A Montgomery County Circuit Court found former Virginia Tech linebacker Isimemen Etute not guilty in the May 2021 beating death of Blacksburg resident Jerry Smith, according to ESPN's David M. Hale and Tonya Simpson.
Smith and Etute initially met in April 2021 on the dating app Tinder.
According to testimony, Smith, who was an out gay man, presented himself on the app as a 21-year-old woman named Angie Renee. Etute, who thought he was meeting a woman, met Smith at his apartment on April 10.
One of Etute's teammates, who went to Smith's apartment with him, testified that Smith hid his real identity during their encounter.