unfortunately she s 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 it s mistaken identity. i m like, she s not dead, this d can t be. reporter: denita monique smith was just 25 years old and engaged to be married. 2 now her fiancé, jermeir stroud, who had also arrived on scene, was given the awful news. how d jermeir look? like a blank expression. he was calm. and he was like you know, it s going to be okay. he was like, calm down. i was like, my heart is breaking right now. i m like, and it s breaking for you, too. because i m like, this is your future wife. i m like, who saw this coming? reporter: but edythe didn t know the worst of it. her close friend denita hadn t
reporter: that was jermeir stroud, denita s 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. she s unconscious. they re trying to revive her. co so he said okay.tr 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 didn t 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 wasn t answering. which was you know, after i call your phone several times as a best friend, you know, somebody s going to call you back. so i was like, that s 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 i m like, have you made contact with her? but i felt like i didn t get a definite answer. it
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.
how d jermeir look? like a blank expression. he was calm.a and he was like you know, it s going to be okay. he was like, calm down. i was like, my heart is breaking right now. i m like, and it s breaking for you, too. because i m like, this is your future wife. 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.te reporter: this was an execution.ce exactly.n. 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? s reporter: now police had to break the horrible news about her oldest daughter. and so that s when they
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