Photo Courtesy of Roanoke Times
Former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute was found not guilty of the beating death of his Tinder date.
On Friday, the now 19-year-old teen was acquitted of second-degree murder charges in Montgomery County Circuit Court after his lawyer argued he acted in self-defense.
According to The Roanoke Times, the trial was held over three days, and the jury deliberated for three hours before handing down the verdict.
As previously reported by NewsOnyx, Etute was charged with second-degree murder for beating his Tinder date, 40-year-old Jerry Paul Smith, to death.
The then 18-year-old freshman at Virginia Tech told the Blacksburg police that he met a woman named Angie “Gigi” Smith on Tinder and received oral sex from his date on April 10.
When he met up with Smith a little over a month later, Etute learned that his Tinder match was not a biological woman. He allegedly left Smith badly beaten on the floor before he ran away.
Smith suffered from broken bones to his face, and his teeth were knocked out during the incident.
The student was arrested on June 2 before being released on a $75,000 bond before returning to trial.
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During the trial, the former athlete took the stand and said he felt “violated” and that his date lied about his gender.
“I felt violated,” Etute said. “I was just in shock, in disbelief that someone tricked me and lied to me.”
He said he met Smith in the dark and thought he reached for a gun before punching Smith five times and kicking him to escape.
Etute’s defense attorney Jimmy Turk said, “This is one of the proudest moments I’ve ever had as a lawyer.”