i'm like, who saw this coming? >> reporter: but edythe didn't know the worst of it. her close friend denita hadn't died in a tragic accident. police discovered denita had been murdered, shot at almost point blank range. >> it's clearly intentional. >> reporter: and shot in the back of the head. >> dead center. >> reporter: this was an execution. >> exactly. >> reporter: meanwhile denita's mother sharon had arrived from charlotte, still unaware of what had happened. >> where's my baby? and is she all right? >> reporter: now police had to break the horrible news about her oldest daughter. >> and so that's 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? >> uh-uh. because i'm wondering who, why, who would want to do this, it