Dateline Originals – "Deadly Engagement"

Episode 4: A Knife in the Night
Date: November 13, 2025
Host: Josh Mankiewicz (NBC News)

Overview

This gripping episode continues Dateline’s true crime investigation into the murder of Danita Smith, focusing on the complex relationship and legal battle between Shannon Crawley and Jermier Stroud—a love triangle that turned deadly. The episode examines conflicting narratives, mounting accusations, and a chilling late-night incident that leaves both legal and emotional wounds. Through intimate interviews and primary source recordings, the lines between victim and perpetrator are blurred, revealing profound questions about the nature of truth, loyalty, and justice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Parallel Lives Diverging by Circumstance

• Shannon Crawley & Danita Smith: Both described as bright, creative, and determined young women—potential friends in another world.
  • “Very sensitive, very creative, very smart, very articulate. She’s a writer.” — Family member (01:18)
  • Shannon’s early motherhood and determination to avoid stereotypes:
    • “She didn’t want to be a statistic... She wanted to take care of her children.” — Ann Crawley, Shannon’s mother (02:01)
  • Details Shannon’s challenging but determined rise to independence (factory & 911 call center work).

2. The Love Triangle and Accusations

• Linking Factor: Both women’s lives became entangled by Jermier Stroud, a Greensboro police officer.
• A Relationship Turns Fatal:
  • “Love triangles seldom have happy endings. And this one... is no exception.” — Josh Mankiewicz (03:25)
  • Shannon claims Jermier orchestrated the murder and tried to frame her.
  • “[Jermier’s] exact words to me were, ‘either you die for your kids or the kids die for you. What’s your choice? So I win.’” — Shannon Crawley (06:13)
  • Shannon insists she didn’t know Danita existed and denies all involvement (06:32).

3. Polygraph Drama & Law Enforcement Skepticism

• Shannon’s Attempts to Prove Innocence:
  • Voluntarily sits for a polygraph administered by the state’s head examiner.
  • She fails the test; law enforcement suspects she tried to chemically calm herself beforehand but couldn’t beat the spikes of a lie (08:24).
  • “She didn’t pass the test, as we're not surprised.” — Polygraph Examiner (08:24)
  • Polygraph inadmissibility noted, but seen as confirming investigators’ suspicions.

4. Mounting Tension: Protective Orders & Harassment Claims

• Shannon Claims Harassment:
  • After her release on bail, Jermier files for a restraining order (denied); allegedly begins calling and threatening her.
  • "He was threatening to kill me if I told him anything." — Shannon Crawley (13:19)
  • DA advises Shannon to record calls—family hears what they believe are threats and admissions (14:18).

5. Family in Siege: Stalking and Escalation

• Crawley Family’s Ordeal:
  • Move across towns to escape Jermier, but alleged harassment continues—phone calls, stalking, surveillance from cars in the neighborhood (16:15–18:48).
  • “He would sit behind the house... The kids would run in the house because they would see him driving through the neighborhood.” — Shannon’s family (18:32)
  • Taped calls fail to sway authorities, who doubt the recordings’ authenticity.

6. "A Knife in the Night": Alleged Assault

• Turning Point: The June 2008 Incident
  • Shannon claims Jermier attacked and raped her in her mother’s backyard, using a knife.
  • “I walked out into the grass... before I could turn, he grabbed me around my waist and had the knife up to my throat and just told me not to say anything.” — Shannon Crawley (24:14)
  • Details of assault are graphic and disturbing; medical documentation notes only superficial wounds, not as severe as described (25:29).

7. He Said, She Said – Competing Realities

• Jermier’s Account:

  • Denies stalking, threatening, or harming Shannon.
  • Claims he was home, has an alibi (logs at work, fast food receipts, TV show) (31:22).
  • “She was telling people I was contacting her and... blaming me for the murder. That they were going to try to make me look bad.” — Jermier Stroud (30:48)
  • Provides DNA sample for investigation (32:40).
  • Expresses frustration: “When it shows that she’s lying, I would like for some law enforcement agency to... I just want to be left alone.” (33:17)

• Police Reaction:

  • Law enforcement notes credibility issues—"No one wants to be that officer that says, you know what? Like, lady, you're lying. ...you're supposed to start, you know, start by believing." (34:01)

8. Lingering Doubt & Unresolved Trauma

• No Witnesses, Physical Evidence in Question:
  • Neighborhood silent during alleged violent incident; only vague medical evidence.
  • The episode ends with an unresolved sense of tension and the enduring impact on all families involved.

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• "Is it Jermier or is it Shannon?" — Shannon Crawley (03:39)
• “We have the recordings where he admits that he killed her.” — Shannon Crawley (03:50)
• “Either you die for your kids or the kids die for you. What’s your choice? So I win.” — Shannon Crawley (06:13)
• “I absolutely believe that he did.” [on whether Jermier killed Danita] — Shannon Crawley (07:04)
• "You know I didn't do anything. ... I think they get you on that. Well, they did because you lied. I don't. It's True." — Shannon Crawley (14:43)
• “He would sit behind the house... The kids would run in the house because they would see him driving through the neighborhood.” — Shannon’s family member (18:32)
• “I just put my Robe around her because she was naked from the, I believe, from the waist down.” — Ann Crawley (23:32)
• “He started getting upset because he lost his erection, and so he used the knife to penetrate you.” — Shannon Crawley (25:29)
• "She was telling people I was contacting her and she was blaming me for the murder. That they were going to try to make me look bad." — Jermier Stroud (30:48)
• “No one wants to be that officer that says, you know what? Like, lady, you're lying. No one wants to be that person... you're supposed to start, you know, start by believing.” — Law Enforcement/Polygraph Examiner (34:01)

Notable Segments with Timestamps

• Shannon’s background & determination: 01:01 – 03:18
• The murder and competing accounts: 03:18 – 07:07
• Polygraph test and reactions: 07:35 – 10:45
• Harassment, recordings, and DA skepticism: 12:24 – 19:43
• Family claims of surveillance and fear: 16:15 – 19:17
• June 2008 assault narrative: 20:11 – 26:49
• Jermier Stroud’s police interview: 28:01 – 33:17
• Police doubts and closing reflections: 34:01 – 34:17

Tone & Language

• Narration: Cool, methodical, investigative—Josh Mankiewicz’s signature Dateline style, calmly describing both empathy-inducing details and forensic evidence.
• Interviewees: Emotionally invested; Shannon and family sound desperate, betrayed, and traumatized, insisting on their version of the truth. Jermier comes across as controlled, frustrated, and defensive.
• Law Enforcement: Skeptical and clinical but visibly uncomfortable navigating between allegations.

Conclusion

This episode paints a tangled web of accusation and denial, circling the tragic death of Danita Smith and the complicated legacies left for the living. It leaves listeners with profound ambiguity: between claims of innocence and assertions of guilt, between fear and credibility, between the often-unreliable contours of memory and the hard edges of forensic investigation.

If you missed this episode, you missed a haunting, in-depth look at how love, betrayal, and suspicion can destroy lives—and how sometimes, there’s no simple answer to who is telling the truth.