no murder weapon. but during the autopsy the medical examiner did find one thing, the bullet that killed denita. police now hoped that mangled slug might provide a lead on who pulled the trigger. what kind of gun killed denita smith? all we could say is that the bullet itself was in the family of it had enough weight to be a .38-caliber round. reporter: by now denita s death was big news across durham. durham investigators say the shooting was not a random act. reporter: assistant district attorney david saacks was keeping a close eye on this now high-profile case. one that he might actually prosecute if a killer was ever caught. it was so obvious that it was not a robbery. and so if she was targeted for some reason, there was a very, very, very limited number of people who would target denita for something like this. and jermeir certainly could have been one of them. reporter: jermeir stroud, denita smith s fiance. on the day of the murder, stroud had revealed to polic
reporter: but by all accounts, jermeir stroud loved denita dearly. it didn t 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. i m hearing gunshots coming from somewhere around here. reporter: the caller was the apartment s maintenance supervisor, who d been working near denita s unit. when he heard the shot, he d looked up in that direction and he told me he saw a female that was about 5 10 , hair in a ponytail, and had some kind of emblems on her clothing. the young lady that stays
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 carolina central university in durham. she would see things that probably the average person wouldn t see. reporter: but there was something denita didn t 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.ea 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?
[ dramatic music ]ing ] ahhhh! -ahhhh! elliott. you came back! reporter: denita smith probably never saw it coming. one shot, a clean hit from behind. the killer was apparently lying in wait on the apartment s 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 that s it. reporter: denita murdered. executed in broad daylight. it made no sense. her bff edythe says denita simply didn t 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 didn t like her? right. she was well respected and well loved. reporter: especially by her fiancé, jermeir stroud, who appeared devastated by denita s death.