On May 31, another Virginia Tech player, Jalen Hampton, also connected with 'Angie Renee' on Tinder. Both players initially left, but Etute returned to the apartment, and testified that he received oral sex and a $50 gift from Smith.Įtute testified that he left the April 10 encounter still believing Smith was a woman, but teammates later began teasing him that his sexual partner could have been a man. Elder testified that he was disturbed by the circumstances of the meeting, in which Smith hid his face and kept his apartment nearly pitch dark. 'I think the school that ends up taking him is going to get probably a lot wiser and a much smarter and an exceptional athlete.'Įtute was arrested June 2, 2021, and charged with the May 31 murder of Jerry Smith, a local Blacksburg man who had posed as a woman online to meet straight, college-aged men.Īccording to testimony, Etute first connected with Smith in April 2021 on the dating app Tinder, with Smith posing as a woman going by the name 'Angie Renee.' Along with teammate Da'Shawn Elder, Etute went to Smith's Blacksburg apartment on April 10 under the assumption that he was meeting a woman.
'I think he's earned the right to go back to school and further his academic and sports career,' Turk said. After the verdict, Etute's lawyer, James Turk, said his client deserved a second chance at a football career following the jury's decision.
