In the middle of Hites testimony, a member of Smiths family left the courtroom, appearing agitated, and said, That was full of s---.. Smith, who allegedly claimed to be a woman named Angie Renee, offered oral sex to Etute, who agreed and met up with Smith under these pretenses for the first time on April 10, 2021. The commonwealth and defense attorneys are now working to agree on the number of witnesses the defense can bring to the trial. Error! The investigation revealed that Smith and Isimemen Etute who was charged with second degree murder in connection with Smith's death were acquaintances. Were watching the victim being put on trial, said State Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Fairfax) during the Feb. 25 vote. Megan Schiffres Dean of Students Officeat 540-231-3787. Etute told Angie to lay over the side of the bed to feel around and determine if she was a woman. Those with information related to this case should contact to Lt. Josh Teubert of the Blacksburg Police Department at 540-443-1424. Judge Mike Fleenor has yet to rule on the defenses motion but said he would do so before jury deliberations. He said Etute and Smith had matched on the dating site Tinder, but Smiths Tinder profile indicated he was a woman named Angie. On this night, however, Etute learned that Angie also went by another name. The jury will consider a second-degree murder charge against Isimemen Etute, a former. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. It was during their second encounter on May 31, 2021, that Etute discovered Smiths identity and allegedly killed him in his apartment on North Main Street in Blacksburg. The attorneys then reached a compromise under which Etute was released on a secured $75,000 bond and will be under house arrest and electronic monitoring, according to the Times. MATT GENTRY, The Roanoke. CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. A jury found former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen "Isi" Etute not guilty of second-degree murder Friday in the death of Blacksburg resident Jerry Paul Smith. Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Le nombre de Saint-Martiniers par km (densit) est de 575.5. Chance of rain 60%. Without a declaration from the deceased regarding their pronouns, name or gender identity, VPM News will refer to the victim as Smith or they/them. Etute was emotionally distraught and started crying upon hearing the news of Smiths death. By then, the panic defense will be illegal in Virginia. Etutes defense team filed two motions on Thursday. Etutes lawyers also asked the court to disregard a 2021 Virginia law banning the so-called gay panic defense. Jimmy Turk, Etutes defense attorney, stated that Etute was not aware of Smiths death until the next day when he was called in by the police to talk. The city remained a mostly rural area, until the 19th century, when it saw its first industrial . And so, simply put, blaming the victim is not going to lead to a reduction in sentence.. Facing Growing Extremism in Denying Care to Transgender People: Report, The Rich Queer History of American Drag Queens, Colorados Gay Governor Signs Gun Control Bills Into Law in Wake of Club Q Shooting, Montana Governor Signs Gender-Affirming Care Ban Despite Nonbinary Son's Pleas. Chance of rain 60%.. Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Referral to a campus cleric may be made through this office. (Dpartement Isre, Rgion Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes) Etute also has a July 22 hearing in Radford, where he faces driving charges that stem from Memorial Day: he was driving a 2019 BMW SUV and was pulled over at 4 p.m. for reckless driving and failing to obey a stop sign according to court records. University and community resources are listed below. A jury trial is scheduled to begin May 25 at 9 a.m. Smith, 40, was found dead in his apartment June 1. Officers say that they do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public. Born May 18, 1981, in Montgomery County, VA, he was the son of the late Jerry Wayne Smith and Sandra Cumbee Smith. 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. The motion argues that Jerry Smith died before the statutes went into effect, and they should not be allowed in this trial. He claimed Etute didnt know Smith was not anatomically a woman in their first encounter. During the June 9 hearing, Etutes attorney James Turk argued it wasnt a simple case of going to an apartment and punching someone. The suspension also includes his standing with the Virginia Tech football team. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Use the 'Report' link on Optima Health Vantage HMO at 866-846-2682, Hokie Wellnessat 540-231-2233 (students) or 540-231-8878 (employees), Office of Housing and Residence Lifeat 540-231-6205, Womens Center at Virginia Techat 540-231-7806. I was just shocked and in disbelief that someone had tricked me and lied to me.. Hite testified that as Etute left, he claimed to hear gurgling noises coming from Smith, who was left lying unconscious on his frontside on the floor space between his wall and bed. Jerry was a restaurant manager and known as a polite young man throughout his life. Field Yates of ESPN reported that Kansas City sent pick No. Those in the Virginia Tech community who need assistance or counseling support may contact: Cook Counseling Centerat 540-231-6557. After being prodded by friends in the prior weeks about whether Angie was actually a woman, Etute admitted he went back to the apartment with twofriends, who waited outside in the hallway of Smith's apartment complex. Etute has a tremendous amount riding on this trial. The second witness was Detective Mike Czernicki, who conducted part of the investigation at the scene of the crime and attended the victims autopsy. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. It was gathered that all the bones in his face were broken and even his teeth were missing. In a June 9 hearing, prosecutors said Etute, who was at the time a linebacker on the colleges football team, told police he punched Smith several times in the face after learning they were not anatomically female. Born May 18, 1981 in Montgomery County, VA, he was the son of the late Jerry Wayne Smith and Sandra Cumbee Smith. Be sure to follow Instagram He previously spent time with Angie and engaged in oral sex with them on April 10. According to testimony given in court, 18-year-old Isimemen David Etute said he went to a Blacksburg apartment to meet Angie, a woman he connected with on Tinder. Thanks to our sponsors Become a Sponsor. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Any updates from the university will be posted to the universitys news and information website,vtx.vt.edu. Sick Of Divisive Attacks On Schools? This bill goes into effect July 1. Once Etute shined his phones flashlight on Smiths face which revealed facial hair and his identity as a man, Etute punched Smith in the face five times and stomped on his head with his foot before leaving. Jerry Paul Smith, 40 known as Gigi by his nephews of Blacksburg, VA departed this life, June 1, 2021, at his home. Jurors will be tasked with deciding whether or not the defendant acted in self-defense, as he doesn't deny killing Smith. He later beat Smith to death. As Smith fell to the ground, Etute punched him five more times before stomping on him till he died. About a dozen states have adopted such laws. Jurors had to stand from the panel to watch the demonstration. "Etute heard 'bubbling and gurgling' as he left the apartment but didn't call the police. Following a sexual encounter at Smith's apartment in Blacksburg, Etute discovered Smith was not an anatomical woman and proceeded to punch them multiple times. He began beating Smith. A Virginia man has been acquitted of murder after using what amounted to a gay/trans "panic" defense, outlawed in the state just a month after the victim's death. Courtesy of Matt Gentry from the Roanoke Times, Suspended Virginia Tech football player appears in court on second-degree murder charge. Former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen David Etute describes an altercation during his murder trial in Montgomery County Circuit Court in Christiansburg, Va., Thursday, May 26 2022. Etute then claimed he got up, stood next to the bed and asked Smith "Why didnt you tell me?" Etute is currently being held at the Montgomery County Jail without bond. Blacksburg police found Jerry Paul Smith dead in his North Main Street apartment on June 1. This was a wicked sexual ruse.". Now, judges have to be clear the Commonwealth does not recognize that defense. An arraignment was held Thursday. An exam indicated every bone in Smiths face was broken, and he had missing and broken teeth. The defendant told the court he believed he bruised [Smith] up a little but was surprised to learn from police that the victim had died. Etute, a Virginia Tech student and athlete, has been placed on interim suspension, effective immediately. The defense, however, argues that the ban did not go into effect until after Etute committed his alleged crimes. The address on file for this person is 119 N Main St Apt 207, Blacksburg, VA 24060-3945 in Montgomery County. That has been an issue here in Virginia previously. Closing arguments were expected to take place Friday, after Turk calls more witnesses, according to the Times. A suspended Virginia Tech football player accused of killing a gay man has said he became enraged after discovering the person he had met for a sexual encounter was male. This wasnt a first-time meeting. Czernicki said that he was able to confirm Smiths identity upon first seeing him because of having at least four previous encounters with him through Czernickis work. Join Facebook to connect with Jerry Paul Smith and others you may know. Turk also refused to comment. New Group Aims To Refocus School Boards On Students, Real Education Policy, Economy (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.). He cant introduce expert testimony about the so-called trans panic.. Heres where the panic defense comes in. If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here. A suspended Virginia Tech football player admitted to police that he beat Blacksburg resident Jerry Paul Smith to death after discovering that Smith, whom the defendant met on the dating app Tinder and with whom he agreed to engage in sexual acts, was a man, prosecutors said, citing police statements.. Ismemen David Etute, who appeared in Montgomery County District Court in Virginia on . Does American culture promote a healthy work-life balance. The Registered Agent on file for this company is Jerry Paul Smith and is located at 119 N Main St Apt 207, Blacksburg, VA 24060-3945. His body was discovered the following day, and Ismemen David Etute, 18, of Virginia Beach was arrested June 2. All rights reserved. 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, a linebacker with the Virginia Tech Hokies, is currently being held in the Montgomery County Jail without bond. Jerry Paul Smith was killed May 31 at his home in Blacksburg, Va. A medical examiner ruled he died of blunt force trauma to the head; an autopsy further revealed that every bone in his face was broken and that he had skull fractures, the Roanoke Times reports. The second motion relates to the gay panic defense statutes that were passed by the General Assembly and went into effect in July 2021. Etute believed that the person he had hooked up with was a woman named Angie. To their family and co-workers, Angie was known as 40-year-old restaurant manager Jerry Paul Smith. Enraged, Etute landed blows on Smith and punched him on the face five times, court records say. That's just wrong.". The prosecution showed jurors several pictures of Smith's lifeless, bloodied body. Etute had pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder for the blunt force trauma death in 2021 of Jerry Smith. Who was more likely to be the aggressor? racist or sexually-oriented language. Born May 18, 1981 in Montgomery County, VA, he was the son of the late Jerry Wayne Smith and Sandra Cumbee Smith. Tax Code Causes Problems For LGBTQ Couples, New THC Laws to Take Effect in Virginia July 1, Sick Of Divisive Attacks On Schools?
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