CHRISTIANSBURG Former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute was found not guilty Friday in the beating death of Jerry Paul Smith following a three-day trial in Montgomery County Circuit Court. ROANOKE REGIONAL RESTAURANT GROUP LLC is a Virginia Domestic Limited-Liability Company filed on May 5, 2021. Then jurors will decide whether or not Etute is guilty of second-degree murder. Some said the details that emerged from Wednesdays bond hearing show that Smiths killing was motivated by a bias against gays. Police say they arrested Etute after finding 40-year-old Jerry Paul Smith's body on June 1 during a welfare check. Rand Paul was vindicated this week regarding COVID. The medical examiner said he died of blunt force trauma, and the autopsy report revealed that every bone in his face was broken, he had missing teeth and he'd sustained multiple facial fractures, according to the paper. Etute lifted his defense attorney Jimmy Turk off the ground in a bear hug with both of them crying. An autopsy revealed Smith, a restaurant worker, died from blunt force trauma to the head. 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. In the courtroom, defense attorney Jimmy Turk of Radford said that Smith had solicited Etute for sex. And he spoke at my wedding, Lindsey Turk said. Born May 18, 1981 in Montgomery County, VA, he was the son of the late Jerry Wayne Smith and Sandra Cumbee Smith. I feel like Ive let a lot of people down. BLACKSBURG Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock wore a pained expression when asked about Isimemen David Etute on Monday afternoon. He was released on $75,000 bond on Wednesday and will remain under house arrest and electronic monitoring. Smith was found dead the next day, having sustained multiple blunt force traumas to his face and head. Jurors had to stand from the panel to watch the demonstration. on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at St. Paul Independent Lutheran Church at Moyers with Pastor Jerry Smith officiating. Thats always nerve-wracking. He is now suspended from both the team and the university. I felt violated, Etute said, of discovering Smiths identity. Who was more likely to be the aggressor? Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. 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. An autopsy report revealed Smith died from blunt force trauma to the head, the Richmond-Times Dispatch reported. 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. Man died Wednesday. From left: Ismemen David Etute and Jerry Paul Smith, Former College Football Player Accused of Killing Man He Met on Tinder, 73 Photos of Naturally Naked Men by Terry Hastings, 23 Masturbation Tips for People With Vaginas, 22 Terrifying Sexual Fantasies That Must Be Talked About, 30 Kinky Terms Every Gay Man Needs To Know, 10 Sex Toys for All Genders and How to Use Them, Alternative Orgasms: 20 New Ways to Hit the Spot, Black Trans Woman Shot to Death, Found in Burning Building in Milwaukee, Chicago's Lesbian Mayor Lori Lightfoot Resoundingly Loses Reelection, Marsha P. Johnson Institute Celebrates Black Trans Lives, Mississippi Gov. Etutes mother spoke to her son's character, telling the court he is not a flight risk and had never been in any trouble,WDBJ7.com reported. British Summer Time begins in March but do you wind your watch forward Britain braces for brutal -9C Arctic snap: Met Office warns more snow and ice could lash the country next Could Northern Ireland become the UK's Silicon Valley? When laying out the case for granting bond, Etute's attorney had the 18-year-old and his mother take the stand. Both experts testified about a frothy fluid coming out of Smiths mouth that ran down his sweatshirt in the crime scene photos. Judge Mike Fleenor sided with the defense on a pair of notable motions during jury instructions. Former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute and his family have issued a statement to The Roanoke Times, Etute wasacquitted on second. Im not in shock because its the right verdict, but always wondering and worrying about whether you convinced 12 people, Turk said. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. 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. In anobituary, Smith's family remembered restaurant manager whose nephews nicknamed 'Gigi' as a 'polite young man throughout his life'. 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. Jan. 25, 2013), the Government states that this matter remains pre-indictment and is part of ongoing investigation of a possible civil rights violation arising . Isimemen Etute has three siblings including a younger sister, 15, with Down syndrome.Taking the stand, the suspect 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.Etute is currently on suspension from Virginia Tech and its football team. Blacksburg police found Jerry Paul Smith dead in his North Main Street apartment on June 1. Court records indicate authorities have reason to believe Smith had been killed Monday night.Etute reportedly, told police he had punched Smith five times in the face and stomped on him after discovering the person he thought was a woman was a man.All the bones in Smiths face were broken, teeth were missing and he suffered cranial fractures, an autopsy report revealed.Nobody deserves to die, but I dont mind saying, dont pretend you are something that you are not, Etutes attorney, James Turk, told reporters outside of court on Wednesday. At one point during Wednesdays bond hearing, Turk reportedly asked Etute clad in an orange prison jumpsuit how he had been impacted by the charges. Etute then voluntarily got on the courtroom floor for jurors, showing how he says he beat Smith by using a tissue box to represent the victims head, according to the Times. Born May 18, 1981 in Montgomery County, VA, he was the son of the late Jerry Wayne Smith and Sandra Cumbee Smith. Isimemen David Etute, 18, has been charged with second-degree murder. But Etute became so agitated that he began punching Smith, according to information presented by Morgan and by defense attorney Jimmy Turk. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. If it was a man, I was just going to run out, Etute testified. The 18-year-old linebacker heard bubbling and gurgling coming from Smith as he left the apartment, but didnt call the police, the Commonwealth Attorney added. A college football player allegedly stomped his Tinder date to death after he discovered the woman named Angie hes had oral sex with was actually a man. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Isimemen Etute faces traffic charges in Radford from the same day that he is accused of killing Jerry Paul Smith in Blacksburg. Prosecutor Jason Morgan, in arguing against Etute's release on bond, testified that the defendant had met Smith for oral sex April 10, after the two had connected on Tinder. Her body has been cremated. Isimemen Etute, 19, stands accused of the 2021 murder of Jerry Paul Smith, 40, who Etute met under the name "Angie." (Smith's family has identified the victim . Furious motorist is fined 650 after council worker paints disabled bay around his parked car. Turk was able to get the lead detective on the case, Ryan Hite, to tell the jury on Thursday during cross-examination that he would have referred Smiths actions in this case obtaining sex through false pretenses to the commonwealths attorney had he known about them. 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. Jerry Paul Smith, 40 known as Gigi by his nephews of Blacksburg, VA departed this life, June 1, 2021, at his home. Online condolences and [] Isimemen "Isi" David Etute is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jerry Paul Smith, a restaurant worker. Join Facebook to connect with Jerry Paul Smith and others you may know. Then he saw him (Smith) reach for something under the bed and hit him five to six times.. Family handout Etute, who will stay with his parents in Virginia Beach, is due back in court on Sept. 23, WJZY reported . May 18, 1981 - June 1, 2021. Ultimately, authorities will have to decide whether a case is more suitable for federal or state prosecution although cases can be brought in both court systems without violating a defendants protection against double jeopardy, Levin said. Smith was left bubbling and gurgling on the floor of his home, according to what Etute told police, Morgan said. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Isimemen David Etute, left, listens to his defense team in Montgomery County Circuit Court in Christiansbur on Friday. Jurors will be tasked with deciding whether or not the defendant acted in self-defense, as he doesn't deny killing Smith. Enter your email address to follow KonnieMoments1 and receive notifications of new posts by email. Etute was released to his parents shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations most recent hate crime statistics, from 2019, 16.7% of hate crime victims were targeted because of their sexual orientation and 2.7% because of their gender identity. Smiths family attended the packed hearing as well as more than a dozen of Etute's teammates, the Richmond-Times Dispatch reported. She also told the court her son would help take care of his younger sister with special needs. Signs Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Youth, LGBTQ+ People Take Up Arms as Fears of Right-wing Hate Groups Grow, Tennessee Gov. Born May 18, 1981 in Montgomery County, VA, he was the son of the late Jerry . In his opening statements on Wednesday, Defense attorney Jimmy Turk said his client beat Smith because it was the only thing reasonably could do to ensure he got out of Jerry Smiths apartment alive.. Turk told the jury that the defense was unaware police detectives didnt disclose finding a knife until June 17. The gay/trans panic offense was recently struck out of Virginia law so regardless of any other details surrounding what happened, if he was beaten to death this should still be tried as murder. Heaphy, who is now chief counsel at the University of Virginia, said the offender in such a case may claim that he was acting out of shock or surprise at the victims gender, or that deception was involved. Klpsake nuppu Halda stteid lisateabe saamiseks ja oma valikute haldamiseks. The pair met, at which time Smith reportedly gave Etute oral sex. 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