A Virginia Tech freshman and linebacker has been charged with murder after he beat a gay man to death after discovering that his Tinder hookup was actually a man who posed as a woman on the dating app.
Ismemen David Etute, 18, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder on June 2 over the death of 40-year-old Blackburg, Virginia, resident Jerry Smith.
Smith Posed as 'Angie' on Tinder, Engaged in Oral Sex with Etute
According to Etute's statement to the police, he visited Smith's apartment on April 10 for oral sex after matching with a woman named "Angie" on Tinder. Etute returned to the apartment on May 31 for a second sexual encounter with the woman when he discovered that the person he matched with was actually a man.
Etute told police that he punched the victim , multiple times in the face and "stomped" on him as he hit the ground. He heard "bubbling and gurgling" sounds as he left the apartment but did not call the police.
Smith was found dead in his apartment two days later. According to the county medical examiner, he died from blunt force trauma to the head. Prosecutors said on Wednesday that Smith was missing multiple teeth, had multiple skull fractures and every bone in his face had been broken.
Etute Suspended from the Team, Virginia Tech Issues Statement
Etute was an early enrollee from Virginia Beach and a two-star recruit in the class of 2021. He has since been suspended from the team.
"The Virginia Tech and Town of Blacksburg communities are united in our shared concern for the welfare of all," the university wrote in a statement. "Together, we denounce all acts of violence and stand together in support of one another."
Etute has been released on a $75,000 bond and placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring gear. A judge ordered him to stay with his parents in Virginia and is only allowed to leave home for court appearances. He has also been ordered to have no contact with Smith's family.
