Ex-College Athlete Acquitted In Beating Death Of Man He Thought Was A Woman

Christiansburg, Virginia -- A 19-year-old former Virginia Tech football player accused of beating to death a Tinder date after mistaking him for a woman was acquitted of second-degree murder Friday.

Isimemen Etute was found not guilty in the 2021 death of 40-year-old Jerry Smith after the college athlete's lawyer argued he acted in self-defense, The Roanoke Times reported.

A Christiansburg, Virginia, jury deliberated for approximately three hours before handing down the verdict, according to the report.

Etute was 18 when he fatally beat Smith at the Blacksburg, Virginia, restaurant worker’s apartment on May 31, 2021, according to court testimony.

The two had connected on Tinder weeks earlier after Smith, who identified as an openly gay man, presented himself online as a 21-year-old emergency room physician named Angie Renee.

Smith performed oral sex on Etute on April 10 that year, the report said. The next month, the teen returned to the victim's apartment to verify his gender.

The linebacker groped Smith before allegedly beating him to death, a detective testified.

Defense attorney Jimmy Turk referred to Smith as a “deceitful and dishonest man” who “defrauded young men for his own sexual gratification.”

Turk also said Smith was “controlling the entire environment and the entire episode.” He said that the 40-year-old man had “demanded that it be dark” and had hidden a knife under his mattress “in case there was something awry,” ABC News reported.

The lawyer argued that Etute acted in self-defense and that the athlete's fear and the victim’s weapon were not considered by police.

In his testimony, Etute told the court that he felt "violated" that his date lied about his gender.

Etute claimed that Smith had reached for what he thought was a gun. Police did not find a gun, but authorities found the knife between the man's mattress and box spring.

Etute admitted that he punched Smith five times and kicked him to escape the apartment.

However, prosecutor Patrick Jensen argued that Smith was in no position to get his knife. He also said that the 153-pound man was no physical match for the “elite college athlete,” who was listed as 6-foot-3, 205 pounds.

“That’s a big disparity,” Jensen said.

Etute faced five to 40 years in prison if he had been convicted.

He was suspended by Virginia Tech and the Hokies football team after being charged with murder.