Update: Denita Smith murder *Shannon Crawley accused of stalking Denita’s fiance*

Recently there have been comments left here that have been disturbing to me, but at the same time, I thought I should see what develops. Well, today news stories have come out that have confirmed what I believed all along since the news of the arrest of Shannon Crawley. Several people are accusing Denita Smith’s fiance, Jermeir Jackson-Stroud, of being involved, if not directly, then indirectly. However, indications tell me a different story.

The woman accused of killing Denita Smith was stalking Smith’s fiance, Jermeir Stroud, according to a statement included in a search warrant affidavit made public Tuesday

This tells me not only part of the motive, but also as to why Jermeir has not pubicly spoken about this.

According to warrants, the groundskeeper heard a shot at 8:18 a.m., and one minute later, saw a woman walking around the building in front of which Smith’s body was later discovered. The woman was driving a burgundy Ford Explorer with a gray stripe, according to warrants. The groundskeeper noticed the woman was crying, warrants said, and asked the woman if she was OK. The woman “just continued to cry,” the warrants said. The groundskeeper told police he asked the woman if she heard shots and she nodded, at which point he said he was going to call police. The woman then drove away, despite the groundskeeper’s request that she stay.Upon hearing the groundskeeper’s description of the woman and her vehicle, Jackson-Stroud told investigators he knew a woman who drove such a vehicle and that she had been ” ‘stalking’ him for a while” warrants said. He told investigators Crawley had seen Smith before and would know who she was.

If Jermeir Jackson-Stroud was involved, I doubt he would have said these things, as they would have linked him to the suspect and not in a favorable light. However, this stalking evidence does give another interesting look at the case. Since it had been previously reported that Jermeir had told Shannon that he was going to marry Denitad, it has become obvious that this upset her quite a bit. Jermeir and Denita became engaged in November, and it was then that he gave Shannon the news also So she had time to adjust to the situation, but it appears that this did not happen. I do not know when the “stalking” started, but I would be interested to hear that.

To those who keep saying that Shannon is a victim and that both Shannon and Denita are victims of Jermeir, I disagree with you. Even if Jermeir had been dating both, that does not mean anything really. It really does not mean that Shannon had any right or reason to kill Denita. NONE. Instead of blaming Jermeir, personal responsibility needs to be taken, by the murderer. Apparently Shannon had the sense to drive all the way from Greensboro to Durham and to bring a gun with her. To me, that is premeditation. Which also does mean, if I am not mistaken, that this could be a death penalty case.  Yes, she is young and has 2 children, but she should have put them first rather than trying to chase a man who was engaged to another. Especially since he told her he was marrying Denita. Many women have been dumped by a man for another woman. It is devastating. But it is NOT a reason to murder. Period.

I realize that Shannon has friends and family that love her and that is a wonderful thing. If someone I loved killed someone, I would also give love and support to that person, but that does not mean I would condone their actions. However, to continually want to blame someone else for her actions is not very responsible. Shannon is a grown woman and as such, needs to take responsibility for the life she took. Regardless of the reasons anyone and everyone wants to offer. Give Denita’s loved ones some peace and also some respect. They do not need to continually hear that it is not the murderer’s fault.

News Archive: Denita Smith murder
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