A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 2p.m. (Smith's family has identified the victim as a gay man, according to ABC affiliate WSET, and Smith is not listed on the Human Rights Campaign's compendium of transgender and non-conforming people killed in 2021.). Turk spent much of his closing statement arguing Etute, who testified on his own behalf, acted in self-defense after Smith swung at him and reached under his mattress. Princess Diana's nieces Lady Eliza and Amelia share 'Appalled and sickened but not surprised at all': Fury of Covid families as WhatsApps 'show Matt Hancock Head over heels for Kate! Nobody deserves to die, but I dont mind saying, dont pretend you are something that you are not, Turk told reporters outside the courtroom. The facts for the most part in this case are not contested, Jensen said, in his closing statement. The prosecution relied on expert testimony from the likes of state medical examiner Dr. Amy Tharp and forensic Detective Mike Czernicki to make sure the jury understood the level of damage Etute inflicted. CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - The trial of former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute began in court Wednesday. A former Virginia Tech football player accused of killing a man who gave him oral sex has been set free by a Virginia jury. Etute, a member of Virginia Tech's 2021 recruiting class, was suspended from the team after he was charged. The company's filing status is listed as Active and its File Number is 11125522. Edit: And for more proof that "Angie Renee" and Jerry Smith are the same person, the laptop with the Vineyard Vines sticker on "Angie's . His family asked that donations be sent in Jerry's honor to St. Jude's Children's Hospital in lieu of flowers. Thetwo first met April 10 for oral sex, during which Etute was still under the impression Smith was a woman,Montgomery County Commonwealths Attorney Mary Pettitt told theMontgomery County General District Court during a bond hearing on Wednesday morning. Signs Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Youth, LGBTQ+ People Take Up Arms as Fears of Right-wing Hate Groups Grow, Tennessee Gov. A spokeswoman for the FBI has said the agency is assisting in the investigation. 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.. You have permission to edit this article. Who was more likely to be the aggressor? The 18-year-old linebacker heard 'bubbling and gurgling' coming from Smith as he left the apartment, but didn't call the police, the Commonwealth Attorney added. 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 . Police found Smiths body in his apartment on June 1, and Etute was arrested and charged on June 2. Etute appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on Thursday, Sept. 23 in connection with the death of 40-year-old Jerry Paul Smith of Blacksburg on May 31. The violence struck close to home, said Jim Best, regional coordinator for the Floyd chapter of PFLAG, one of the oldest and largest organizations for lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer people and their families. Thats just wrong.. on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at St. Paul Independent Lutheran Church at Moyers with Pastor Jerry Smith officiating. It certainly is one that could be investigated as a possible federal hate crime, said Brian Levin, a law professor at California State University and director of the schools Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. Etute matched with Smith on Tinder but Smith's profile indicated he was a woman named 'Angie,' Etute's attorney James Turk told DailyMail.com. Posted on June 10, 2021 by konniemoments in Assault, Crime, Homicide, News // 1 Comment. 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. Im trying to stay strong for the people that support me, I feel like Ive let a lot of people down. Everything he (Smith) did was evil, Turk said, in his closing statement. They connected on Tinder, a dating app, weeks earlier after Smith, who identified as an openly gay man, presenting himself online as a 21-year-old emergency room physician named Angie Renee. Listen to the story. Turk told DailyMail.com that Smith had multiple social media accounts where he posed as a woman named 'Angie.'. Isimemen David Etute demonstrates the altercation he was involved in to as Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Patrick Jensen, left, looks on in Montgomery County Circuit Court in Christiansburg Va., Thursday May 26 2022. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute, 19, was found not guilty on a charge of second-degree murder in the death of Jerry Paul Smith, 40, after the jury deliberated for three hours. Dont target or lure anyone under that perception. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Ismemen Etute is seen on a Fox 46 broadcast. It is the right decision and right now Im still just overwhelmed.. No one has identified Smith as transgender; his family has said he was a gay man. CHRISTIANSBURG Virginia Tech football player Ismemen David Etute will be back in Montgomery County General District Court on Wednesday morni. I feel like Ive let a lot of people down. Following the revelation, Etute punched Smith in the face five times before he fell to the ground. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Smith performed oral sex on Etute on April 10, and Etute returned to the apartment with two of his former teammates in May seeking to determine if Smith was a man or woman. Closing arguments were expected to take place Friday, after Turk calls more witnesses, according to the Times. Nobody deserves to die, but I dont mind saying, dont pretend you are something that you are not, Turk later told reporters. Jerry Paul Smith, 40 known as Gigi by his nephews of Blacksburg, VA departed this life, June 1, 2021, at his home. The defense painted a more complex picture of the case while emphasizing the criminal nature of Smiths conduct. All of the bones in Smiths face were broken, his teeth were knocked out, and he had cranial fractures, Morgan said. Hes going to get his life back, and Im hopeful., Jury instructions in the spotlight on day three. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! I felt violated, Etute said, of discovering Smiths identity. Etute, an 18-year-old freshman who enrolled at midyear, was charged last week with killing Jerry Paul Smith, 40, a Blacksburg restaurant worker, in a downtown apartment on Memorial Day. He has been a reporter for The Roanoke Times for more than three decades. For example, Congress expanded the definition of hate crimes in 2009, adding protections against crimes based on gender identity or sexual orientation and allowing a federal prosecution when it is in the public interest. No cause of death has been released. In the courtroom, defense attorney Jimmy Turk of Radford said that Smith had solicited Etute for sex. The 18-year-old was charged with the death of Blacksburg restaurant manager Jerry Paul Smith after allegedly punching and stomping the 40-year-old multiple times on May 31. Mr Etute, who was a player at Virginia Tech, matched with Smith on the app and went to "Angie's . In a June 9 hearing, prosecutors said Etute, who was at the time a linebacker on the college's football team, told police he punched Smith several times in the face after learning they were not anatomically female. Context: Isimemen Etute is an 18 male football player about to start at Virginia Tech. 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 Etute is currently on suspension from Virginia Tech and its football team. Absolutely horrific, Roem tweeted. Im just thankful for this jury. A VirginiaTech linebacker allegedly stomped his Tinder date to death after he discovered the woman named 'Angie' he's had oral sex with was actually a man. Its also a reminder to my legislative colleagues who tried to grill me about whether we really needed to ban the LGBTQ panic defense that, yes, we did.. Facebook gives people the. 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 . When the verdict was read to the courtroom, Etutes father, David, collapsed in his seat while his wife Nichelle sobbed. When do the clocks change in 2023? He was released on $75,000 bond on Wednesday and is to remain under house arrest and electronic monitoring. His teeth had also been knocked out. Etute then returned to the apartment on May 31 for another meet-up, at which point he discovered the person he had matched up with this time was male, according to Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Jason Morgan, citing details the now-suspended linebacker told cops. 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. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, Jerry Paul Smith after allegedly punching. There just needs to be a scintilla, and there may be all there is in this case, its not that much, Fleenor said, in siding with the defense. Turks eldest daughter Lindsey, who had never seen her father argue a case, said the closing argument was the best speech she had ever heard. 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. He was suspended from the squad last week. But the reality is that trans people often conceal parts of themselves expressly to avoid the violence, harassment, and discrimination that is so often directed against us, Rosenthal continued. Turks remarks prompted waves of comments online and elsewhere. 69-year-old suffers stroke in his N.C. home; Realtor showing house leaves him there. Please subscribe to keep reading. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). The 19-year-old is accused of fatally beating Jerry Paul Smith, 40, after the two met on Tinder in May 2021. Czernicki testified that Smith coughed up the blood all over the closet door after falling to the ground. He can be reached at mike.gangloff@roanoke.com or (540) 381-1669. Ismemen David Etute, 18, (pictured) was charged in the death of Jerry Smith after allegedly punching and stomping after he discovering he was actually a man, Etute was released on $75,000 bond on Wednesday and will remain under house arrest and electronic monitoring. This is trial by ambush, Jensen argued. Calling Smiths death horrific, Cobb said that though many details remain unknown, the part that stood out to him was that it involved two consenting adults who had already had one sexual encounter. BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - Surveillance video shows three people leaving quickly from Jerry Smith's Blacksburg apartment May 31.. We've blurred their faces until police confirm their identities . Federal law makes it a crime to willfully cause bodily injury because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of any person.. Born May 18, 1981 in Montgomery County, VA, he was the son of the late Jerry Wayne Smith and Sandra Cumbee Smith. "It is . Online condolences and [] The police searching Smiths apartment found a knife hidden between the mattress and box spring in the spot where Etute alleged the attack took place. The charges are a footnote to mistaken-gender killing, of which Isimemen David Etute was acquitted. In anobituary, Smiths family remembered restaurant manager whose nephews nicknamed Gigi as a polite young man throughout his life. Born May 18, 1981 in Montgomery County, VA, he was the son of the late Jerry Wayne Smith and Sandra Cumbee Smith. BLACKSBURG Jerry Paul Smith didn't like to leave his family hanging. Jerry Paul Smith . [3] The pair met, at which time Smith reportedly gave Etute oral sex. The Registered Agent on file for this company is Jerry Paul Smith and is located at 119 N Main St Apt 207 Suite 207, Blacksburg, VA 24060-3945. Isimemen David Etute, 18, has been charged with second-degree murder. This story was updated Friday morning with comments about HB 2132 from Del. The defense, however, argues that the ban did not go into effect until after Etute committed his alleged crimes. VIVID AFFAIRS LLC is a Virginia Domestic Limited-Liability Company filed on October 22, 2020. Etute was arrested on June 2 and charged with second-degree murder.He was released on $75,000 bond on Wednesday and is to remain under house arrest and electronic monitoring. Jerry Paul Smith, 40 known as Gigi by his nephews of Blacksburg, VA departed this life, June 1, 2021, at his home. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Last of 13 Radford University 'frat brawl' defendants is sentenced, Richmond's John Marshall boys basketball reclaims No. 1 ranking in country, Radford coach Darris Nichols apologizes for DUI. After a near-anonymous sexual encounter with Angie and her apartment on April 10, 2021 during which Etute allegedly told detectives she kept her place dark, hid her face with a hoodie and paid him $50 after performing oral sex on him, according to ABC affiliate WJLA Etute allegedly said he began to suspect Angie was not a woman. Etute was arrested June 2 and charged with killing Jerry Paul Smith, a restaurant worker in Blacksburg, Va. All the bones in Smith's face were broken, teeth were missing and he suffered cranial . EXCLUSIVE: Lanzarote sticks to its guns and insists it WILL limit tourists and move away from relying on Nearly half of British viewers believe ethnic minorities and LGBT communities are over-represented on TV, Is YOUR wood burner at risk? Thats just wrong.. US firms waiting in the wings read to pump 'billions Parents' fury as schools STILL won't tell them if they are closed tomorrow as teacher strikes continue. Jerry Smith. Smith, he testified, chuckled, reaching for Etutes crotch with one hand and down the side of the bed with the other. 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