The suspended Virginia Tech football player accused of beating his tinder date to death has been charged with second-degree murder.
18-year-old Ismemen David Etute initially told cops he went to the apartment of 40-year-old Jerry Smith in April for oral sex after matching with someone named “Angie” on the popular dating app, Tinder.
Etute returned to the apartment on May 31 after the prior sexual encounter to determine if his match was male or female, attorneys and witnesses said at earlier hearings.
Etute told authorities he “stomped” and punched Smith five times in the face. Still, the Virginia Tech linebacker didn’t bother to call the police despite hearing “bubbling and gurgling” noises coming from the victim as he left the apartment.
Cops discovered Smith’s brutally beaten body the next day. An autopsy later confirmed the victim died from blunt force trauma to the head. The report also noted that all of the bones in Smith’s face were broken, and teeth were missing.
Etute’s parents and sister attended Wednesday’s hearing, as well as a dozen Virginia Tech football players, most of whom wore team gear in a show of support.
