The impression of a shoe was also discovered on his face. There was bleeding and swelling in his brain and frothy liquid was coming out of his mouth from inhaling his own blood.
The 40-year-old man had every bone in his face broken and was missing several teeth. Investigators did find a knife under the mattress at the apartment.Īccording to The Roanoke Times, state medical examiner Dr Amy Tharp and forensic detective Mike Czernicki gave expert testimony at the trial, detailing Smith’s injuries discovered via autopsy. In court, Etute testified that when he confronted Smith, he saw him reach for a weapon under the bed, causing the football player to kick and punch him. In Etute’s case, the jury was told that a month after his first visit, the 19-year-old returned to the flat to find out if ‘Angie’ had lied to him about their gender. In fact, two other Virginia Tech players also admitted to matching with ‘Angie’ but both noted that they left the apartment after feeling uncomfortable.
Etute, who used to play American football at Virginia Tech, matched with Smith on the app and went to what he thought was Angie’s flat in April 2021, where the court was told he received oral sex. Īs reported by The Independent, the court was told that Smith falsely posed on the dating app as 21-year-old emergency room doctor ‘Angie Renee’ in an attempt to meet straight men who are in college. Etute was found not guilty on second-degree murder charges in Montgomery County Circuit Court on Tuesday. Former college football player Isimemen Etute was found not guilty on all charges in connection with the killing of Jerry Smith, a gay man who posed as a woman on the dating app Tinder.