1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:04,720 Speaker 1: Crime Alart hourly update, breaking crime news Now, I'm Nicole Parton. 2 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:08,440 Speaker 1: Darren Lee, the former NFL player and Super Bowl champion, 3 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:12,400 Speaker 1: has been charged with murdering his girlfriend in an Ultawa 4 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: home in Tennessee. He was denied bond in a preliminary 5 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: hearing on Wednesday. Detective Brian Lockhart testified in court, saying 6 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:25,799 Speaker 1: Gabriella Perpetuto was found with a broken neck, a severe 7 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: brain injury, stab wounds, and bite marks. The detective, one 8 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 1: of the first investigators on the scene, described a chaotic 9 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: and violent crime scene, saying the scene was in disarray. 10 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:41,440 Speaker 1: You walked in the door, there were boxes, a lot 11 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: of stuff in the living room. The deceased was lying 12 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:47,879 Speaker 1: in the floor on her back. Lockhart says Lee was 13 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:51,279 Speaker 1: inside the home when deputies arrived. According to testimony, Lee 14 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: told officers that his girlfriend had narcolepsy and most likely 15 00:00:56,560 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: fell in the shower that caused her injuries. Investigator said 16 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: the evidence did not match his explanation. Lock Cart testified 17 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:10,240 Speaker 1: there was blood on the staircase, handrails, walls, floors, and 18 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 1: in nearly every room in the house. A vehicle in 19 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: the garage registered to both Lee and his girlfriend also 20 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: tested positive for blood using Blue Start, a chemical detection system. 21 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: He said the microwave was shattered, glass was scattered throughout 22 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 1: the home. Alcohol bottles were present and marijuana. Detectives also 23 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 1: found cleaning supplies upstairs, including bleach wipes, a spray bottle, 24 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:40,320 Speaker 1: and a full bag of clothes. And autopsy revealed what 25 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:44,959 Speaker 1: lock Cart described as severe injuries, including severe brain trauma, 26 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:48,919 Speaker 1: a broken neck, bruising across the woman's body, a large 27 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: bite mark on her shoulder, an thigh, and multiple stab 28 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 1: wounds to her leg, and significant facial trauma. The medical 29 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: examiner determined Perpetuos died from blot forced trauma. The defense 30 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: asked the court to set a bond, but Hamilton County 31 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: Criminal Court Judge Tory Smith denied that bond, ruling that 32 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 1: Lee will remain in custody throughout the trial or Crime 33 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 1: Injustice News after this. Cory Richins appeared in the Park 34 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,799 Speaker 1: City court room on Tuesday as jury selection process got 35 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,680 Speaker 1: under way for her murder trial. Richins is facing allegations 36 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 1: of fatally poisoning her husband Eric with fentanol in March 37 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: twenty twenty two. The initial day of jury selection involved 38 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: a lengthy questioning process. Given the small size of Summit County, 39 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:45,080 Speaker 1: ensuring that Richins receives a fair trial is a significant challenge. 40 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: Attorneys concentrated on identifying any potential biases among jurors. To 41 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: kick things off, the judge posed four key questions to 42 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 1: which prospective jurors had to answer whether they had heard 43 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: about the case in the media, conduct did any online research, 44 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: discussed the case with others, and recognized anyone present in 45 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: the courtroom. Following the judge's inquiries, both the defense and 46 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: prosecution took turns asking more personal questions. These included questions 47 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: about their occupations, experiences with law enforcement, feelings about the 48 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:22,639 Speaker 1: legal system, and whether their responses might affect their ability 49 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:26,960 Speaker 1: to serve impartially on the jury. The judge occasionally would 50 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:31,080 Speaker 1: interject when he felt questions were being posed unfairly. The 51 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: defense made it a priority to ask nearly every candidate 52 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: if Richard's choice to testify would influence their ability to 53 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: deliver an unbiased verdict. At the conclusion of the questioning, 54 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 1: both sides decided whether to accept or dismiss a candidate. 55 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 1: A candidate would be struck from consideration if they admitted 56 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: to researching the case, had a conflict of interest or 57 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:56,680 Speaker 1: provided answers that raised concerns about being impartial. Over twenty 58 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: five potential jurors were questioned on Tuesday. They were in 59 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: struct did not to discuss the case until they were excused, 60 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: and should expect an email the following week to inform 61 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 1: them of their jury selection status. The questioning was conducted remotely, 62 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: resulting in only a few people apart from the attorneys, 63 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:17,159 Speaker 1: being present in the courtroom. The trial is anticipated to 64 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 1: be lengthy, with at least forty six potential witnesses and 65 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: possibly lasting up to five weeks. Tuesday also involved discussions 66 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: regarding the accessibility of the jury selection process to the 67 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:32,440 Speaker 1: public and the media. Media outlets report that the judge 68 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 1: intended to close the courtroom for the entirety of the 69 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,560 Speaker 1: jury selection, prompting them to follow motion for it to 70 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: remain open. David Raymand, Legal Council for Script News Groups, 71 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:45,760 Speaker 1: spoke to the judge. We were informed by the court 72 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:49,040 Speaker 1: of an objection and submitted a letter stating our concerns 73 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 1: about closing that part of the proceedings as the public 74 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: has First Amendment rights to access jury selection, while certain 75 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: sensitive aspects of jury selection can be he conducted privately, 76 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:04,280 Speaker 1: the majority should be open to the public, he said. 77 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:08,239 Speaker 1: Rayman elaborated on how sensitive issues would be handled during 78 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: that selection process. If a jurors ask a question that 79 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:16,040 Speaker 1: is considered personal, then certainly the judge could close the courtroom. 80 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 1: Other than that, the media would love to be present 81 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 1: throughout this process, He's continued. The general rule is to 82 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: allow journalists and the public into the courtroom, although cameras 83 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 1: are prohibited during jury selection to protect the identity of 84 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:33,120 Speaker 1: the jurors. Once the trial begins, there are also restrictions 85 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 1: preventing news outlets from broadcasting or publishing images of the jurors. 86 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:40,160 Speaker 1: The judge has yet to make a decision on whether 87 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:44,279 Speaker 1: cameras will be allowed inside the trial. For the latest 88 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:47,719 Speaker 1: crime and justice news, follow Crime Alert hourly update on 89 00:05:47,839 --> 00:05:51,359 Speaker 1: your favorite podcasting app. With this Crime Alert, I'm Nico 90 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 1: Parton