Former Virginia Tech football player, Isimemen Etute, was found not guilty in the death of a Blacksburg man.
CHRISTIANSBURG, VA — Former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute was found not guilty on all charges Friday in the beating death of a Blacksburg resident as a result of an online catfishing campaign.
Etute, a Virginia Tech freshman linebacker at the time of the event in May 2021, was charged with second-degree murder, which carries a five- to 40-year sentence, but the jury might have convicted him on the lower charge of voluntary manslaughter. Instead, the jury believed Etute’s self-defense claim that he feared for his life after seeing the victim reach for his bed, where a knife was later discovered.
Etute burst into tears as the verdict was delivered, prompting shouts from a crowd of approximately 30 family members, supporters, and former teammates.
Following the ruling, Etute’s lawyer, James Turk, stated that his client deserved a second opportunity in football.
“I believe he has earned the right to return to school and pursue his academic and athletic goals,” Turk added. “I believe the school that accepts him will become a lot wiser and smarter, as well as an amazing athlete.
Etute was arrested June 2 2021 and charged with the May 31 murder of Jerry Smith, a local Blacksburg male who had disguised as a woman online to meet straight, college-aged guys.
According to testimony, Etute met Smith on the dating app Tinder in April 2021, when Smith posed as a woman named Angie Renee. On April 10, Etute and teammate Da’Shawn Elder went to Smith’s Blacksburg residence, believing he was meeting a girlfriend. Elder said that he was worried by the meeting’s circumstances, which included Smith hiding his face and keeping his flat nearly completely dark. Both participants originally fled, but Etute returned to the residence and testified to having received oral sex.
Etute said that he left the April 10 encounter assuming Smith was a woman, but teammates later teased him about the possibility that his sexual partner was a man.
On May 31, another Virginia Tech player, Jalen Hampton, matched with “Angie Renee” on Tinder. He, too, went to the apartment hoping to have a sexual experience with a woman, but opted to leave after becoming uncomfortable. Hampton and Smith then made contact with Etute, with Smith encouraging him to “put in a good word” for his friend.
Etute and Hampton, along with a third player, Jordan Brunson, agreed to return to Smith’s apartment to find out his gender. Etute stated that if he had discovered Smith was a woman, another sexual encounter could have occurred, but
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