Virginia Tech LB Isimemen Etute indicted on murder charge in beating death

A grand jury indicted suspended Virginia Tech linebacker Isimemen Etute on a second-degree murder charge in the beating death of a Blacksburg resident.

Etute is slated for a Nov. 18 hearing before facing trial in a Montgomery County, Virginia court, the Roanoke Times reports.

Police arrested Etute in June. Prosecutors say Etute, 18, told police that he punched and stomped 40-year-old Blacksburg resident Jerry Smith in the victim's apartment. Smith died from blunt force trauma to the head, according to the county medical examiner. Smith suffered multiple cranial and facial fractures and was missing several teeth, according to the autopsy.

Prosecutors allege that Etute visited Smith's apartment on May 31 to determine whether Smith was male or female after a prior sexual encounter with a person identified as "Angie" on a Tinder profile. A detective testified that Etute told investigators that he allegedly groped Smith in the apartment before engaging in the alleged attack, the Times reports.

Virginia Tech suspended Etute after his arrest. He joined the Hokies as a freshman in 2021 and never played with the team. He was granted $75,000 bond after his arrest and remains on electronic monitoring while living with his family, according to the Times.