Ex-Virginia Tech player pleads not guilty in beating death

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — A former Virginia Tech football player accused of fatally beating a man he met on an online dating site and initially believed to be a woman has pleaded not guilty to a second-degree murder charge. The Roanoke Times reports the arraignment of Isimemen David Etute was held Thursday in Montgomery County Circuit Court. Etute is scheduled to face trial Wednesday, accused in the death of 40-year-old Jerry Smith. Authorities said Etute visited Smith’s apartment in April last year and returned that May to determine if the person he matched with was male or female. The medical examiner’s office said Smith died from blunt force trauma to the head.