Join Facebook to connect with Jerry Paul Smith and others you may know. A former Virginia Tech football player accused of killing a man who gave him oral sex has been set free by a Virginia jury. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Brunson accompanied Etute to Smiths apartment along with Jalen Hampton on May 31. Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Etute did not discover Smith was a man until they met again on May 31 for a second sexual encounter at Smith's apartment. All of the bones in Smiths face were broken, his teeth were knocked out, and he had cranial fractures, Morgan said. 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. Thats just wrong.Isimemen Etute was released on $75,000 secured bond per Judge Randal Duncans ruling and placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring, Commonwealths Attorney Mary Pettitt said in a release. A man he met on Tinder is charged with second-degree murder. The beating that ensued broke all the bones in Smith's face and left the victim with cranial fractures and missing teeth, according to the autopsy. CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - The trial of former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute began in court Wednesday. Former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute and his family have issued a statement to The Roanoke Times, Etute wasacquitted on second. Smiths family attended the packed hearing as well as more than a dozen of Etutes teammates. Last week, a spokesperson for Smiths family described him as a proud, openly gay man. Jimmy Turk, Etutes attorney, insisted that his client was lured and suggested that there were mitigating circumstances relating to Etute's culpability. 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. The company's filing status is listed as Active and its File Number is 11222352. Etute also told police that Smith did not fight back. 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 . Online condolences and [] Smith performed oral sex on Etute on April 10, and Etute returned to the apartment with two of his former teammates in May seeking to determine if Smith was a man or woman. Jurors will be tasked with deciding whether or not the defendant acted in self-defense, as he doesn't deny killing Smith. Surveillance footage from Smith's apartment captured Etute visiting him onMay 31 - the night Smith was brutally beaten to death, The murder occurred at Smith's apartment on Main Street in Blacksburg. Jeremy Clarkson is axed as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Turk told DailyMail.com that Smith had multiple social media accounts where he posed as a woman named 'Angie.'. Danica Roem, D-Prince William. The Washington, D.C.-based Human Rights Campaign says that with the panic defense, a criminal defendant can argue in court that their discovery of the victims sexual orientation or gender identity caused the defendants violent reaction, potentially leading to a reduced charge or sentence. Etute said that he accompanied Angie to the darkened bedroom and, after a period of time, asked to have sexual intercourse. 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. Jerry Smith. Im truly sorry for my actions.. She walked through her family dynamic her sons background, his relationship with his family and their living situation. Skeptical of AP African American Studies, Dems Introduce Resolution to Celebrate Black LGBTQ+ Americans, Latinx Trans Woman Killed in Houston in Apparent Murder-Suicide, Longtime Lesbian Activist Achebe Betty Powell Dies at 82. 'Nobody deserves to die, but I don't mind saying, don't pretend you are something that you are not,' Etute's attorney, James Turk, told reporters outside of court on Wednesday. Roem, the first openly transgender person elected to the Virginia General Assembly, reacted on Twitter on Wednesday in a discussion of the prospect that the issue of deception might rise as a defense in Etutes case. The man has been identified as Jerry Smith, 40 of Blacksburg. Isimemen Etute faces traffic charges in Radford from the same day that he is accused of killing Jerry Paul Smith in Blacksburg. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 2p.m. Jerry Paul Smith of Blacksburg, Va., was beaten to death May 31. Smith, he testified, chuckled, reaching for Etutes crotch with one hand and down the side of the bed with the other. This is one of the proudest moments Ive ever had as a lawyer, Turk said. Facebook gives people the. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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 heard 'bubbling and gurgling' as he left the apartment but didn't call the police. 69-year-old suffers stroke in his N.C. home; Realtor showing house leaves him there. 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 . Jerry Smith, 40, died after posing as 'Angie Renee' to meet straight college-aged men . A suspended Virginia Tech football player accused of killing a gay man . The charges are a footnote to mistaken-gender killing, of which Isimemen David Etute was acquitted. 1 ranking in country, Radford coach Darris Nichols apologizes for DUI. Published: 16:38 GMT, 10 June 2021 | Updated: 22:39 GMT, 10 June 2021, Jerry Paul Smith (pictured) was found beaten to death in his own apartment on June 1. Samantha Rosenthal, associate professor of history at Roanoke College and co-founder of the Southwest Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project, wrote in an email Thursday: Regardless of the victims gender identity, the comments by Etutes attorney demonstrate that the defense intends to use transness as an issue in this case. In a June 9 hearing, prosecutors said Etute, who was at the time a linebacker on the college's football team, told police he punched Smith several times in the face after learning they were not anatomically female. Thats just wrong., Etute said during the hearing that the situation has been real hard for him, adding, Im trying to stay strong for the people that support me. An arraignment was held Thursday for former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute, accused of killing Jerry Paul Smith. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. I did prepare him for the worst before today. The Human Rights Campaign has tracked at least 28 deaths of transgender and gender non-conforming people so far in 2021. Etute, who is charged with second-degree murder, was arrested on June 2. His body was discovered the following day, and Ismemen David Etute, 18, of Virginia Beach was arrested June 2. Etute then claimed he got up, stood next to the bed and asked Smith "Why didnt you tell me?" 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 . The FBI listed 7,314 hate crime incidents in 2019. In the aftermath of Virginia Tech linebacker Isi Etute's arrest and second-degree murder charge, authorities have now revealed the official cause of death for Jerry Paul Smith, the 40-year-old . Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Jerry Paul Smith, 40 known as Gigi by his nephews of Blacksburg, VA departed this life, June 1, 2021, at his home. Im just thankful for this jury. The jury got to hear Etutes description of the events twice during the trial with the prosecution also entering into evidence a 45-minute video of Blacksburg police detectives questioning him June 2. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Etute told police he thought he was meeting a woman named Angie with whom hed connected on Tinder, and whom hed met for oral sex on April 10. The 25 points of instruction were read to the jury before closing statements. He took the guys hoodie, they looked at each other and the guy reached for him and he swung at him, Brunson said. Ismemen David Etute, 18, (pictured) was charged in the death of Jerry Smith after allegedly punching and stomping after he discovering he was actually a man, Etute was released on $75,000 bond on Wednesday and will remain under house arrest and electronic monitoring. "You cannot and you will not be able to get away with murdering an LGBTQ person in Virginia simply because you feel like it. Prosecutors say Etute met Smith through a dating app, but the 18-year-old thought that Smith was a woman named Angie. At a bond hearing on Wednesday, attorneys for the state revealed that Etute allegedly told police he punched and stomped Smith . It appears that Smith lived as a man during his day to day life, including at work, and his family referred to him with male pronouns. Born May 18, 1981 in Montgomery County, VA, he was the son of the late Jerry Wayne Smith and Sandra Cumbee Smith. A man he met on Tinder is charged with second-degree murder. 'Don't target or lure anyone under that perception. Virginia Tech linebacker, Ismeme Etute, 18, allegedly stomped a man to death during a Tinder date after he discovered his date had been posing as a woman named 'Angie.' . Gay panic refers to claiming, in court, that the reaction to finding out someone elses sexual orientation or gender identity justifies violent acts. Although Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Jason Morgan initially urged Duncan not to grant bail, the prosecution and defense later came to an agreement to release Etute on a $75,000 bond under both house arrest and electronic monitoring. Etute has a tremendous amount riding on this trial.. [3] I hope this terrible incident will make more real the jeopardy and the work we still have to do to prevent the kind of knee-jerk, irrational behavior that weve grown up with as males in our society.. His attorney, Jimmy Turk, told a judge the case was more than someone just showing up to an apartment and punching someone.. May 18, 1981 - June 1, 2021. She also told the court her son would help take care of his younger sister with special needs. Zara's husband announces a two-month tour with his rugby podcast 'We met a Princess'! Laurence Hammack covers environmental issues, including the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and business and enterprise stories. 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. Smiths family quickly left the room. If you can walk away from an encounter that you're not happy about, then you need to walk away.". Jerry Paul Smith, 40 known as Gigi by his nephews of Blacksburg, VA departed this life, June 1, 2021, at his home. At a time when were seeing record-high violence against our gay and transgender neighbors, I think the federal government can essentially make a policy statement that these kinds of cases should be prosecuted, he said. He returned to Smith's apartment May 31, realized Smith was a man, and flew into a rage. ROANOKE REGIONAL RESTAURANT GROUP LLC is a Virginia Domestic Limited-Liability Company filed on May 5, 2021. Etute told court he has never been in trouble with the law and that he was a model student who graduated high school early to start at Virginia Tech in January, WDBJ7.com reported. The company's filing status is listed as Active and its File Number is 11125522. Man died Wednesday. Etute told court he has never been in trouble with the law and that he was a model student who graduated high school early to start at Virginia Tech in January. Gerald Thomas Smith (July 19, 1943 - October 15, 1986) was a professional American football tight end for the National Football League 's Washington Redskins for 13 seasons, from 1965 through 1977. 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. Thats just wrong.. Jurors had to stand from the panel to watch the demonstration. Isimemen David Etute his hugged by his father David Etute at conclusion of the triall in Montgomery County Circuit Court in Christiansburg on Friday. Isimemen Etute claims he "never intended to harm anyone" when he went to the apartment of a woman named Angie with whom he'd had a sexual encounter and discovered he had been intimate with Jerry Paul Smith. Then he saw him (Smith) reach for something under the bed and hit him five to six times.. Etute then returned to the apartment on May 31 for another meet-up, at which point he discovered the person he had matched up with this time was male, according to Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Jason Morgan, citing details the now-suspended linebacker told cops. Ismemen David Etute, who appeared in Montgomery County District Court in Virginia on Wednesday for a bond hearing after being charged with second-degree murder, told police that he punched Smith five times in the face and continued punching and stomped Smith after he fell down ground in response to the revelation that Smith was not the woman he expected to meet, according to a summary of arguments made in court. Etute is currently on suspension from Virginia Tech and its football team. He is to be under house arrest in their custody in Williamsburg. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. (TCD) -- A former football player at Virginia Tech University was found not guilty of beating a man to death who posed as a woman on a dating app. Earlier this year, the Virginia House and Senate approved a bill that bans what is sometimes called the gay panic or LGBTQ panic defense. Railroad shut down while police investigate reports of shots fired prior to injury accident.Railroad shut down while police investigate reports of shots fired prior to injury accident. As this case unfolds, I hope that people will realize that transgender men, women, and non-binary people are on Tinder and have a right to be there, and that presenting oneself as any gender online is not the same thing as catfishing. He referred to Smith as a deceitful and dishonest man who defrauded young men for his own sexual gratification., Who is the real victim here? Turk said through tears. Isimemen Etute, a Virginia Beach native, often stayed at Turks house when he was in town for court appearances. "It is . Defense attorney Turk also asked Brunson about a conversation he had with Etute on June 11, two days after his client was bonded out of jail. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Her body has been cremated. . Ralph Northam signed legislation that will apply to the use of such defenses in Virginia on July 1. And he spoke at my wedding, Lindsey Turk said. on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at St. Paul Independent Lutheran Church at Moyers with Pastor Jerry Smith officiating. Ismemen Etute is seen on a Fox 46 broadcast. One of the focal points of the case was the defenses pretrial motion to use a Gay/Trans Panic Defense, which they filed earlier this month. 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. Former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen David Etute describes an altercation during his murder trial in Montgomery County Circuit Court in Christiansburg, Va., Thursday, May 26 2022. 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. In the courtroom, defense attorney Jimmy Turk of Radford said that Smith had solicited Etute for sex. Jerry Paul Smith Wiki Jerry Paul Smith Biography Who was Jerry Paul Smith ? In anobituary, Smith's family remembered restaurant manager whose nephews nicknamed 'Gigi' as a 'polite young man throughout his life'. Beaming Princess of Wales watches a young boy backflip during St David's Day Mike Tindall's latest money-making scheme! In anobituary, Smiths family remembered restaurant manager whose nephews nicknamed Gigi as a polite young man throughout his life. "Keep in mind, this bill is not about self-defense. Girl, 2, looks star-struck as she presents Kate with a gift of Daffodils for St David's A bargain fit for a king: Grade II-listed manor house complete with barn and gatehouse is listed at auction Who said black and white pics were flattering! was indicted by a Montgomery County grand jury in the murder of restaurant manager Jerry Paul Smith on Tuesday, The Roanoke Times reported. Following the revelation, Etute punched Smith in the face five times before he fell to the ground. Tharp testified that most of the bones in Smiths face were broken, he had bleeding and swelling inside his brain and he had multiple teeth knocked out. There was a problem saving your notification. Advertisement To charge a hate crime, prosecutors would have to determine whether the defendant acted with a bias as defined under the law, according to Timothy Heaphy, who served as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia under President Barack Obamas administration. 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