New ‘Dateline’ podcast series covers NC college student’s murder. When to listen
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Dateline launches 'Deadly Engagement,' a six-part podcast on Denita Smith's murder.
- Shannon Crawley was convicted in 2010 for the 2007 shooting of Smith in Durham.
- Podcast releases on major platforms Sept. 16, with early access for Premium users.
A new true crime podcast is digging deep into the death of a North Carolina graduate student murdered nearly two decades ago in Durham.
‘Dateline’ is launching a six-part series called “Deadly Engagement” about North Carolina Central University graduate student Denita Smith, who was gunned down outside her home.
“Denita Smith was about to fulfill her dreams. Just months away from getting her master’s degree, Denita had recently gotten engaged to her college sweetheart. But her future vanished in a puff of smoke with one gunshot from a mysterious assailant. Dateline’s Josh Mankiewicz takes you to North Carolina for a twisted story of sex, lies and betrayal that will keep you guessing until the very end,” the podcast summary states.
Murder of Denita Smith
In 2007, the 25 year old from Charlotte was shot inside a stairwell of the Campus Crossing Apartments and then fell down several steps to the sidewalk, where she was found by a maintenance worker, WRAL previously reported. Three years later, Shannon Crawley — a former Guilford Metro 911 dispatcher — was convicted for her murder.
“Authorities maintained that Crawley stalked Smith in a jealous rage because she had a former relationship with Smith’s fiance, Greensboro police officer Jermeir Stroud. Crawley contended that Stroud stalked her and killed Smith,” WRAL reported.
This isn’t the first time Dateline has explored Smith’s murder. In 2020, the investigation was detailed in “Dateline Weekend Mystery.”
‘Deadly Engagement’ release
The first two episodes of the podcast will be available for download and streaming Tuesday, September 16 on Amazon Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify and Pandora. New episodes will be released the following Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Dateline Premium subscribers can already download the first two episodes and will get early access to the rest of the series.
This story was originally published September 12, 2025 at 3:15 PM with the headline "New ‘Dateline’ podcast series covers NC college student’s murder. When to listen."