He saw. He told me he saw a female that was about 510. She pulls off and takes off out of the complex. What did she know . She said, im in fear of my life. The story starts to unravel. A secret tape. Why are you whispering . You know why. Because somebodys listening. A secret lover. He wanted her to come back to him. And she didnt. And a secret revealed. As were getting ready to finish up the interview someone hands me a note. Who killed denita . Youve told me some things youd only admit to your priest, and you cant tell me this last little piece of the puzzle. Why . Reporter the darkroom is where a photographers vision comes to life, allowing others to see the world through their eyes. And with these shots, we can learn a little about the world this young photographer saw. And her sense of exactly when to snap the shutter. To capture the world in front of her. Its an impressive portfolio belonging to a young woman named denita smith. She began looking through a lens in childhood, and never stopped as her mother sharon remembers. Shes always loved the camera. The camera was her friend. The camera was her way of expressing herself. Reporter denita was beginning to turn all that talent into a successful trade; working as photojournalist on the Student Newspaper at North CarolinaCentral University in durham. She would see things that probably the average person wouldnt see. Reporter but there was something denita didnt see coming. A blind spot in her seemingly perfect life. Something she never anticipated. Never imagined. But maybe no one could. It was january 4, 2007. A crisp carolina morning. Denita had a busy day ahead as classes were about to resume after christmas break. Denita loved school. And she was planning to go back and get her doctorate. And get married and have a family. And somewhere along the line, work in this business . Exactly. Reporter in fact, denita had won a New York Times fellowship. Her close friend and classmate Edythe Kearns. Denita just always knew what she wanted. She always had a vision and a goal. And she would make a plan and stick to it and take it step by step until she met that goal. Reporter denita lived in the campus crossings apartments, near the university. Around 8am, a 911 call came in from another student at the same complex. Durham 911, where is your emergency . I think this girl just fell down the stairs. Shes at the bottom of the stairs, head busted up and blood everywhere. Okay, is she responding to you at all . Shes not even moving. Do you want me to get her id out of her pocket . If you can. Her name is Denita Monique Smith. Okay. Denita monique smith. Denita she aint moving man. Reporter denita seemed to have perhaps lost her balance and fallen down the stairs. Police and paramedics rushed to the complex. The college was quickly notified, as was denitas family. Miss smith, denita fell. Shes unconscious, but theyre trying to revive her. He said, are you coming to durham . And im still trying to wrap my head around, you fell, unconscious, revive. I said yes, im coming. Reporter sharon and her two other children lived in charlotte, almost a threehour drive from durham. On my way there i did call jermeir. Reporter that was Jermeir Stroud, denitas fiance, a Police Officer who worked in greensboro, much closer to durham. And i said, jermeir, i need you to get to durham now. Denita has fell. Shes unconscious. Theyre trying to revive her. So he said okay. Because i knew from greensboro to durham he would be there before i would. Could you tell whether he had any idea of this . He didnt let on like he was aware. Reporter word spread fast that something had happened at the apartment complex. Edythe called to check on denita. And she wasnt answering. Which was you know, after i call your phone several times as a best friend, you know, somebodys going to call you back. So i was like, thats strange. So my instinct just said call jermeir really quick just to touch bases with him. Reporter by now Jermeir Stroud had left work and was racing to durham. I spoke to jermeir. And im like, have you made contact with her . But i felt like i didnt get a definite answer. It seemed like there was a little bit of confusion. What do you mean . Like when i said, did you speak with her, and he didnt really give me a yes or a no. He just sound a little rushed like, edythe, you know, just sit tight. Stay calm. Im sure, you know, well get to her. Reporter also rushing to get to denita was her mother, sharon smith, who was driving to durham from charlotte. Youre thinking this is an accident. Uhhuh. But shes going to be okay . Uhhuh. I thought she was at the hospital. Reporter Durham Police arrived and taped off the scene. We found denita at the bottom of the steps, and we were basically there was a pretty Large Police Presence at the time. Reporter detective shawn pate wasnt sure exactly what he was dealing with, but it was beginning to look a lot more serious than just an accident on the stairs. However, we werent able to determine what the injuries were. We saw there was blood coming from her head, she had her purse, she had water bottle, lipstick, keys, that kind of thing. All coming down the staircase. And first thing im wondering is, was there a struggle . Was her wallet there . The wallet was there. And money in it . There must have been because at first we didnt think it was a robbery. Reporter edythe, who knew none of this, now rushed to denitas building, where she hoped to find her close friend but instead was greeted by several of the universitys professors. I was like, what are you all doing here . And they were like, you know, unfortunately shes not alive. Everything in me, you know, just went into shock, of course. I kept saying, you know, i want to see her. I was like, are you sure . Maybe its mistaken identity. Im like, shes not dead, this cant be. Reporter Denita Monique Smith was just 25 years old and engaged to be married. Now her fiance, Jermeir Stroud, who had also arrived on scene, was given the awful news. Howd jermeir look . Like a blank expression. He was calm. And he was like you know, its going to be okay. He was like, calm down. I was like, my heart is breaking right now. Im like, and its breaking for you, too. Because im like, this is your future wife. Im like, who saw this coming . Reporter but edythe didnt know the worst of it. Her close friend denita hadnt died in a tragic accident. Police discovered denita had been murdered, shot at almost point blank range. Its clearly intentional. Reporter and shot in the back of the head. Dead center. Reporter this was an execution. Exactly. Reporter meanwhile denitas mother sharon had arrived from charlotte, still unaware of what had happened. Wheres my baby . And is she all right . Reporter now police had to break the horrible news about her oldest daughter. And so thats when they explained that denita was found and she had been shot. And she was dead. And at that point my life just changed completely. Reporter nothing prepares you for that, does it . Uhuh. Because im wondering who, why, who would want to do this, it just doesnt make sense. Reporter why would anyone want to kill the popular and lovely denita . When we come back he told me he saw a female that was about 510. Reporter police hear from a witness who saw something odd and suspicious. He says, let me call the police. And then she pulls off and takes off out of the complex. Off out of the complex. Why be in the kitchen. When you can be in the moment . Olive garden now offers catering delivery. We make the food and deliver it to your door. So you can enjoy whats important. Sc johnson oh, hi ooh. Hi goodbye thick sunscreen. Hi [ awkwardly laughing ] hello coppertone clearly sheer. It provides beach level protection thats ultra light to let your skin breathe. Coppertone clearly sheer. Hello sunshine. General mills is removing artificial flavors and colors from our cereals. So you can love cereal. Again what is freedom . Yes, its riding a horse across fields and stuff but its mostly getting to watch your directv with unlimited data from at t. Were setting families free. So they can stream away and not squabble over whos using how much. So go, family. Watch. Freedom. Seize the data get unlimited data when you have at t wireless and directv. Switch and get up to 650 credits, per line. Reporter denita smith probably never saw it coming. One shot, a clean hit from behind. The killer was apparently lying in wait on the apartments second floor landing as denita walked down the stairs from her third floor unit, said Durham Police detective shawn pate. There were four apartments on that landing. I think that someone was there pretending they were knocking on the door or fumbling for keys. Reporter so denita probably would have had to walk right past the shooter . Probably good morning, how are you, then turn and go down the steps. Reporter bang. And thats it. Reporter denita murdered. Executed in broad daylight. It made no sense. Her bff edythe says denita simply didnt have any enemies. Denita was a light in this dark world. She had a beautiful spirit. She was loving. She was kind. She was supportive. She embodied everything that was positive and about supporting people. Reporter there was no one who didnt like her . Right. She was well respected and well loved. Reporter especially by her fiance, Jermeir Stroud, who appeared devastated by denitas death. Jermeir didnt say anything. Jermeir cried. We all cried. He didnt really say a whole lot. Reporter jermeir and denita had met back in college and became the it couple on campus. They had been dating for a few years. And you know, before i even met him denita spoke very highly of him. Reporter whatd she say . Like hes a gentleman, hes intelligent. Hes active, involved, wellrounded, hes kind, he respects me. He protects me. Hes loving. Reporter the perfect guy . The perfect guy. The perfect guy. Reporter he was apparently even perfect enough for denitas cautious mother, sharon smith, who came to trust that jermeir was the right guy for her precious daughter. I knew what he would be getting, but i didnt know what she would be getting. So i tried to find every reason to not like him. Reporter howd you do . I failed, because he was very polite. He was very respectful. I would always tell jermeir, you take care of my baby. This is precious cargo. And he promised me that he would, that he wouldnt let anything hurt her. So i said, okay. Reporter now Police Wanted to talk to Jermeir Stroud. Greensboro police have confirmed smith was engaged to officer Jermeir Stroud. Stroud has been an officer with the Greensboro Police department for four years. The mere fact that he was her fiance immediately made stroud a person of interest. Jermeir insisted he knew nothing about who killed denita. Jermeir was at home asleep because he had just worked a night shift the day before. Reporter so he was off duty . He was off duty. Its not unbelievable. It just makes it harder to rule him out. Reporter so theres no proof he was anywhere. Except for the fact that his phone was at his house on his nightstand plugged in. Reporter but by all accounts, Jermeir Stroud loved denita dearly. It didnt make sense that he would kill the woman to whom he had just proposed. They were planning a big wedding. Now after speaking with detectives, jermeir headed back home to greensboro, his life changed forever. And then, two hours after the murder, detectives got a lead. Durham 911, where is your emergency . At campus crossings apartments. Reporter they discovered a second 911 call that had come in around the time denita was killed. Im hearing gunshots coming from somewhere around here. Reporter the caller was the apartments maintenance supervisor, whod been working near denitas unit. When he heard the shot, hed looked up in that direction and he told me he saw a female that was about 510, hair in a ponytail, and had some kind of emblems on her clothing. The young lady that stays over here, she heard it too and shes like upset and shaking and stuff like that. She was covering her face and she went and got into her truck and started driving away. Reporter this woman looked frightened or he said like she was distraught. She had her hands over her face and moving quickly. Reporter like theyre horrified by what theyve seen. Correct. Reporter so more witness than perpetrator maybe. Thats exactly what he thought. Reporter then, according to the Maintenance Man, the woman got into a burgundycolored Ford Explorer which he then followed in his truck. He pulls up beside her, so theyre kind of looking directly at each other, eyeball to eyeball, and she still has her hands over her face. And he says, maam, did you hear a shot or something . And she shakes her head up and down yes. And he says, whered it come from . And she points her head in one direction and he says, why are you nervous . And shes like, you heard the shot. And he says let me call the police. And then she pulls off and takes off out the complex. Reporter what do you make of that . Thats kind of like make the hair on the back of our neck stand up. Reporter so now Police CalledJermeir Stroud, who was on his way back home to greensboro, and asked one simple question. Do you know anyone that drives a burgundy ford suv . And he said, oh, my god. Im turning around now. Reporter a secret affair. They start having a relationship that actually started kind of like friendly but then turned sexual. Reporter what, if anything, did it have to do with denitas murder . Murder . I am a migraine sufferer. My mom wants to understand, but she just cant see it. So excedrin worked with me to show my mom what i experience during a migraine. Excedrin relieves my pain and symptoms. But their dedication to migraine sufferers doesnt stop there. Oh my god. Im so sorry, honey, that you go through this. Now i finally feel understood. Experience more stories at excedrin. Com reporter just a few hours after his fiancees murder, Jermeir Stroud made the biggest uturn of his life. He was headed home to greensboro to mourn the loss of denita smith when detectives called him about a break in the case. A woman driving a burgundy suv had been spotted at the crime scene. Did jermeir know her . Yes, he said, he did. Starting with her name. Shannon crawley. And one more thing. Like jermeir she also worked in Law Enforcement. He met shannon back in 2000 when he was in the police academy. Shannon was a 911 communicator and she was one of the people that was in the training session. Reporter shannon was 21 then. Tall, striking, and single, raising two kids. And this is her family. Brother keith jr. And her parents anne and keith crawley. She was determined to give her kids a good life and a nice home. And a good education. Very caring and loving mother. And if you ask her, shed say, im just a mom. And thats how she put it, im just a mom. Reporter now at the Durham PoliceDepartment Detectives wanted to know more about shannons relationship with Jermeir Stroud, so they interviewed jermeir, who was cooperative, but guarded. He said, yeah, she caught my eye. I mean, shes 510, long pretty hair, thin. And we spoke for a short time. That was in 2000. Around 2004 they bumped in again through work and he asked her for her number. Reporter and at this point hes involved with denita. Involved with denita. And he actually said that he told shannon in 2000 that he was in involved with denita. Well, in 2004 they start having a relationship that actually started kind of like friendly but then turned sexual toward the end of 2004. Reporter and shannon drives a burgundy suv. Correct. Reporter first detectives had a murder. Now a love triangle. Detective pate pressed jermeir for more details about the two women in his life. I said, well, have they ever met . And he said, no, theyve never met, but i used to have a picture of denita in my house on my television and when shannon would help me move in, she saw the picture. Reporter shannon knew about denita. Shannon knew about denita, but denita had no clue. And everyone i spoke to about denita said if she even suspected she would have been out of that relationship, she had too much dignity for that. Reporter this was an affair jermeir was hiding. Correct. Reporter remember, jermeir lived in greensboro near shannon, but 50 miles away from denita, the woman jermeir was officially involved with at the time. It was a tale of two cities and two women. Jermeir and denita were dating, though not yet engaged. And he was also seeing shannon, and that seemed more serious than just a fling. Reporter did jermeir disclose to you that he had gotten shannon pregnant . He did. Reporter and that she had an abortion . Correct. Reporter shannons mother ann says her daughter had the abortion because the pregnancy wasnt viable. But she claims that when jermeir found out he was very upset. He had contacted the doctor to find out if what she said was true about the pregnancy being viable. And the doctor refused to talk to him. And that made him angry. Reporter jermeir wanted to keep the baby and yeah, yeah. Reporter and raise the baby with shannon . With shannon, yeah. Reporter doesnt sound to me like their relationship was over. Sounds to me like it was going pretty well. No. It was over. In fact, he had said to her that if you dont want the baby, you know, ill take the baby. Reporter shannon went through with the abortion. But by this time, jermeir told detectives, his relationship with shannon had taken a big turn. There was no more sleeping together. Going shopping together, that kind of thing. It was more just a voice on the phone. Or see you in passing at work. Reporter so basically, they broke it off. They did. Reporter a year before denita was killed . A year. Reporter now after the murder, word of jermeirs twotiming spread quickly. Denitas mother, sharon. Im angry. Im mad. Because it never should have happened. You were in a serious relationship. You know, why you felt you had to step out, dont understand. You dont hurt the ones you love. Reporter the divorce rate in this country would suggest that we hurt the ones we love all the time. Thats true. But its kind of bad when you going into the marriage being foul. Not saying th