Prosecutors say suspended Virginia Tech linebacker Isimemen Etute beat a man to death after he discovered the victim was not a woman like he had been led to believe online.
Etute was charged with second-degree murder June 2 in the death of Blacksburg, Virginia, resident Jerry Smith. Etute, a member of Virginia Tech's 2021 recruiting class, was suspended from the team after he was charged.
At a bond hearing on Wednesday, attorneys for the state revealed that Etute allegedly told police he punched and stomped Smith, 40, multiple times after he discovered Smith was a man. Etute had allegedly gone to meet up with someone he thought was a woman for a second sexual encounter at Smith's apartment.
From Roanoke.com:
According to those police statements, Etute visited the victim's apartment on April 10 for oral sex after he was matched up with someone named "Angie" on Tinder. Etute returned to the apartment May 31 to engage in sexual activity and discovered the person he was matched up with was a man.
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.