Hey, it's Josh Mancowitz from Dateline.

Here's a special preview of our new podcast, Deadly Engagement.

It was early, too early for most college students, especially during Christmas break.

Then again, Danita Smith was not one for sleeping in.

At 25, Danita was as disciplined as a Marine, maybe because she had a lot on her plate.

As a grad student at North Carolina Central University in Durham,

Danita was just months away from finishing her master's degree in English. School work,

volunteer work, a magazine internship, and a wedding to plan. Anyway, it was the internship that had her up at that hour.

The bosses liked her to be at her desk by 8.15 a.m.

It was eight minutes after eight when Danita opened her door on the third floor

and started down the stairs.

Did Danita see someone waiting on the second floor landing?

We'll never know.

We do know that as she turned to take the last set of 16 steps down to the parking lot,

a bullet pierced the back of DeNita's head and sent her tumbling down the stairs.

For nearly two hours,

Danita Smith lay in motionless repose on the sidewalk

in front of her apartment building, Building 1100, completely unnoticed,

until another student stepped out of his apartment and saw the contents of Danita's pocketbook

scattered on the stairs. He dialed 911.

Tell me 911, where's your emergency?

I take this girl to turn down the stairs.

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