Dateline Originals: "Deadly Engagement" – Ep. 3: Homecoming

Podcast: Dateline Originals
Host/Narrator: Josh Mankiewicz, NBC News
Date: November 13, 2025

Episode Overview

In this third episode of the true crime mini-series Deadly Engagement, Dateline traces the complex events and emotional aftermath of the murder of Danita Smith. The episode revisits the beginnings and progression of the relationships at the center of the case, the arrest and interrogation of Shannon Crawley, and the swirling doubts and accusations surrounding Jermier Stroud. Homecoming weekends at North Carolina Central University (NCCU)—once markers of joyful life events—become interwoven with grief, suspicion, and the effort to find justice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Start of a Fatal Love Triangle

• Early Attraction: Jermier Stroud, a Greensboro police officer, first met Shannon Crawley during their time at the police academy ([01:04]).

  • "He'd had his eye on her for a while...He definitely liked the sound of her voice on the radio." (Narrator, 01:04)

• Secret Affairs: Their relationship was secretive, hidden from friends and family. Such secrecy often keeps affairs from public view unless "the passion's too hot," leading to tragedy ([03:09]).

  • "Often those kinds of affairs fade quietly with no one the wiser. Sometimes...secret lovers can become as public as the headlines." (Narrator, 03:09)

• Danita and Jermier: Danita Smith, a well-liked band member and NCCU student, was involved with Jermier for years, leading her mother to believe they would eventually marry ([14:55]-[15:07]).

  • "By the time Danita graduated in 2004, Sharon Smith says she’d come to accept the inevitable." (Narrator, 14:55)

The Aftermath of Danita’s Murder

• Immediate Suspicions & Arrest: Detectives pursued leads on Shannon, who was tracked and arrested at her sister’s home with the help of U.S. Marshals ([05:17]-[06:36]).

  • "This was actually my very first homicide, and everything was happening at a thousand miles an hour." (Detective Sean Pate, 05:17)
  • "She walks out the door as though she’s going to check the mail. There’s no sad look or anything like that." (Detective Sean Pate, 06:06)

• Arrest Remark: Shannon told her family as she was cuffed, "'Raise them like they're your own.'" ([06:36])

  • "Those are the words of a woman who does not expect to be raising her own children." (Interviewer/Host, 06:50)

• Interrogation Dynamics: Detective Pate describes his interview with Shannon as a tense wordplay rather than an emotional breakdown ([07:11]-[07:59]).

  • "The minute we start talking about the actual offense...She just got into a different mode." (Detective Sean Pate, 07:11)

• Shannon’s Narrative: In the police interview, Shannon alleges Jermier was controlling and stalked her, sometimes appearing uninvited at her house ([08:20]).

  • "She says that Jermier was overbearing, intimidating, always carried a gun with him...basically he was stalking her." (Detective Sean Pate, 08:20)

• Key Evidence Challenges: Shannon admits buying and quickly disposing of a gun shortly before the murder, behavior that added to detectives' suspicions ([09:09]).

  • "I only owned it about two days. It made me nervous. I didn’t like it in the house with my kids...I threw it in a trash can at the mall." (Detective Sean Pate paraphrasing Shannon, 09:09)
  • When confronted with cell phone evidence placing her near the crime scene, Shannon is silent ([09:34]).

Homecoming: Joy, Proposal, and Tragedy

• Danita’s College Years: Warm recollections of Danita’s participation in NCCU’s band and meeting Jermier ([12:45]-[13:20]).

  • "We went to homecoming because she played in the band, so we wanted to see her perform." (Sharon Smith, 12:45)

• Sharon’s Reflection: Initially uneasy about the relationship, Danita’s mother ultimately accepted Jermier because of Danita’s happiness ([13:52]-[16:04]).

  • "If she was happy, she was okay with him. Okay." (Sharon Smith, 16:04)

• The Proposal: Jermier proposes at NCCU Homecoming, creating a seemingly perfect moment ([17:11]-[17:36]).

  • "He had a photographer and did this big, beautiful speech, and he proposed." (Edith Kearns, 17:11)
  • "She was ecstatic. She was like, finally." (Edith Kearns, 17:31)

• Funeral and Grief: The murder upends everything. Jermier weeps at the funeral, and Sharon senses he’s hiding a secret ([18:03]-[18:42]).

  • "Both times [he visited] he was crying very bad, very hard...I know why he was crying. He knew a secret." (Sharon Smith, 18:03-18:36)

• Revelation of Betrayal: The connection between Shannon and Jermier becomes public knowledge as the investigation unfolds ([19:31]).

  • "It was clear to anyone who’d been watching the news that Jermir Stone Stroud was the link connecting Shannon and Danita." (Narrator, 19:31)

Family and Community Reactions

• Jermier’s Family: His father calls Sharon Smith, calling Shannon "a friend" ([19:31]-[19:49]).

  • "The young lady that they took into custody was a friend of Jamere." (Jermier’s father to Sharon Smith, 19:31)

• Awkward Funeral Dynamics: Guests are aware of Jermier’s other relationship; tension is palpable ([21:07]-[21:31]).

  • "Jermir rode in the family car with us. He cried the whole time...there were likely some looks cast in his direction that would have frozen a baked potato." (Narrator, 21:31, 22:10)

• After the Funeral: Sharon Smith confronts Jermier about Shannon and his betrayal ([23:38]-[24:25]).

  • "Why Danita wasn’t enough woman for you? Why? You knew what Danita was all about. You knew where Danita was going." (Sharon Smith, 24:25)

Shannon’s Account of the Murder and Its Build-Up

• Family and Defense Team: Shannon’s family, convinced she is not the killer, recounts Jermier’s alleged pattern of harassment ([27:02]-[29:38]).

  • "He would call her all the time…He would threaten her." (Keith Crawley Sr., 27:41-27:59)
  • "I even asked her point blank…are you afraid he’s going to do something to you?" (Lisa Smith, 28:51)

• Shannon’s Testimony: After months in custody, Shannon—with legal counsel—delivers a detailed account of the events leading to Danita’s death. She claims Jermier manipulated and threatened her, including intimidation involving her children ([30:59]-[35:07]).

  • "He said, I’ll make it real simple. Either your children die or you die for your children." (Shannon Crawley, 35:17)

• The Day of the Murder—from Shannon's View: Shannon describes Jermier making her drive him to the murder location, him going inside alone, a gunshot, and his urgent escape. Her efforts to signal a maintenance man go unnoticed ([35:46]-[37:19]).

  • "I heard a gunshot. I stopped, I looked around...he was running out past me from the breezeway, shoving the gun down in his waist." (Shannon Crawley, 35:46)

Detective Pate’s Response

• Reflection on Shannon’s Story: While Shannon’s story fits physical evidence, Detective Pate remains skeptical due to its late revelation and inconsistencies ([40:57]-[41:26]).
  • "When she’s telling this story, I’m thinking, wow, this actually sounds pretty decent so far...But then I went back and I just said...none of it makes any sense. Even if this story you were telling was true, why didn’t you tell it the first day?" (Detective Sean Pate, 40:57-41:26)
  • Shannon explains she stayed silent out of fear for her children’s safety ([41:36]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Homecomings:

  • “Imagine a scene straight from a university brochure...It was on a day like that in 2000 that Sharon Smith visited her daughter Danita, a freshman at NCCU.” (Narrator, 11:45)

• On Arrest:

  • “Raise them like they’re your own.” (Shannon Crawley, 06:36, to her family as she’s arrested)

• On Jermier's Grief:

  • “He cried the whole time...” (Sharon Smith, recalling Jermier at the funeral, 21:31)
  • “I know why he was crying. He knew a secret.” (Sharon Smith, 18:42)

• On Interview Tactics:

  • “[Shannon] just got into a different mode.” (Detective Sean Pate, assessing Shannon’s response to interrogation, 07:11)
  • “We’re going to have wordplay.” (Detective Sean Pate, 07:51)

• On Motivation and Fear:

  • “Either your children die or you die for your children. At that point, it wasn’t a question.” (Shannon Crawley, 35:17)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• The Beginning of the Relationships: [01:04]-[03:29]
• Shannon Crawley’s Arrest and Interrogation: [05:17]-[09:52]
• Homecoming Recollections and Proposal: [12:45]-[17:36]
• Danita’s Funeral & Aftermath: [18:03]-[23:38]
• Family and Defense Team’s Perspective: [27:02]-[29:38]
• Shannon Crawley’s Full Account: [30:59]-[39:41]
• Detective Pate’s Assessment: [40:57]-[41:44]

Conclusion

This episode of Deadly Engagement paints a detailed and emotionally charged picture of love, betrayal, and tragedy. Through multiple perspectives—from family members' hopes and anxieties to the swirling suspicions of the investigation and Shannon’s harrowing version of events—the narrative continually interrogates where loyalty, fear, and truth collide. Was Shannon Crawley manipulated into a deadly plot, or is her story an elaborate defense? The episode closes with these lingering questions, setting up the next stage in this compelling Dateline series.