"They can be extremely useful, but they can be extremely dangerous. Etute was a three-star linebacker recruit from Frank W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach and signed his letter of intent in December before enrolling at Virginia Tech the next month. Cobb said he closely followed the proceedings after he read about the incident last year when it happened. A jury on Friday acquitted a former Virginia Tech football player who had been accused of fatally beating a man he says he initially believed from a Tinder match to be a woman. UPDATE 6:14 p.m.: The Virginia Tech football player facing a second-degree murder charge, Isimemen Etute, will be allowed out on bond under a new agreement. Etute, who is charged with second-degree murder, was arrested on June 2. Cobb said he was heartbroken that Fridays verdict left him with a similar empty feeling. tag: 'mandc,isimemen-etute', Etute was in court Wednesday morning wearing an orange prison jumpsuit. CHRISTIANSBURG Former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen David Etute and his parents, Nichelle and David, issued a statement to The Roanoke Times on Saturday through his defense. Etute returned on May 31 and realized that Smith and Angie were the same person. The questions Turk had for Isi Etute were of a similar nature. div_id: 'div-gpt-ad-rightrail-1', Etutes parents declined to comment after the hearing. The verdict came after a three-day trial and just over three hours of jury deliberations. Etute admitted that Smith did not fight back and he heard a bubbly and gurgling noise while leaving the home. - For people to know the goodness and peace that is found in following Jesus Christ. Etute testified that he stomped on Smith's face as he departed the apartment, leaving a bloody shoe print on Smith's cheek in the process. The three-day trial might not have done much to pique their interest. Cox High School Virginia Beach VA. If you find this was in the heat of passion, you shouldnt find him guilty of second-degree murder; the crime would be voluntary manslaughter," said Jensen. Former Virginia Tech players Jalen Hampton and Jordan Brunson, who were called as witnesses in Etutes defense, were interviewed by federal authorities in September. Etute was arrested June 2, 2021, and charged with the May 31 murder of Jerry Smith, a local Blacksburg man who had posed as a woman online to meet straight, college-aged men. More info: Cox High School - Boys Varsity Football / OLB, WR / Class of 2021 / Virginia Beach, VA A bailiff was stationed behind Etute throughout the entire hearing, and Etute was handcuffed with his wrists attached to a chain around his waist. There was a problem saving your notification. Elder testified that he was disturbed by the circumstances of the meeting, in which Smith hid his face and kept his apartment nearly pitch dark. Turk, Etute's lawyer, made arguments that Etute could not be convicted of second-degree murder because there was no malice in his actions and that he should be found not guilty by reason of self-defense, based on his fear that Smith had hidden a weapon. The attackers in that case were identified, but never charged. His body was discovered in an unrecognizable state the next day, reports the Post. Isi is extremely grateful for the jurys hard work, deliberation, and verdict., Isi is now focused on picking up where he left off in his pursuit of a college degree and love for the game of football. Certainly hope not, Turk said, when asked if he thinks the federal government would pursue filing charges. aid: '724714', About I do not know a finer 19 year old that Ive ever come into contact with.. The Roanoke Times reports a jury acquitted Isimemen Etute on a second-degree murder charge for the death of 40-year-old Jerry Paul Smith.The jury reportedly deliberated for about three hours following the trial that lasted . Under the agreement, Etute was allowed to be at his parent's house under house arrest and electronic monitoring. Etute testified that if he determined Smith was a woman, another sexual encounter might have occurred, but that if he determined Smith was a man, he planned to flee the apartment. The then 18-year-old was accused of fatally beating Smith, an openly gay man who had posed as a woman on the dating app Tinder to initiate a sexual encounter. Isimemen took to Twitter to simply say, God is good. This was his first tweet in nearly one year. Etute said, at that point, he feared Smith was going for a weapon, a notion Etute failed to mention in his initial 2021 interview with police, according to the Times. At his bond hearing on June 9, the judge granted Etute a $75,000 bond, which prosecutors originally appealed, but that was quickly dropped. Do I? While Cobb understands there were a lot of variables to this case, he still believes that discrimination was at the heart of the issue, whether Etute knew it or not. Etute was arrested June 2, 2021, and charged with the May 31 murder of Jerry Smith, a local Blacksburg man who had posed as a woman online to meet straight, college-aged men. Im trying to stay strong for the people that support me, I feel like Ive let a lot of people down Im truly sorry for my actions.. Isimemen Etute, 21, entered a plea of not guilty at Thursday's arraignment for the 2021 murder of Jerry Smith, 40, according to NBC Roanoke affiliate WSLS. A statement from Virginia Tech said Etute was a member of the football team but, has been suspended from the team, effective immediately.. Etute testified that he then believed Smith reached for a weapon under his bed, causing Etute to strike Smith with a fist several more times. Isi says this process gives him trust and faith again in life. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. That means hes been found not guilty.. Security camera footage in the apartment showed all three players leaving quickly, with Etute having spent only three minutes inside Smith's apartment. cnx({ One of the prosecutors said at closing arguments Friday that Etute gave different versions of events to police and the jury, and that the charge may have been enough for him to change his testimony. A medical examiner ruled Smiths cause of death as a blunt force to the head. tag: 'mandc,isimemen-etute', You can cancel at any time. tude.cmd.push(function() { Isimemen Etute, a Virginia Tech student now suspended from the university and its football team, is. Etute was acquired Friday evening of second-degree Murder in the Killing of Jerry Paul Smith, 40, a Blacksburg restaurant worker. The jury deliberated for approximately three hours before returning its verdict around 6:30 p.m., The Roanoke Times reported. page_type: 'article', Etute testified that if he determined Smith was a woman, another sexual encounter might have occurred, but that if he determined Smith was a man, he planned to flee the apartment. div_id: 'div-gpt-ad-rightrail-2', A freshman on the Virginia Tech Hokies football team has been charged in a homicide investigation. Turk later addressed reporters outside of court. Blacksburg Police have announced the arrest of a Virginia Tech student in connection to the death of a Blacksburg resident early Wednesday morning. Isimemen Etute was busted after officers responding to a wellness check Monday night found Jerry Smith dead inside a building on Main Street in Blacksburg, Va., according to police. Required fields are marked *. But the college freshman was arrested on Wednesday and charged with second-degree murder for allegedly killing 40-year-old Jerry Smith, USA Today reports. "I'm certainly appreciative that the verdict turned out the way that it did . "I think the school that ends up taking him is going to get probably a lot wiser and a much smarter and an exceptional athlete.". Last week, Etutes attorney had filed a motion to use a gay and trans panic defense, a legal strategy that aims to get defendants more lenient sentences by claiming their violent actions were an uncontrollable response to learning a victims sexual orientation or gender identity. Please answer some questions in this short survey about professional soccer and the 2022 Men's FIFA World Cup. 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. This is me Follow. Etute is currently being held in Montgomery County Jail without bond and scheduled to be arraigned in Montgomery District Court at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday. According to testimony, Etute first connected with Smith in April 2021 on the dating app Tinder, with Smith posing as a woman going by the name "Angie Renee." Former Virginia Tech football player Isememen David Etute has been indicted for murdering a man who was acting as a female on the dating app Tinder. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Investigators ruled the death a homicide and identified Isimemen Etude as a person of interest. 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. baseDivId: 'pb-slot-right-1', The Roanoke Times have made multiple attempts to contact both parties. Security camera footage in the apartment showed all three players leaving quickly, with Etute having spent only three minutes inside Smith's apartment. Upon the prodding of friends who suspected Angie was a man, Etute returned to the apartment on May 31, 2021. "They can be extremely useful, but they can be extremely dangerous.". Isimemen Etute, 18, was released on $75,000 secured bond per Judge Randal Duncan's ruling and placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring, Commonwealth's Attorney Mary Pettitt said in. "It should be an eye-opener not just for college athletes, but any young people using these social media platforms," Turk said. Etute, a Virginia Tech freshman linebacker at the time of the incident in May 2021, had been charged with second-degree murder, which carries a sentence of five to 40 years, and the jury could have convicted him on the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. The last request came in December 2021. There are different standards, and they can determine that this case violates federal law.. The law states that juries could not consider such reactions as legitimate justification. In Fridays closing arguments, prosecuting attorney Patrick Jensen condemned Etutes claims of self-defense, according to the Times. He referenced a 2002 case Jawad v. Commonwealth, and a local case involving Mark Ward Faville from 2015. LA-based Host/Writer. Etute testified that he left the April 10 encounter still believing Smith was a woman, but teammates later began teasing him that his sexual partner could have been a man. A jury on Friday acquitted a former Virginia Tech football player who had been accused of fatally beating a man he says he initially believed from a Tinder match to be a woman. }); window.tude = window.tude || { cmd: [] }; But he finally was able to go to trial in Montgomery County Circuit Court recently. targeting: { Today, Isimemen David Etute was indicted by a grand jury on one count of Second-Degree murder. "I think he's earned the right to go back to school and further his academic and sports career," Turk said. Etute practiced with the Hokies during spring camp after enrolling midyear from Cox High School in Virginia Beach. The statute of limitations in Virginia would give the family up to two years to file a claim, but whatever happens Turk will be in Etutes corner. BE 100s One of the next steps they mentioned will be figuring out the best avenue for him to pursue a collegiate degree and resume his football career. 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