Narrator: They were high-school sweethearts with everything going for them.
He's this handsome teenager, and she was gorgeous. Both of them were very
attractive, very well-liked. Narrator: But their lives change forever in the blink of
an eye. The beautiful young girl vanishes into thin air.
Did somebody snatch her? Did she run away? Is she rebelling against
something? There's lots of rumors going around.
Narrator: The search for the missing teen unites her hometown.
Searches started, and hundreds of people turned out. Narrator: But a horrifying
discovery will send shock waves through the community. How could someone
take her and just throw her away like she was a piece of trash? What kind of person
would do such a thing?
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
Narrator: March 12, 2014.
It's a quiet Wednesday afternoon
in Hope Mills, North Carolina,
a thriving suburb just south of
Fayetteville.
The town has really grown.
A lot of new development,
commercial and residential.
Narrator: Despite the growth,
there are parts of Hope Mills
that retain their idyllic
Southern charm.
Places like Rockfish Creek.
The creek area is
right in between the school
and our neighborhood.
After school, there'd be a
lot of young people down at the
creek socializing, swimming,
that sort of thing.
Narrator: But this warm spring afternoon, the creek's not crowded with teenagers.
It's crawling with local law enforcement... Danielle!
Narrator: ...searching for 15-year-old Danielle Locklear. Danielle!
Narrator: Danielle, who lives with her grandparents, disappeared the previous
evening. Hey. Where you going? I just have to take
this book back to Amber's. Well, all right. Be careful.
Okay. I will. I'll be right back. Narrator: But Danielle
never returned.
My husband said, "I got in
the car and I drove around to
see if I seen her anywhere.
I didn't see her anywhere."
Her grandfather did report
her missing to law enforcement.
Danielle!
Narrator: Now, less than 24
hours later, Hope Mills police
are scouring the woods behind
her home in hopes of finding the
missing teen.
The officers went down and
searched the creek area.
We called our K-9.
He ran the search.
Narrator: While there's no
sign of the missing teen,
there's disturbing evidence that
suggests she may be in trouble.
Hey!
It's a message scrawled in
the mud along the creek.
Almost like you would
as a young child,
with a stick or something.
Real big. Very readable.
I was kind of taken aback.
The message was a single,
desperate word --
"Help."
Narrator: For 15-year-old
Danielle Locklear, Hope Mills
was home away from home.
Danielle had a lot
of family here.
Her mother was living in the
Myrtle Beach area, and she had
spent some time there.
Off and on, she would live
with us, with my mom.
It was a change of pace. They lived at the beach most all her young life.
She got to where she wanted to see something different, she wanted to expand.
So coming down to stay with me, she knew she'd get to see more. Narrator: In the fall of
2013, Danielle moved into her grandparents' home in Hope Mills and enrolled at
South View High School. She was excited about changing schools, and...
She was just happy. She was happy with the transition.
Narrator: Danielle was also very involved in her church's youth center.
She would just do little art projects with them, and all of the kids, they adored her.
[ Children shouting ] Narrator: They weren't the only ones who flocked to
Danielle, though. The pretty 15-year-old soon caught the eye of 17-year-old
Je'Michael Malloy. Hi! Hey.
To us, he was family. We all grew up in the church together.
And so I just remember seeing him as a little kid, then he pops up and he's this handsome
teenager. He was just kind of, like, hanging around Danielle.
And then she was just looking. I could see little eyes looking at each other and everything.
Narrator: A star soccer player, Je'Michael was quite a catch for the incoming freshman.
He was popular. He was one of the preppy kids. He was super goal-oriented.
He had a promising future. He was interested in going into the United States Marines.
Hey, I wanted to ask you, uh, you think you'll be able to make it to the game tonight?
Yes. Uh... My grandma said that she is going to take me, so yes.
Perfect. Well, I'll see you then.
Narrator: Danielle and Je'Michael soon became an item, with her family's blessing.
Danielle's family really embraced Je'Michael. He kind of became one of the
family, going to dinner with them, socializing with them, church activities with them.
I would take her to the movies and take her to the fairground, she and Je'Michael.
She was happy. She was very content. And she's blossoming into
this beautiful young woman. Narrator: But on March 11, 2014, Danielle's promising
future seems to be in jeopardy.
Danielle told her grandfather
that she was going to take a
book back to a friend's house
in the same neighborhood.
But she never returned, and Danielle's grandfather is worried.
So he calls his wife, who is on a trip to Atlanta with their daughter.
Narrator: The news sends Danielle's grandmother and aunt into a panic.
We're speeding back to Hope Mills, and I'm like, "Dad," you know, "you have to
call the police." Narrator: As day breaks the following morning, officers with
the Hope Mills Police Department form a search party across the neighborhood.
When that report was filed, patrol went down to the creek area.
Hey! They're searching by the water, and they find the word
"Help" scratched into the mud. At this point, we didn't know whether "Help" scratched in the
ground had anything to do with Danielle's disappearance. But when Danielle's
grandmother and aunt join the search, they spot something else.
Oh, my God! I looked down, and I can see her night sock.
Just one night sock. It was a sock she usually wore to bed, and probably the
same sock she'd been wearing when she left the house at 9:45 the night before.
It was a very concerning clue, because we thought that it may be a possibility
that somehow she had met with foul play.
Narrator: Danielle Locklear
was a bright, bubbly
15-year-old.
She was super positive.
She really, really enjoyed life.
Danielle!
Narrator: But on March 12,
2014, Danielle's sudden
disappearance has left her
family and the authorities in
Hope Mills, North Carolina,
desperate to find her.
I blew her phone up.
Like, I kept calling her, and I
was leaving voice messages,
like, "Danielle, you need to
answer the phone.
You need to call me back.
Where are you at?"
For her to just vanish into
thin air and not be
communicating with anyone
was very unusual.
Narrator: Even more alarming are the ominous clues a search party has just found along
the banks of the creek behind her home. The word "Help" had been
written into the dirt there around the creek. Narrator: Additional clues by
the waterfront suggest Danielle had been there recently. Her sock was laying right
there, at the very end of the trail to the creek.
We could not tell for sure
that if she was wearing that
sock that evening,
but we knew it was hers.
Narrator: As darkness sets in, police call off the search for the night and open a formal
missing-persons investigation. First things first -- we get the child entered into NCIC.
It's the National Crime Information Center. We also contacted the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Narrator: Next, detectives
sit down with Danielle's family. Thank you so much for coming in.
We know you've been through a lot. We just have a few more
questions that we need to ask. Was your granddaughter getting into any kind of trouble?
Anything that we should be aware of? She was never in any trouble.
But she did just break up with her boyfriend. Je'Michael was older.
He was 17 years old, finishing up with school and hoping to go into the Marines,
and Danielle was still young, had many years to go there at South View High School.
Because of that, there was an on-and-off nature to their relationship.
When did this go down? Um... Around February, I would say.
Narrator: But according to Danielle's family, after a few days of tears, it appeared that
she had bounced back. It didn't seem like it really phased her.
She seemed like she was okay. Narrator: Still, Danielle's grandmother says she can't shake
the feeling that something was off with Danielle the night she left for Atlanta.
We was talking, and it's
almost like I could tell that
she was probably agitated about
something.
Have any of y'all been in touch with Je'Michael? No.
But I do have his phone number. If you want to, I could call him.
Please. I'm like, "Je'Michael, this is Chena.
Have you heard from Danielle? She's been missing since last night."
And he goes, "Oh, no, no, no. We broke up. I haven't talked to her."
Narrator: But what Je'Michael says next sends chills down Chena's spine.
He was saying that he felt like maybe she ran away. He said that she was
considering or threatening to harm herself or to kill herself at some previous time in their
relationship. He says that Danielle had threatened to drown herself.
Narrator: The news comes as a shock to Danielle's family. Her family knew
nothing of this. Nothing of the drama going on, nothing of the threats.
Narrator: But despite the family's surprise, detectives can't discount the possibility
Je'Michael may be right. We're looking for any kind of evidence that would suggest that
this kid might have run away. That she was unhappy, that she was putting on a show
for everybody about being this happy-go-lucky girl. Narrator: That evening,
detectives head to the neighbor's house where Danielle was supposedly going
the night she disappeared.
She told her grandfather she
was going to a friend's home
named Amber Cook.
Amber Cook was a minor,
so her parents had to be present
for questioning.
We just have a few questions for you, Amber. Okay.
On the day that Danielle went missing, she was coming over to return a book.
First I've heard of it. You had no idea she was coming over?
No. Narrator: Though Amber admits she had seen Danielle earlier
that day, and nothing about her behavior suggested she was contemplating suicide
or running away. She said, "Look, she was fine that day.
She was happy. Outgoing." We even skipped school and went down to the creek.
You and Danielle? Yeah. Us and...a couple of guys.
Here. Let me show you. She actually had photographs of her that day
down at the creek. It looked like she had been swimming.
She had on swimming shorts, and her hair was pulled up in a bun, and it was curly.
So we knew what she was wearing as of that afternoon. And we figured there was a
good chance she'd probably at least still be in that shirt. These guys at the creek,
who were they? Would any of them have reason to hurt Danielle?
No. They were cool. Well...all except Aaron. What about Aaron?
She indicated that he was a troublemaker, and that he had made some advances towards young
Locklear. She turned him down. Maybe that prompted Aaron
to hold a grudge. Narrator: The next morning, detectives ask 17-year-old Aaron
and his mother to come down to the station for questioning. He said he wasn't even at the
creek that day, which we knew was a lie. You were there, Aaron.
Amber has pictures. > [ Sighs ] Okay. I was there. But I didn't do anything to her.
You can ask my mom and dad. He had a very good alibi. He had left the creek at
approximately 3:00 or so, which is about the same time Danielle left.
He had gone to sports practice. After practice, he went home. He had dinner with his family.
He actually went to a movie with his family that evening. Whatever happened to her
happened during the evening hours, and during the evening hours, we could account for his
whereabouts. So, you're free to go. Narrator: With Aaron ruled
out as a possible suspect, detectives pull Danielle's cellphone records.
Law enforcement loves
cellphones.
In the last 10 years,
cellphones have gotten
GPS chips put into them, which
tell exactly where you are.
Narrator: But when detectives get the data from Danielle's phone provider, it raises a
frightening new possibility. She left her grandfather's at 9:45 p.m., and the last
transmission from her phone was at 10:40 p.m. that same evening. And the last GPS coordinate was
near I-95. We immediately had concerns. Look how fast it got from
her neighborhood to I-95. It told us she wasn't walking. We were concerned that
perhaps she had been kidnapped.
Narrator: March 13, 2014.
It has now been more than
24 hours since 15-year-old
Danielle Locklear disappeared
from her grandparents' home in
Hope Mills, North Carolina.
It really started to set in,
like "Maybe something
really is wrong."
When that feeling sets in,
it's indescribable.
My mind was going everywhere,
because I didn't know what had
happened to her, where she was.
Narrator: But thanks to
Danielle's cellphone records,
detectives now have a better
idea of the general direction
Danielle was headed the night
she disappeared.
Her cellphone, if you
followed the GPS coordinates,
had left the area of her home
there in Hope Mills
and headed north on I-95.
And the last transmission was
15 or 20 minutes up I-95.
Interstate 95 is the
main highway between
Florida and New York.
So it is heavily traveled.
We get alerts all the time
of people being kidnapped down
south, from Florida to
up north in New York.
The theory of, Did somebody come off 95, seen this young lady walking at night, grab her, and
get out of town? It was definitely a concern. Narrator: With Danielle's
possible whereabouts becoming an ever-widening circle, detectives in Hope Mills call for backup.
Our State Bureau of Investigation became involved, the FBI became involved.
Narrator: It's a trying time for Danielle's family, especially her mother, who's
made the journey from Myrtle Beach back to Hope Mills.
My sister, she was just...
Just like any mother would be.
She lost it. She really did.
All we could do, we could
just hold each other real tight.
And we just cried and cried
and cried, 'cause we
didn't know what to do.
Narrator: While Danielle's family bands together, the search for the missing teen
intensifies. There were searches. Volunteers turned out.
Probably 300 people. I mean, it was massive. Nobody wanted to be that one to
overlook that one crucial piece of evidence, so they spared no expense.
Narrator: Leaving no stone unturned, detectives sit down with Danielle's ex-boyfriend,
Je'Michael Malloy, on March 15th. We wanted to talk to him,
see when the last time he'd talked to her, heard from her, corresponded with her,
anything like that. Thank you for agreeing to meet with us.
No problem. Anything I can do to help.
His family was very
cooperative, and allowed him to
speak to detectives.
He definitely was eager to want to find her. Seemed like he was down to help.
When was the last time you saw Danielle? It's been a couple of weeks.
We broke up. And how did she feel about that?
She was pretty upset. Je'Michael was very forthcoming, and said Danielle
was really wanting to hold onto the relationship that they had. She kept texting me,
wanting to get back together. What did you do? At some point, he blocks her.
He got tired of her sending him messages. I just hope she didn't
do anything crazy. So where were you Tuesday night -- the night that she went
missing? I was home, studying with my friend Dominic.
According to Je'Michael, his friend Dominic Lock had spent the night at his house, too.
The two of them were gonna study for some standardized testing the next day.
Narrator: When detectives follow up with Je'Michael's mother, his story checks out.
His mother was there, his younger cousin was there at the home.
And so there were individuals that could put him at his home that evening.
Narrator: After talking to Je'Michael's mom, detectives head to South View High.
They went to school and started interviewing her friends about what was going on
with her near the time she went missing.
These are minors
they're dealing with,
so parents have to be notified
for them to get permission
to even talk to anyone.
Narrator: It's a frustrating day for detectives. Chasing them kids around
and getting them to sit down with us and tell us what they heard just --
man, that slowed us down. There were so many stories going around.
Everybody was saying different things. So, basically, there was
these kids in drama, right, and then there's Jessica, who was talking about Chad...
And then my friend Becca told me that her little brother was also spreading rumors, so...
The rumor mill started, and you talk to the kid, and he tells you he heard it from
so-and-so, so now you got to go find so-and-so, and he heard it from so-and-so,
now you got to -- And you got to chase this rumor through about 30 people before
you get to a source who says, "That's just what I heard, and I don't remember who
I heard that from." Or, "I did say that, but that's just what I heard."
Narrator: Despite all the rumors swirling around Danielle's disappearance,
there's one story that remains constant. Apparently Je'Michael's
friend Dominic and Danielle were intensely jealous of one another.
What's up, Je'Michael?
Hey. What's up, dude?
Je'Michael was Dominic's
best friend.
They rode to school
together a lot.
They spent a lot of time
together.
Perhaps too much time
for some people.
Hey, look, man, we're about to go play 21. You want to come?
Uh... No, actually, he's gonna stay here.
We're -- we're studying. Narrator: As proof, several of Danielle's friends point
detectives towards a social-media post Danielle made shortly before her breakup with
Je'Michael. In it, she said she felt unloved because some people were
too busy with their other friends to pay attention to their girlfriend.
Detectives are wondering, how deep does this rivalry go? Is this a teenage drama
or a catalyst for revenge?
Narrator: After speaking with Danielle Locklear's classmates at South View High, detectives
have uncovered evidence of a rivalry between the missing teen and her ex-boyfriend's best
friend, Dominic Lock.
It doesn't appear to be a
love triangle.
But Dominic and Je'Michael's
bromance does appear to have
caused some jealousy between
Danielle and Dominic.
Narrator: When detectives sit down with Dominic, he doesn't deny the rumors.
So, thank you for agreeing to speak with us, Dominic. Yes, sir.
We understand that there was some jealousy between Danielle and you and your relationship
with Je'Michael. Yeah, I'll admit, like, we never really got along.
But her and Je'Michael are over, so I don't even see her anymore.
Dominic says he has no idea
what could have happened
to Danielle.
So, where were you on the
night of the 11th?
At Je'Michael's.
All night?
All night.
Uh, we were studying for a test,
and then went to school that
next day.
He said, around 8:00,
he drove to Je'Michael's home.
The two of them are preparing
for a test the next day.
He spent the night over there,
and they went to school
the next morning.
Dominic's story lines up with
what Je'Michael and Je'Michael's
mother have already told
detectives.
Narrator: But while Dominic
appears to be a dead end,
detectives have no shortage of
new leads to follow thanks to
news coverage of Danielle's
disappearance.
When it hit national news, of
course you're getting phone
calls from everybody.
Tips were coming in,
hundreds, and then we quickly
got into the thousands.
Narrator: The flood of tips
gives Danielle's family
much-needed hope.
Maybe she did run away,
because there's multiple
accounts of people saying that
they seen her somewhere.
Narrator: Detectives consider most of the tips to be long shots, but not all.
A girl in Raleigh applied for a job at a hotel. Her name was Danielle Locklear.
Looked like her. Enough that people called. Narrator: Law enforcement
scrambles to follow up on the sighting. FBI had the ability to get
her address, drive out to her house. It was someone who looked a
lot like Danielle, but it was not Danielle. A tip came in out of
Virginia, at a Waffle House. They came in so fast that the FBI even got to that
Waffle House while she was still eating. They had to take a picture and
send it to us to show her mom. And it wasn't her. It looked like her.
Narrator: As the false sightings pile up, what had been hope for Danielle's family
slowly gives way to the gnawing fear that they may never see her again.
It was horrible.
I was so afraid
what they were gonna tell me.
It was just one downfall after the other. It went on for a month,
you know, and that was... one hell of a month. Sheer hell.
You don't know if someone kidnapped her, if she's being held hostage somewhere,
if she's dead. Narrator: As the family's anxiety begins to mount, the
town of Hope Mills does everything they can to buoy their spirits.
The community came out and
supported Danielle's family.
They had candlelight vigils.
They launched 1,000 balloons
on March 29th
to basically pledge
their support for Danielle,
and for her safe return.
Narrator: Danielle's fellow students turn out in force at every event.
They were strong for each other. They loved her.
It was just blatantly obvious. Narrator: During this time, it also becomes obvious that,
despite their breakup, Danielle's ex-boyfriend Je'Michael still cares
for her and her family. He was there with us at the search, the balloon release,
coming by my house, bringing food.
Narrator: Despite the love and support of everyone in Hope Mills, law enforcement is
growing increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress in the case.
The Hope Mills police chief said that they'd received more than 500 tips and leads, but
none of them had panned out. Narrator: Then, on the evening of April 2nd, another
lead comes in -- the one everyone has been dreading.
He took an alternate route. He said he usually don't go that route too often, but he went
that route that day. Narrator: But as he passed the South River, he stopped.
Out the corner of his eye, he saw something in the river that caught his attention.
There's something that's floating in the river down below.
It in fact was a body. [ Police radio chatter ] Narrator: As the sun sets,
the rescue team descends upon the bridge. It was quite a while before
they were able to move the body. A cinder block had been tied around the waist of the body,
and a cinder block had been tied around the feet of the body using yellow rope.
Narrator: Due to the level of decomposition, the rescue team quickly bags the body to contain
as much evidence as possible. The body was in a stage of decomp that was pretty severe.
Couldn't tell any really distinguishing facial features. Narrator: It's grim work,
but the rescue squad eventually brings the body to shore. What they found was a body
that appeared to have been there a while, probably a matter of weeks.
However, despite decomposition, one thing is sadly obvious to everyone
present. The body definitely appeared to be a female.
Narrator: It will take DNA testing to make a positive identification, but detectives
are convinced that they've found Danielle. The shirt that was on this
young lady was the shirt in the pictures from the creek. Narrator: After weeks of
chasing down hundreds of leads, it appears the search is finally over.
I was dreading the news of telling this family that we weren't gonna be able to
bring her home alive. Narrator: But even in death has Danielle managed to leave
detectives a clue about her killer's identity. This wasn't just a
coincidence. She put herself in that situation because of her trust.
This body was found not even a stone's throw away from his house.
When Danielle's body was
discovered in the South River,
it was like a gut punch
to the community.
It just -- boom.
It took the breath right out of you, because I think there was a lot of hope.
That's what you do. You remain positive, and you pray that things will end
for the best. And so when her body was found in that river, I think it
really was just gut-wrenching for a lot of people.
[ Police radio chatter ]
Narrator: On April 2, 2014,
22 days since her disappearance,
it appears that the search for
Danielle Locklear has come
to a tragic end.
They reach out to my sister.
The detectives come over,
and they say, "We found a body."
And, of course, my sister,
her concern was, "Is it her?"
They couldn't really tell her
that it was, but the description
fit Danielle.
Narrator: The autopsy
uncovers additional evidence
suggesting that the body is
the missing 15-year-old.
In her mouth was a sock.
The sock matched the sock
that was found by Chena Papa,
Danielle's aunt,
on the path near the creek.
Narrator: The autopsy also suggests that the sock is, for all practical purposes,
the murder weapon. The medical examiner was able to confirm that the
cause of death appeared to be asphyxiation, that she was suffocated.
There was no other real trauma to the body.
Narrator: On April 4, 2014,
everyone's worst fears
are officially confirmed.
We were able to positively
confirm through mitochondrial
DNA and dental records
that this was Danielle.
She had been in that water,
in that dark, nasty water,
for a month.
And that is crazy to me.
How could someone
take her and do this?
I was really --
I was, like, dumbfounded.
You didn't know what to do,
where to go, what to say.
It was very scary.
Very scary.
Narrator: With the search for Danielle finally over, detectives double down on their
efforts to bring her killer to justice. We need to figure out
what happened. This family needs some closure. Narrator: To detectives,
the location of Danielle's body leads them to one conclusion. She was found 3.2 miles,
about a four- or five-minute drive, from Je'Michael's house. It was like a big red arrow
pointing at him. Narrator: That afternoon, detectives descend upon
Je'Michael's home with a search warrant. I remember pulling up to the
house, and I seen a pump house right there next to the driveway, and there was some
cinder blocks. And I was like, "Oh, man." They looked to be the same
type of cinder blocks that were tied around Danielle's body. [ Knocking ]
Yes? We have a warrant to search your home,
and we need to talk to Je'Michael back at the station. He came out.
I said, "Young man, it's time to come with me. We need to go talk.
Are you good with that?" "Yeah, I'm good with that."
He was not bothered
or annoyed at all.
He was as calm as anyone
could ever be.
Narrator: Je'Michael maintains that calm demeanor even back at the station,
where detectives waste no time interrogating him.
He just basically keeps saying, "I've had no involvement."
He really didn't have an explanation for why she was found 3.2 miles from his house.
He just maintained that he was not involved in the disappearance, and not involved
in her death in any way.
Narrator: Je'Michael continues to be unfazed when detectives confront him with the
evidence their search warrant has uncovered. They went and searched his
home, and they found the same cinder block and rope there.
Je'Michael is about as calm and cool as anyone I've ever seen on video.
Narrator: Still, detectives keep the pressure on.
The investigator
tries to break him.
He's not successful.
Narrator: Je'Michael
is correct.
At the end of the interview,
detectives have little choice
but to let him go.
We have nothing
to hold him on.
We let him walk.
At this point, all of the
evidence the detectives have
is purely circumstantial.
Narrator: Stonewalled by Je'Michael, detectives decide to try a different approach --
his best friend, Dominic Lock. They wanted to chip away at the alibi of Je'Michael.
Lock and Je'Michael. Those two said they were together that night.
Dominic said that he spent the night over there, and they went to school the next morning.
Narrator: But when detectives reach out the Dominic, the investigation hits a snag.
He declined to be interviewed further about what had happened. Said he wanted to talk
to a lawyer first. Narrator: Though Dominic isn't willing to speak with
police, a couple days later, Je'Michael has a change of heart.
Two, three days go by, I believe it was. Get a call, "Hey, Je'Michael's
on his way to the courthouse." Je'Michael decides to come in and give at least his version of
what happened on the night of March 11th. I was just dumbfounded.
I was, like, absolutely dumbfounded.
Narrator: April 8, 2014.
News that 15-year-old
Danielle Locklear's body was
discovered in the South River
has sent shock waves through the
tight-knit community of
Hope Mills, North Carolina.
We had lots of prayer
sessions to come just
spiritually help uplift us and
keep us, you know, somewhat
peaceful during that very,
very tough time.
Narrator: However, there's
one person missing from the
events -- her ex-boyfriend,
17-year-old Je'Michael Malloy,
who is on his way to the
Hope Mills Police Department.
He had to have known that
everything was just
coming down around him.
He didn't have a choice.
Narrator: Compared to his last interview, it's a very different Je'Michael
who sits down with detectives.
Je'Michael starts off
interview by admitting that,
on the night that Danielle
disappeared, he and Dominic
had snuck out of his house.
They had climbed out a window
so as not to be detected.
So, of course, when we
interviewed his mom,
"Was he home?"
"Yeah, he was home."
But she didn't know he'd left.
Narrator: According to
Je'Michael, once he'd snuck out
of the house, he and Dominic
drove to Danielle's.
They go to Danielle's house
because Je'Michael
wants to talk with her.
Narrator: What Je'Michael says next takes detectives by surprise.
Je'Michael didn't know if
this was just a ploy to get him
back or if she was telling the
truth.
He wanted to find out once
and for all, was she pregnant?
According to Je'Michael, he had bought a pregnancy test, and had
took it with him to Danielle's.
Dominic stays at the top of the car, according to Je'Michael.
Je'Michael and Danielle start heading down the path, and they go down the path probably 70,
100 yards, something like that.
I need you to take this pregnancy test. Narrator: But according
to Je'Michael, that's when tempers flared.
Narrator: Based on what detectives know from the autopsy, there's a reason
Danielle refused. She was not pregnant at the time of her death.
It was probably a cry for attention from Danielle to kind of stay in contact with him.
Narrator: But did Je'Michael know that?
Je'Michael alleges that she smacked him and started hitting him.
You supposed to trust me. I don't. You just --
Well, I don't trust you, so take the te--
He said he grabbed her around the neck, and the next thing he knew, he blacked out.
Je'Michael claims that he doesn't actually remember killing Danielle.
Danielle. Danielle! Oh, my God.
He runs back up to the car, tells Dominic, "Look, she's not breathing."
I need your help. She's not breathing. What do you mean
she's not breathing? I think she's dead. What?
Come on! Je'Michael gets Dominic to go down to the river with him
and help him move her body. [ Gasps ] Oh, my God. Come on!
We don't have time for this. Just grab her! At that point,
the two of them are able to get Danielle in the car. Narrator: Once Danielle was
in the car, Je'Michael says he and Dominic drove back to his house, ditching Danielle's
cellphone along the way.
Then they took her to the creek and dumped her in the creek.
Like she was garbage. He's arrested. He's taken before the
magistrate. And the charges at that time are second-degree murder.
Narrator: Detectives arrest Je'Michael's friend, Dominic Lock, that same evening.
He did appear remorseful for what had happened, and his involvement.
Narrator: Questioned by detectives, Dominic essentially corroborates Je'Michael's story.
He says, a few moments later, that Je'Michael comes running up the path.
We had absolutely no evidence that Dominic had any idea that this was gonna happen to
Danielle. However, Dominic does admit to helping Je'Michael
get rid of the body. He felt like he was in a corner with his best friend.
Loyalty will make you do silly things when you're a teenager. Narrator: But while Dominic's
account largely corroborates Je'Michael's, there is one difference.
They each blame one another for putting the sock in Danielle's mouth.
Dominic says, "Yeah, he asked me to shove it in her mouth."
Other than that, their stories were remarkably consistent.
One of my friends called and
said, "Did you see the news?
Oh! Je'Michael confessed."
And I'm like, "Oh, my God.
It's real. It's real."
Narrator: However, Danielle's family isn't convinced by Je'Michael's claim that her
death wasn't premeditated. There's no way that anyone could ever make me believe that
he was just coming over to just have a conversation with her. He lured her out.
He tricked her. He knew exactly what he was gonna be doing to her.
He did all this because he thought that young girl was pregnant.
That's the bottom line. We felt like that we could have argued to the jury
premeditation and deliberation. Narrator: But prosecutors never get a chance to make that
case. Rather than risk taking Je'Michael to trial, the
prosecutors worked out a deal where Je'Michael pled guilty to second-degree murder.
We just wanted it all to be over with, just to save ourselves more heartache from
seeing photos and going through the trial. Narrator: It's difficult
enough for the family when Je'Michael addresses the court at his sentencing hearing in
May of 2016. Je'Michael stood up. He apologized.
And I was just disgusted, 'cause I'm like, "She trusted you." And she -- she loved him.
How could you stand up and say you're sorry when you sit there and you
choked the life out of her? Narrator: The judge sentences Je'Michael to a minimum of 25
years in prison. Dominic Lock eventually pled to accessory after the fact to
murder, and received a sentence of six to eight years in jail. Narrator: While justice in
the case has technically been served, it hardly makes up for what Danielle's family has lost.
Maybe one day I will
learn forgiveness,
but it's not any time soon.
He took somebody from us,
somebody that was loved
very deeply, that didn't
deserve that.
She was this gorgeous girl,
but she had personality,
and she was goofy and creative
and just full of life.
Really never seen her without a
smile on her face,
and she was always laughing, and
that's the way that I know
she wants to be remembered.
Not supposed to question God,
but you wonder sometimes
what's the reason?
And that's terrible.
Never in a million years
had I thought that anything
like this would ever happen
to anybody in my family.
Now she's gone.