scene as a different level of sinister. That's not a word you hear often, even in some of the worst cases we have covered and we have looked at and listened to in court. Sinister. Sinister speaks to a whole other level of evil and violence. And that is what prosecutors, and now even the judge who's had a. A chance to look at it, believe that is what happened in this case. So we, of course, will be following this one for you. In the meantime, though, thank you for listening to us. We always appreciate it. I'm Amy Robach alongside TJ Holmes and we will talk to you soon.

[TJ Holmes]

Success starts with your drive, and American Public University is here to fuel it.

[Amy Robach]

With affordable tuition and over 200 flexible online programs, APU helps you gain the skills and confidence to move forward.

[TJ Holmes]

Whether you're changing careers, starting fresh, or pursuing a lifelong passion, APU's programs are designed for people who never stop.

[Amy Robach]

You bring the fire. APU will fuel the journey. Learn more at apu. Apus Edu.

[Julian Edelman]

This is Julian Edelman from Games With Names. I want to take a second to talk about something that's personal to me. I've had the privilege of working closely with Robert Kraft for a long time, and one thing I've always respected is how seriously he takes up standing up to hate. As a Jewish athlete, my identity is something I am proud of, but I also know what it feels like to be singled out for it. That's why this new commercial for the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate that aired during the Big Game really hit home. It's about showing up for someone when they're targeted, even if you don't have the perfect words. And sometimes standing next to someone is enough. And you can show support by sharing

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[Amy Robach]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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