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New details emerge as Virginia Tech football player Isi Etute remains jailed after bond hearing

Mike Niziolek 40 min ago

CHRISTIANSBURG — Virginia Tech football player Ismemen David Etute was granted bond Wednesday morning in Montgomery County General District Court, but will remain in jail after the commonwealth filed an expedited appeal. ... Etute was arrested and charged with second-degree murder on June 2 in the death of Jerry Paul Smith, a Blacksburg restaurant worker.

Judge Randal Duncan set a secured bond of $75,000 with Etute set to be released to live with his family in Virginia Beach. The only restriction Duncan put in place was that Etute have no contact with the victim family. ... The appeal puts Etute’s release on hold for up to five days with both sides hoping to have Circuit Judge Mike Fleenor hear the appeal either Thursday or Friday.

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Commonwealth's Attorney Jason Morgan argued against bail, and revealed new details about the case based on statements Etute gave to the police. ... According to those police statements, Etute visited the victim's apartment on April 10 for oral sex after he was matched up with someone named "Angie" on Tinder. Etute returned to the apartment May 31 to engage in sexual activity and discovered the person he was matched up with was a man.

Etute told the police he punched the victim five times in the face and continued punching them when the person hit the ground and "stomped" on them. He heard "bubbling and gurgling" as he left the apartment, but didn't call the police. ... According to the autopsy, all the bones in Smith's face were broken, his teeth were missing and he had multiple cranial fractures. The medical examiner's office had previously revealed that Smith had died from blunt force trauma to the head.

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