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.

Schoolwork, 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 Danita'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 1,100,

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.

Down 911, where's your emergency? I think this girl to turn down the stairs. I just walked down my

apartment. She's at the bottom of the stairs, head busted up and blood everywhere. Okay, and is she

breathing? I can't tell. I don't want to touch it.

Do you want me to talk? Uh, if you can look at her or if you can just observe.

...