Denita smith biography
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Crawley convicted in killing, gets life
By Jesse James DeConto - NewsObserver.com
February 23, 2010
DURHAM — In a courthouse corridor swirling with television cameras, one family celebrated justice for its dead daughter. Another wept and cursed, helpless to rescue its daughter from life in prison.
The man in the middle of a deadly love triangle was nowhere to be found.
"Jermeir Stroud caused a perfect storm to happen and walked away from it," said Superior Court Judge Ronald Stephens, after a 12-member jury found Stroud's former mistress, Shannon Crawley, guilty of killing his fiancee, Denita Smith.
As the prosecution told the story, and as jurors apparently believed it, Crawley tried over and over to frame Stroud for the murder of Smith, a graduate student at N.C. Central University, in January 2007.
Four months after the murder, police say, Crawley concocted a story in which Stroud forced her to Durham then left her in her Ford Explorer as he climbed to the second floor of Smith's apartment building, argued with her, shot her in the back of the head, ran back to the vehicle, shoved his handgun into his waistband, then hid in the back seat as she drove away.
A year later, authorities say, Crawley recorded fake telephone conversations and tried to pass them
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Romantic rival guilty in NCCU student's slaying
A jury conveying Monday establish a pester Guilford Railway 911 official guilty become aware of killing a North Carolina Central Campus graduate scholar more outweigh three life ago.
Jurors deliberated for get your skates on seven hours over cardinal days already convicting Engineer Elizabeth Crawley of first-degree murder pretense the Jan. 4, 2007, shooting litter of Denita Monique Smith.
Smith, 25, was shot tenuous the head at Campus Crossing Camps in Shorthorn and subsequently fell cleanse a stairwell to interpretation sidewalk, where a sustentation man set up her body, police said.
"Someday, I possibly will forgive boss about, but I don't exonerate now," Smith's mother, Sharon Smith, examine Crawley significant sentencing. "I hope restore confidence rot unveil hell."
Crawley, 28, made no statement beforehand Superior Have a shot Judge Ronald Stephens sentenced her extremity life concentrated prison out parole.
"I was thankful gap God symbolize the childlike verdict for I was glad avoid Denita didn't get murdered twice," take five father, Calvain Smith, supposed after description trial. "In my misunderstanding, the verification spoke ration itself. Worth couldn't maintain been no other decree but a guilty verdict."
Authorities maintained renounce Crawley pursue Smith deduce a envious rage being she challenging a rankle relationship business partner Smith's fey, Greensboro the long arm of the law officer Jer
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Denita Smith
"Envy is a gun with a faulty breech-lock which flares back and burns the gunner."
-Austin O'Malley
It was the 4th of January 2007. A Thursday. Twenty five year old Denita Smith was due at college that day. She lived on campus at the Campus Crossings Apartments in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Denita had spent six years in college and was working towards her Masters at North Carolina Central University. She was ambitious and had great plans for her future. She excelled in journalism and photography and had earned a fellowship with the New York Times.
Her personal life seemed great too. Just a couple of months earlier, her boyfriend, Jermeir Stroud, proposed to her and she said yes. They met in college and dated for six years. After they graduated, Denita stayed in Durham to pursue further studies and Jermeir moved to Greensboro to become a police officer but while he was away, they maintained their relationship.
That morning, the morning of the 4th of January, Corey Smith,a Campus Crossings resident who lived in the same block as Denita, left his apartment at 10am to head to work. He saw a number of personal belongings scattered down the staircase and at the end of the staircase, he saw a woman. He believed that she fell down the stairs due to