Former First-Round Pick Darron Lee Arrested, Charged with Murder
Darron Lee, the former Ohio State linebacker who once stood at the center of a national championship defense and later became a first-round NFL draft pick, is now facing serious criminal charges. According to reports, Lee was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence following the death of his girlfriend.
Authorities say the incident occurred near Oolteway Elementary School, where police responded to a call and found Lee’s girlfriend unresponsive inside a home. Despite efforts to save her, she was pronounced dead at the scene. Lee, 31, was identified as the suspect and taken into custody on-site.
This is not the first time Lee has been involved in a legal incident. In 2023, he was arrested in Dublin, Ohio, after a domestic disturbance involving his mother, Candice Lee, and the mother of his child, Lindsey McGlone.
According to police reports from that incident, McGlone called authorities after hearing Candice Lee scream. She told officers she found Darron on top of his mother with a raised fist.
Candice Lee later told police she had come to the home because McGlone said she didn’t feel safe around her son. When she asked Darron to leave, he allegedly shoved her into a wall and punched her multiple times in the face and back of the head.
Police noted visible swelling on Candice Lee’s face. McGlone also told officers that months earlier, on October 17, Darron had allegedly pinned her down in bed and threatened to kill her and their child.
For those who followed Lee’s football career, this is a stunning and tragic turn. At 6-foot-1 and 232 pounds, he was a key piece of Ohio State’s 2015 national championship team, known for his speed, instincts, and ability to make plays in space. That performance helped vault him into the NFL spotlight, where the New York Jets selected him 20th overall in the 2016 draft.
Lee played three seasons with the Jets before stints with the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Raiders. He last appeared in the league in 2021.
Once seen as a rising star with championship pedigree and first-round talent, Lee's post-NFL life has now taken a deeply troubling path. The legal process will unfold in the coming months, but the gravity of the charges paints a grim picture of a former athlete whose life has veered far from the promise it once held.