1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Content warning. This podcast discusses violence, murder, suicide, civil unrest, 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: aggressive policing, racism, and lynching. If you or anyone you 3 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: know is considering suicide, her self harm, or just need 4 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 1: to talk about problems, please call the National Suicide Prevention 5 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: Lifeline to seven three to five or text the Crisis 6 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 1: text line at seven four one. Previously and after the uprising, 7 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:38,519 Speaker 1: did he seem excited about going on that night? Danny 8 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: said he did. It's my brother, he said he did. 9 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: I saw leave out the door last night because I 10 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: was sitting in kids. Do you know about what time? 11 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 1: That was? About nine o'clock? Not? He needn't leave in 12 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 1: a car does things as well? His calls out, so 13 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 1: there's no sheet. Un If this happens to your child, 14 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 1: would you want to get down to the bottom of 15 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: this and find out what really happened? You might know 16 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: the pass code to Danye's phone? Is that true? I 17 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: have a might be. No one guy has followed open, 18 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: no one has gotten his phone open yet this is 19 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 1: a disease person's phone. Correct. I wish I had a 20 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 1: clearer answer for you. A lot of these phones that 21 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: have a Qualcom chip set usually give me an option 22 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: to bypass the pass code, but I never have luck 23 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 1: with them and not too hopefull on it. What you're 24 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: looking at is the aftermath of the grand jury deciding 25 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:56,440 Speaker 1: not to indict Officer Wilson. A young man found hanging 26 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: from a tree in October. His mom believes someone murdered 27 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 1: her son targeting him. Danye became an activist in the 28 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 1: wake of the shooting death of Michael Brown by a 29 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: white police officer. That's why Melissa mckinne's wants St. Louis 30 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: County police to dig deeper to her son's death. He 31 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 1: was not suicidal. This is after the uprising, the death 32 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: of Donye Dion Jones. I don't know if she told 33 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: you about what they did with the evidence. They destroyed it. 34 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: There was they destroyed it after we do that we 35 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:47,520 Speaker 1: was having a private investigation and that we needed that 36 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:52,080 Speaker 1: they destroyed it. That's enough of it. This is okay, 37 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: so okay for it's all Jack, Okay, It's what it's about. 38 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:01,519 Speaker 1: Horrible investigation and it looks it looks suspect on every level. 39 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:05,519 Speaker 1: So now what are you doing? What were you doing? 40 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 1: That was Melissa speaking with retired University City Municipal Police 41 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: Commander Captain Carol Jackson again. After learning details about the 42 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: investigation into Danie's death. Captain Jackson expressed her opinion that 43 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: it sounded rather substandard and she wanted to know what 44 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: Melissa was going to do to continue to move forward 45 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 1: now that the primary piece of physical evidence had been 46 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: destroyed by the police. We wanted to know the same thing, 47 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 1: and for the first time in a long time, Melissa 48 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: seemed pretty fired up. I guess I'm anxious, but it's 49 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: still like we're close to getting somewhere. I'm just ready 50 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: to just take off, you know, just take off, run 51 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,680 Speaker 1: and just start screaming down the street. You know, who 52 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: killed my Son's covering up the murder of my son. 53 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 1: You know, I'm just ready to do whatever um it's 54 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: going to take. The St. Louis County Police Department was 55 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: asserting that they had sent Melissa a letter telling her 56 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: to come and claim the sheet, and that she had 57 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 1: thirty days to do so. They claimed the letter was 58 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 1: sent on January and since Melissa did not retrieve the 59 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,919 Speaker 1: sheet within thirty days of that, the property department destroyed it. 60 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,240 Speaker 1: Now we will be digging into the details of all 61 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:26,599 Speaker 1: this in a future episode, but we do want to 62 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:30,040 Speaker 1: note that upon learning the sheet was destroyed, we immediately 63 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 1: sent a Sunshine request to the St. Louis County p 64 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: D Records Department. We asked for every record they had 65 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: relating to evidence in the Danie Jones case, with a 66 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:43,960 Speaker 1: specific ask for anything regarding the bed sheet. We were 67 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:46,599 Speaker 1: quickly sent a reply email that listed the pieces of 68 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: evidence in Dania's case. So, just to help you understand this, 69 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 1: each piece of evidence in the case file has its 70 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:57,719 Speaker 1: own evidence receipt, and in Donne's case, the evidence police 71 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:00,719 Speaker 1: had was a blood sample card, a CD with the 72 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: recordings of Melissa's and Daniels nine one one calls, and 73 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,279 Speaker 1: the bed sheet he was hanged with. However, the rapid 74 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:10,160 Speaker 1: response we got from St. Louis County to our Sunshine 75 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:13,159 Speaker 1: request did not include an evidence receipt for the bed sheet, 76 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: which to us was very odd. If the bed sheet 77 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 1: had been destroyed in early March, as the County police 78 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:22,839 Speaker 1: were claiming, then why was the evidence receipt for the 79 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 1: sheet not returned to Danie's case file before June when 80 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:30,720 Speaker 1: we requested it. We would presume that after evidence is destroyed, 81 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:33,719 Speaker 1: the evidence receipt would be promptly returned to the case 82 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: file so that any officer who needed to reference the 83 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 1: file would know that that piece of evidence had at 84 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:42,520 Speaker 1: one point existed. So if the sheet was destroyed in 85 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: early March, as they claimed, why for over three months 86 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 1: had the evidence receipt not been returned to the case file. 87 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:53,479 Speaker 1: We asked both the Records Department and Information Officers Sergeant 88 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:57,240 Speaker 1: Benjamin Granda to explain this, but neither would give us 89 00:05:57,279 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 1: an explanation. The destruction of the bedsheet and where it 90 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: sent us is going to be the subject of a 91 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: future episode. But first there is another pressing set of 92 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 1: developments we need to share. The data extraction company in 93 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:13,400 Speaker 1: Texas where we sent Danye's Android phone succeeded in bypassing 94 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:15,720 Speaker 1: his pass code, and they gave us a whole data 95 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 1: map of the phone's contents. Hi, my name is John Duffy, 96 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:25,320 Speaker 1: and I'm actually an investigative journalist and I'm doing a 97 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:28,200 Speaker 1: story about a young man named Donye Jones, who I 98 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: believe you had some real estate dealings with maybe two 99 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: years ago. I don't relate, So no, I haven't had 100 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:40,280 Speaker 1: any real estate dealings with somebody. Oh, oh maybe is 101 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:44,600 Speaker 1: he a black gentleman? Yes, okay, yes, I do remember him. 102 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 1: I would tell in a house for my brother in law, 103 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:50,240 Speaker 1: and he was trying to scam He was trying to 104 00:06:50,279 --> 00:06:54,039 Speaker 1: scam you. Yes, I'm gonna start off by letting you 105 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 1: know that Danye has has passed away and the circumstances 106 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:02,359 Speaker 1: surrounding his death were mysterious. I got well, I didn't 107 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:05,600 Speaker 1: know that. Yeah, And I got your phone number through 108 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 1: his phone and I just saw text messages between you 109 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: and him. Can I have your first name? Do you 110 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:15,120 Speaker 1: mind telling me, Jennifer, Jennifer High, Do you have any 111 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:17,280 Speaker 1: objection to kind of telling me what went down with 112 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: him trying to get your house or what that was like? Um, well, 113 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 1: what it was. What it was was we were selling it. 114 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:25,640 Speaker 1: It was just a cash deal. You know. He was 115 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 1: one in twelve thousand for the house. And the guy said, okay, 116 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 1: you know, I'm going to run this through my company, 117 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: blah blah blah, And we got to get a title 118 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:35,680 Speaker 1: search done, which will take a couple of days and 119 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 1: then you know, then we'll buy the house or whatever. Well, 120 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:42,680 Speaker 1: a month goes by and he's still not committed. Well, 121 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:47,120 Speaker 1: he's messaging me saying this and saying that, but in actuality, 122 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 1: he was never had any attentions of doing anything about it. 123 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:55,280 Speaker 1: But he said that my brother in law signed a 124 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 1: contract stating that he had a month to do anything 125 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:01,320 Speaker 1: about it and everything. So and then what happened at 126 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:04,720 Speaker 1: the end, Um, we got tired of dealing with him 127 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: because he was just he was just bullshitting, is what 128 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 1: he was when you met him in person. Was there 129 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 1: anything you remember about him, anything that stood out or 130 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: anything like that? No, not really, Okay, how do you 131 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 1: mean the car and vehicle? Teach Grove didn't look like 132 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:28,640 Speaker 1: he had like straight up cash to purchase houses like 133 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:31,200 Speaker 1: he was talking like he was saying that, you know, 134 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: he thought houses all day long and stuff, but he 135 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: just didn't look like he had the knowledge or anything 136 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: to be doing any of that. What kind of car 137 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 1: did he show up in? Honestly, I don't remember. He 138 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:49,920 Speaker 1: is with a couple of different ones because because his car, 139 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:53,400 Speaker 1: his personal car was Alexis Like, yeah, no, he never 140 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: showed up in one of those. What I'm trying to 141 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:59,200 Speaker 1: do is kind of understand his last days is last week's, 142 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:02,360 Speaker 1: his last month's, Like what kind of financial trouble. Maybe 143 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:04,560 Speaker 1: he was in or you know, what things were going right, 144 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:07,840 Speaker 1: what things were going wrong right? But yeah, so no 145 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:11,960 Speaker 1: money ever changed hands or anything like that. No, No, 146 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:14,040 Speaker 1: I mean I'm sorry that he said. I had no 147 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:17,200 Speaker 1: clue like that was those text messages where the last 148 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: time we ever had any dealings with him at all? Yeah, 149 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:23,400 Speaker 1: And it was looking at it, it it looked like the 150 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:27,640 Speaker 1: last time you guys had any communication was October second, 151 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,680 Speaker 1: and then he uh, he was found dead the morning 152 00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:34,120 Speaker 1: of the seventeen, so it was about two weeks later. 153 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 1: Maybe that's why we never hurt from him again. I 154 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:38,320 Speaker 1: don't know. The last thing he writes to you is 155 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:41,280 Speaker 1: I'll contact you in a bit, and that's on October two, 156 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:44,480 Speaker 1: and then you just wrote okay, and that was about noon, 157 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 1: and it looked like you gout he was trying to 158 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:49,280 Speaker 1: come over, like arranged like a time to come over 159 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:50,959 Speaker 1: to look at the house or something, and that was 160 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:54,680 Speaker 1: the last thing that you guys had And I believe 161 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:57,800 Speaker 1: he did. I believe he did come up with that day. 162 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:01,520 Speaker 1: But you we get put him that we were tired 163 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:04,560 Speaker 1: of the backup forth. Do you feel like you maybe remember, 164 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:06,600 Speaker 1: like if the if the last thing he said to 165 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:09,200 Speaker 1: you was still along the lines of don't worry, don't worry, 166 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 1: I'm gonna buy this. Yeah, yeah, basically what he that's 167 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:16,439 Speaker 1: what he kept paying the whole time because because he's 168 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:19,920 Speaker 1: definitely in contact with finance people and other things like that, 169 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:25,719 Speaker 1: and maybe that is why it never happened. Right. One 170 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 1: of the reasons cited by the Medical Examiner's office and 171 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:32,839 Speaker 1: the police for Donya's supposed depression was that his real 172 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:36,680 Speaker 1: estate business wasn't doing well. Now that we had access 173 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:39,560 Speaker 1: to his phone, we did our best to figure out 174 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:43,160 Speaker 1: how well his business was or wasn't doing. But let 175 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:46,520 Speaker 1: us start by reminding you that Danye seemingly started having 176 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:51,439 Speaker 1: an interest in real estate in late summer. To suggest 177 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:54,680 Speaker 1: that the business not doing well only three months later 178 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:58,040 Speaker 1: would be enough to drive Donye to suicide, while plausible, 179 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:00,719 Speaker 1: does require that you believe Danyae now only had very 180 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,960 Speaker 1: unrealistic expectations about what he could accomplish in such a 181 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:06,839 Speaker 1: short time, but also that he was taking a large 182 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:09,560 Speaker 1: part of his perception of himself and his self worth 183 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:13,080 Speaker 1: on these expectations, which is a heck of a presumption 184 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:16,959 Speaker 1: to make. We should also note that on his Facebook page. 185 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:21,440 Speaker 1: As a headline, Dana wrote, success is stumbling from failure 186 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:25,560 Speaker 1: to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. We take that 187 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:27,920 Speaker 1: with a grain of salt. Is anyone can write a 188 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:30,920 Speaker 1: motivational headline, It doesn't mean they will live by it, 189 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:34,000 Speaker 1: but it does hint at the notion that Danya was 190 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:37,720 Speaker 1: aware that success wouldn't come overnight and that it wouldn't 191 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:41,560 Speaker 1: come without struggle. His grandmother Gloria said something to this 192 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,280 Speaker 1: effect the first time that we met her. The thing 193 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:49,199 Speaker 1: about being suicidal cause of probably not one, because he 194 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:51,680 Speaker 1: told me at times when you show a house doesn't 195 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:53,480 Speaker 1: mean because you show your house that time about buying it, 196 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,840 Speaker 1: they're gonna get it. So that's a thing where he 197 00:11:56,920 --> 00:11:59,960 Speaker 1: already knew. Dad was already in his head. He knew 198 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 1: that you may have everything of ducks in the role, 199 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:04,480 Speaker 1: as they say, but it may always be in the 200 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:07,600 Speaker 1: way you know what's gonna happen. It takes time and stuff. 201 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:10,200 Speaker 1: And so that to say he was silicidal because of 202 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:14,320 Speaker 1: a house not turning over whatever, that was the furthest one, 203 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:17,400 Speaker 1: the truth. Looking through his phone, we can see that 204 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:20,599 Speaker 1: Donya was a member of several real estate groups on Facebook, 205 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:25,000 Speaker 1: mostly focusing on wholesale real estate and flipping houses. He 206 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:27,440 Speaker 1: was messaging a lot of people, asking a lot of 207 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:31,720 Speaker 1: questions about this or that house, talking numbers, and occasionally 208 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:34,880 Speaker 1: trying to move the conversation forward towards some sort of 209 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:37,680 Speaker 1: contract sale deal. We can see that he was watching 210 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:41,160 Speaker 1: YouTube videos on various elements of the real estate world 211 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:46,040 Speaker 1: and also Google searching for explanations of various terms and concepts. 212 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:49,680 Speaker 1: His Instagram profile shows that he was trying to sell 213 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:52,800 Speaker 1: a few houses over the river in Illinois, in places 214 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:56,280 Speaker 1: like Murphy's Borough and Granite City, and on September five 215 00:12:56,320 --> 00:13:00,560 Speaker 1: and six, he posted photos to his Instagram of three 216 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:04,240 Speaker 1: different houses with the word sold photoshopped across them in 217 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:08,640 Speaker 1: large text. Unfortunately, as Dania was diving into the world 218 00:13:08,679 --> 00:13:11,960 Speaker 1: of wholesale real estate, he wouldn't necessarily take possession of 219 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 1: these properties himself and might only be facilitating a purchase 220 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:18,199 Speaker 1: between a seller and a different buyer, so no record 221 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,800 Speaker 1: at a county office would necessarily signify his involvement, so 222 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:24,560 Speaker 1: he couldn't confirm if these were actual sales or if 223 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:27,400 Speaker 1: Dania was just posting these photos to make it appear 224 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:31,679 Speaker 1: as if he had succeeded in various deals. Hi, my 225 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:34,719 Speaker 1: name is John Duffy. I'm actually I'm a journalist. I'm 226 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:36,800 Speaker 1: working on a story about a young man named Danie 227 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:40,439 Speaker 1: Jones who I think two years ago had some real 228 00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:45,280 Speaker 1: estate or attempted real estate dealings with you. Yeah. Oh 229 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 1: so that's the name that I didn't want to ever 230 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:54,480 Speaker 1: hear again. This is Corey. We found a long series 231 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:56,520 Speaker 1: of text between Danya and her in which she was 232 00:13:56,640 --> 00:14:02,520 Speaker 1: very angry because apparently on October Danya was supposed to 233 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 1: close on purchasing her house, which he said he would 234 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:09,840 Speaker 1: buy with cash sight unseen, seemingly to flip, but he 235 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:13,640 Speaker 1: never showed up to the closing. I don't know if 236 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:15,840 Speaker 1: you know this, but he's dead and we've been basically 237 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:18,680 Speaker 1: just kind of running down his story. And then in 238 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:21,720 Speaker 1: his phone I found some text messages with you where 239 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:26,040 Speaker 1: you seem pretty upset at him about missing a closing 240 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:32,800 Speaker 1: or something like that. Oh yeah, he was supposedly um 241 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:36,920 Speaker 1: and uh real lettee in Butter and we were trying 242 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:40,760 Speaker 1: to sell her home and he he strung us along 243 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 1: for a really long time and then never even showed 244 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,280 Speaker 1: up for the clothing on the on the property and 245 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:51,640 Speaker 1: so we missed several opportunities in the meantime. So that's 246 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:55,760 Speaker 1: really it just seeing our life miserable. So he so 247 00:14:55,880 --> 00:15:00,720 Speaker 1: he was telling you he was going to buy your house, yes, okay, Yeah, 248 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 1: and then you guys had that all worked out, You 249 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:06,960 Speaker 1: had the price all worked out and everything. Yeah, we 250 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:10,680 Speaker 1: had all the papers. Yeah, everything was all done, and 251 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:13,640 Speaker 1: then he just never came to finish it. And then 252 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:15,760 Speaker 1: what happened at the end when he didn't when he 253 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:20,480 Speaker 1: didn't come, um, well we tried getting in touch with him, 254 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 1: and we just weren't hearing anything back. He just kind 255 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:28,600 Speaker 1: I goes to this. We ended up finding someone else 256 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:32,800 Speaker 1: and we're able to sell the house pretty quickly after 257 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: all that. But yeah, it's just he definitely did not 258 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:40,960 Speaker 1: prevent himself the way that he the way that it 259 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:43,840 Speaker 1: seemed that he really was. He really was not professional, 260 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:47,560 Speaker 1: and it was a very emotional, frustrating time. My dad 261 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:50,760 Speaker 1: had just had four strokes. We besides that, I don't 262 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: but I mean, we never even met him. Everything was 263 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:55,520 Speaker 1: just three Like I said, I did give was the 264 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:59,520 Speaker 1: face of passenger. It really standing take that happened to him. 265 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:02,560 Speaker 1: We're opping it's been ruled it's been decided that it 266 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:07,479 Speaker 1: was a suicide officially. Yeah, and it was only thirteen 267 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:10,480 Speaker 1: days after your house closing, or not even like twelve. 268 00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 1: He was definitely attempting to be a real estate investor. 269 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:15,680 Speaker 1: And what we've been trying to kind of figure out 270 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:18,040 Speaker 1: is did he owe anybody money? You know? Was he 271 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:22,760 Speaker 1: in the whole that's terrible? Did you know him? I 272 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:24,840 Speaker 1: did not know him. Um. I became aware of his 273 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:27,600 Speaker 1: death shortly after it happened. Because of the circumstances, it 274 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:30,240 Speaker 1: got a little bit of national coverage because of course 275 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 1: you're aware he was a young black man and he 276 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:37,359 Speaker 1: he was hanging in a tree in his mother's backyard 277 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:44,760 Speaker 1: and my mother. It might seem that between Jennifer and 278 00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:48,080 Speaker 1: Corey Danya was not exactly doing a great job of 279 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:51,360 Speaker 1: the whole real estate thing. But those were the only 280 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:54,080 Speaker 1: two people we found in all of his contacts and 281 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:57,840 Speaker 1: conversations who were angry with him. So, as far as 282 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:00,400 Speaker 1: we can tell, that's the entire book of evidence on 283 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:03,880 Speaker 1: his business failing. We also spoke to a man named 284 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:10,440 Speaker 1: Wardell who was seemingly working with Don Ye on a deal. Yeah. 285 00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:14,400 Speaker 1: The only thing I tell you is that he followed me, 286 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:18,240 Speaker 1: I guess on Facebook and then the investment group and 287 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:22,200 Speaker 1: from there we met. We had a conversations through Facebook 288 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:24,280 Speaker 1: once that we worked on a project or were in 289 00:17:24,359 --> 00:17:26,720 Speaker 1: granted City that we were trying to work on together 290 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:30,600 Speaker 1: that fell through. And that's that's all because you guys 291 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:32,920 Speaker 1: were talking. It was right right before he died, So 292 00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:35,000 Speaker 1: I know it wasn't like, didn't look like you knew 293 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:38,439 Speaker 1: him for very long. Um, right, but you met him 294 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 1: in you met him in person though, right? Yeah? Yeah, 295 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:44,640 Speaker 1: him in person. I want to say on the incident, 296 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:47,800 Speaker 1: I guess it occurred. I don't know how long after 297 00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:50,600 Speaker 1: the fact, but I had just met the guy. He 298 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:52,800 Speaker 1: seemed like he was a really good kid. Did you 299 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:55,600 Speaker 1: feel like he was kind of in over his head 300 00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 1: with the real estate stuff? Did you feel like he 301 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:58,920 Speaker 1: had a good mind for it, Like, did you have 302 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:02,800 Speaker 1: an opinion at all? Uh? Yeah, he had an excellent mind. Uh. 303 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:07,880 Speaker 1: He had a real good persona about himself. I liked 304 00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:10,240 Speaker 1: his work at the UM. You know, there's a matter 305 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:12,880 Speaker 1: of fact, guys listening to my my kids, I mean, 306 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:16,320 Speaker 1: so you want to make things happen. I mean, here, 307 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:19,520 Speaker 1: what happened with the Granite City property it just it 308 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:21,720 Speaker 1: never went through. I guess the owner didn want to 309 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:25,160 Speaker 1: accept the offer that we worked or was he mostly 310 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:30,159 Speaker 1: trying to do wholesale stuff? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, And do 311 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:32,720 Speaker 1: you mind giving me like a really quick and dirty 312 00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 1: explanation of what that means because I might think I know, 313 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:37,800 Speaker 1: but I don't know that I know you No. I 314 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 1: mean especially where we try to go in and buy 315 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:45,600 Speaker 1: the property and work on selling to another investor, so 316 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:50,320 Speaker 1: it requires putting some money down. Okay, did you have 317 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:53,800 Speaker 1: any inkling as to whether or not he had other properties, 318 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:58,879 Speaker 1: had monkling whatso? Yeah? But like I was saying, just 319 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:01,000 Speaker 1: as far as arc I was ici and he sings 320 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:04,440 Speaker 1: he knew he was doing. He was hungree to work 321 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:09,120 Speaker 1: the deals. And that's it. Is there anything else you 322 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:11,919 Speaker 1: remember about him that stands out that he was a 323 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:14,600 Speaker 1: good person. He didn't come across his uh you know, 324 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:17,439 Speaker 1: anything was worrying him. He just knew what he wanted, 325 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:20,359 Speaker 1: the same life in life, and he's just hungry. But 326 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: Danye's last communications with Bardell that we can see in 327 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:32,440 Speaker 1: his phone occurred on October basically three days before Donye's death, 328 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:36,480 Speaker 1: and in this communication, Donyae is asking Wardell about a 329 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:40,399 Speaker 1: deal on a particular property, and Wardell tells him that 330 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:42,800 Speaker 1: there is a major spread on it and that getting 331 00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:46,600 Speaker 1: seventy k is a cake walk. The closing with Corey 332 00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:49,640 Speaker 1: that Danielle missed was on October five, so it doesn't 333 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:52,400 Speaker 1: seem as if he has been demotivated by that deal 334 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:55,680 Speaker 1: going bad, as eight days later he's still trying to 335 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:59,320 Speaker 1: hunt down new deals with Wardell. We have to remember 336 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:02,200 Speaker 1: that how what depth Danya was at the real estate game, 337 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:05,880 Speaker 1: or how he may have oversold himself to certain potential sellers, 338 00:20:06,359 --> 00:20:10,080 Speaker 1: isn't an issue. His emotional and mental states are what 339 00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:13,879 Speaker 1: we care about, and to that there were other things 340 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:16,840 Speaker 1: going on in Donya's life besides trying to break into 341 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 1: the world of buying and selling property. We saw a 342 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:24,040 Speaker 1: bizarre series of texts that we couldn't quite understand, where 343 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:26,840 Speaker 1: he's talking about sending someone money when he gets it 344 00:20:27,119 --> 00:20:30,119 Speaker 1: and asking if the person can't just quote turn it 345 00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:34,040 Speaker 1: back on in the phone. The number was listed under 346 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:37,159 Speaker 1: the name deal and we wondered if perhaps this person 347 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:39,960 Speaker 1: was in the drug trade, so we called the number 348 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:44,159 Speaker 1: ideal car. I'm a dealer, So you're in Idaho? Are 349 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:48,760 Speaker 1: you in Boise. This is a mod. He's a used 350 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:52,600 Speaker 1: car dealer and he sold Donya his Lexus he bought 351 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:59,119 Speaker 1: Alexis ninth sold the car with the five dollar dumpement 352 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:02,280 Speaker 1: or six d dollar don payment. He said, I'm a 353 00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:06,520 Speaker 1: construction work Just anything else you remember about him, I'm 354 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 1: interested in hearing. I meet him a couple of times 355 00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:12,480 Speaker 1: because he's coming in grab his car. He was really 356 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:16,720 Speaker 1: quite guy, not talking so much. He's a really cool guy. 357 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:19,680 Speaker 1: Anything he told me straight, told me say, hey, bro, 358 00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:22,400 Speaker 1: I don't have money that much this time, I'm gonna 359 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:26,040 Speaker 1: make it this time. I'm gonna get my salary or something. Apparently, 360 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:30,639 Speaker 1: on several occasions, Danie missed making his car payments and 361 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:32,440 Speaker 1: he would call up him on and work it out. 362 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:36,800 Speaker 1: So sometimes he would just miss payments and then he'd 363 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:38,399 Speaker 1: have to kind of deal with you know, wheel and 364 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:41,639 Speaker 1: deal back with you to try to get square. Yeah, 365 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:44,880 Speaker 1: and if he's gonna miss payment or something like that, 366 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:47,960 Speaker 1: you can contact with me saying, hey bro, I am 367 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:51,200 Speaker 1: behind this month or this month something that I'm working 368 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:54,399 Speaker 1: on it. I'm not that kind of greedy. Said no, 369 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:56,600 Speaker 1: bring the car but back for me or not gonna 370 00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:58,960 Speaker 1: go Chase about to get the car. Did you feel 371 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,040 Speaker 1: that he was honest? She wasn't honests so he wasn't 372 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 1: too bad to work with. No, he wasn't. He wasn't. 373 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:07,800 Speaker 1: And you you kind of probably deal with this a 374 00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:10,520 Speaker 1: lot people just kind of oh yeah, that's a worse 375 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:14,120 Speaker 1: than the people people lying. Most people that say, oh, 376 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:16,399 Speaker 1: turn off my car, turn on my car, I'm gonna 377 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:19,000 Speaker 1: I'm gonna give you this much money or something something, 378 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:22,159 Speaker 1: never show up. Call me back, then I'm going to 379 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:25,040 Speaker 1: shut down the car back. Ahmad had to kill switch 380 00:22:25,119 --> 00:22:27,600 Speaker 1: installed in the cars that he sold that was fixed 381 00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:30,639 Speaker 1: to a GPS system, so if people who bought cars 382 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:33,600 Speaker 1: from him on credit missed their payments, he could shut 383 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:37,320 Speaker 1: off their cars remotely. His last text messages with you 384 00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:40,679 Speaker 1: were around like October eighth, ninth tenth. Did you have 385 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:42,639 Speaker 1: his car turned off at that time? How do you 386 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:44,479 Speaker 1: turn the car off? Can you just explain that to me? 387 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: When you sold the car on the payment? Does the 388 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:52,639 Speaker 1: GPS install on the system when the payment? Now, bring 389 00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:55,480 Speaker 1: it on. We're gonna go to the system. When he 390 00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:58,440 Speaker 1: turned him off, the car completely shut down, like a 391 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 1: key is lost until I'm going to turn on back 392 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:05,760 Speaker 1: to from the computer, So this explains Danye's car being 393 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: down the week he died. We can see in the 394 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,440 Speaker 1: texts with a mod that not only did he turn 395 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:14,240 Speaker 1: off the car awaiting four hundred and thirty six dollars 396 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:17,240 Speaker 1: and sixty four cents from Dnya, but Donya was also 397 00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:20,560 Speaker 1: claiming that there were issues with the battery and the radiator. 398 00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:24,119 Speaker 1: Looking through Danye's YouTube history, we see that he watched 399 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 1: several videos on how to remove a GPS kill switch 400 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:30,359 Speaker 1: from a car, and we kind of glossed over it, 401 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:32,399 Speaker 1: but it's probably a good time to focus on the 402 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:36,720 Speaker 1: fact that, yes, Danye bought the car in Boise, Idaho. 403 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:42,400 Speaker 1: In Dane took off from St. Louis and moved to Colorado, 404 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:45,719 Speaker 1: where he lived and worked briefly before moving to Boise. 405 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:49,520 Speaker 1: Looking at his Google location data, we can see that 406 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:52,119 Speaker 1: he actually drove all the way to the Puget Sound 407 00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:56,920 Speaker 1: area of Washington State before circling back to Colorado. Militia 408 00:23:57,000 --> 00:23:59,960 Speaker 1: and Danya's grandmother Gloria told us what they knew about 409 00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:04,720 Speaker 1: Danye's time living in Boise. Everything is so beautiful I 410 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:08,160 Speaker 1: kind of overlooked, but the things he was pulled over 411 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:10,720 Speaker 1: so many times. He had a decent car. He had 412 00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:13,600 Speaker 1: a nice job, decent car, and because of it, they 413 00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:18,680 Speaker 1: was calling him. Um uh. He kept saying, Grandma, he said, 414 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:21,439 Speaker 1: I'm gonna I'm gonna get you a plane ticket. I 415 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:24,399 Speaker 1: want you to see the scenery. It may be a 416 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:27,440 Speaker 1: lot of racist things going on, he said, but Grandma, 417 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:31,960 Speaker 1: the scene is so pretty. It's so peaceful. He said. Yeah. 418 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:33,880 Speaker 1: They pulled me over every time they get a chance 419 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:37,639 Speaker 1: to make sure everything is correct my car. They asked him, 420 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:40,240 Speaker 1: what you know, what is a you're doing driving a 421 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:43,320 Speaker 1: car like this? It was the Lexus. It was just 422 00:24:44,119 --> 00:24:48,840 Speaker 1: continuously they pulled him over, continuously, call my name and everything. 423 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:52,280 Speaker 1: But he just thought about the peaceful how pretty is that. 424 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:54,679 Speaker 1: He really wanted to make sure you gonna pay for 425 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:58,160 Speaker 1: your flight to come here and you could just see 426 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:01,800 Speaker 1: the mountains in the areas and see pretty. Danya told 427 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:04,639 Speaker 1: his family members that while living in Boise, he was 428 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:08,399 Speaker 1: frequently pulled over while driving in his new Lexus. After 429 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:11,120 Speaker 1: digging through a lot of court records, we were able 430 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:16,000 Speaker 1: to find that Dania was arrested in August for possession 431 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:20,320 Speaker 1: of marijuana and paraphernalia in Boise. Over the following months, 432 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:23,760 Speaker 1: Donia would be assigned a public defender and even spend 433 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:27,080 Speaker 1: nine days in jail for a failure to appear. The 434 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:29,480 Speaker 1: records show a lot of back and forth, a lot 435 00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:32,679 Speaker 1: of resetting of dates, missed dates, etcetera. It's all kind 436 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 1: of boring, but the long and short of it is 437 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:38,680 Speaker 1: the case was eventually dismissed. When he lived, he didn't 438 00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:42,919 Speaker 1: tail no one. He just lives. This is deja again. 439 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:46,520 Speaker 1: She says that when Donna moved west, he didn't tell 440 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:49,960 Speaker 1: anybody he was going. One day, he just packed up 441 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:53,359 Speaker 1: and drove off. Melissa once told us that Donia went 442 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:56,800 Speaker 1: to Colorado because weed was legal there. What drew him 443 00:25:56,840 --> 00:26:00,280 Speaker 1: north to Idaho is sort of a mystery. He tried 444 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:03,600 Speaker 1: to convince not only his grandmother to visit, but seemingly 445 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:06,439 Speaker 1: he even tried to convince Desa to move there to 446 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:10,199 Speaker 1: be with him. He had reached out for me, I 447 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:14,200 Speaker 1: think on Facebook. Then you just tell me how he's 448 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:18,080 Speaker 1: doing through it out of town, working for some construction 449 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:23,560 Speaker 1: place where he was painting and basically refurbishing places. And 450 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:26,320 Speaker 1: I was like, okay, that's real good. And he was 451 00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:28,280 Speaker 1: trying to get me to come down there, and I 452 00:26:28,359 --> 00:26:30,920 Speaker 1: was just like, oh, I don't know about that one. 453 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:34,920 Speaker 1: My daughter. Yeah, he wanted me to come down there 454 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:38,120 Speaker 1: with him, and then was just like no, not right now. 455 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:40,240 Speaker 1: He's like, well, he's gonna come to busy. When he 456 00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:42,399 Speaker 1: got close to my birthday, he ordered to come down 457 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:46,320 Speaker 1: for my birthday. So he came down. I was shocked. 458 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:51,320 Speaker 1: I'm like, you actually here. So we hung out my birthday. 459 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:54,000 Speaker 1: He got a hotel and just shoot. That's when I 460 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:56,920 Speaker 1: told him, like, I don't got my place anymore. So 461 00:26:57,080 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 1: he was just like, okay, well, you know, you just 462 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:02,080 Speaker 1: go to his brain. How bout to my mom's house. 463 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:05,639 Speaker 1: So he went to his mom and every day you 464 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:08,679 Speaker 1: complete me ll take me to work or take me 465 00:27:08,680 --> 00:27:12,800 Speaker 1: wherever I needed to go. Deja's birthday is August seven, 466 00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:16,119 Speaker 1: so around this time, Danie was back in St. Louis 467 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:18,439 Speaker 1: with his new Lexus and he moved in with his 468 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:20,720 Speaker 1: mother and stepfather, where he slept on a couch in 469 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:23,480 Speaker 1: the basement. He started talking to his uncle Daniel about 470 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:25,919 Speaker 1: getting into real estate, and by everything we saw in 471 00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:28,800 Speaker 1: his phone data, he was very focused on this pursuit, 472 00:27:29,119 --> 00:27:31,600 Speaker 1: though he did do other work for money, including being 473 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:34,720 Speaker 1: signed up for attempt service and Deja says she is 474 00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:37,919 Speaker 1: hanging out with Dna from that point on regularly, with 475 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,119 Speaker 1: him picking her up and driving her to work daily. 476 00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:43,760 Speaker 1: Going through his phone, we found a few more interesting 477 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:48,359 Speaker 1: pieces of information surrounding Danya's last day alive. For one, 478 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:51,640 Speaker 1: Dania had been messaging with his younger brother Javan over 479 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:54,320 Speaker 1: the course of the preceding week about his car needing 480 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:57,240 Speaker 1: a new battery, and also about wanting a job application 481 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:00,440 Speaker 1: for the call center where Javon worked. On the morning 482 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,680 Speaker 1: of the sixteen, Javon asks Done if he has gotten 483 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:06,359 Speaker 1: the new car battery yet, and don Yae answers that 484 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:10,120 Speaker 1: he hasn't. At two twenty nine in the afternoon, don 485 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:13,560 Speaker 1: Ye asked Javan how much a battery will cost. Then, 486 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:17,560 Speaker 1: at nine thirty four pm, Danye text Javan, I've been 487 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:20,600 Speaker 1: asking for your help, but forget it. Javon responds to 488 00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:23,320 Speaker 1: this at ten o nine pm, saying, what do you mean? 489 00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:26,120 Speaker 1: You only asked me about the app and the battery. 490 00:28:26,840 --> 00:28:29,600 Speaker 1: This back and forth seems to add another layer to 491 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:33,400 Speaker 1: the text Dnye sent to Militia at ninety five pm 492 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:36,680 Speaker 1: that says sorry sis. The text the police and the 493 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:41,680 Speaker 1: pathologist interpreted as a final goodbye, dan Ye appears piste 494 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:44,560 Speaker 1: off at Javan and seems to be admonishing his younger 495 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:47,680 Speaker 1: brother for having ignored him, And that makes us wonder 496 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:51,400 Speaker 1: if Danye's text to Militia, which he would write exactly 497 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:55,240 Speaker 1: twenty one seconds later, really was an apology for his 498 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:57,560 Speaker 1: having ignored her when she was over at the house 499 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:01,640 Speaker 1: that day. As Militia believes, it seems to make perfect sense. 500 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 1: Dania is trying to get his brother's attention and his 501 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:08,280 Speaker 1: brother isn't responding fast enough. Maybe a lightbulb clicks on 502 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:11,880 Speaker 1: and Donia realizes a crap here. I am mad at 503 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:14,440 Speaker 1: my brother for ignoring me, but I ignored my sister 504 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:16,800 Speaker 1: and her son when they came over. I should tell 505 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:21,360 Speaker 1: her I'm sorry. Danye never sent anything else after Javon's 506 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:25,160 Speaker 1: final texts at ten ten pm, possibly because he was 507 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:28,720 Speaker 1: outside of WiFi range and never saw them. There was 508 00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:30,560 Speaker 1: something else in the phone that we needed to ask 509 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:34,440 Speaker 1: Javan about. The Google location data from Dania's phone is 510 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:37,560 Speaker 1: hard to decipher as it is just blue lines on 511 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:40,480 Speaker 1: a map, and as his phone had no cell service, 512 00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:43,160 Speaker 1: his movement was only tracked when the phone was logged 513 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:46,600 Speaker 1: into WiFi, which for the time period in question was 514 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:49,920 Speaker 1: only when Danya was at or near his house. We 515 00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:53,360 Speaker 1: do see for the sixteenth movement around the house, and 516 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:56,760 Speaker 1: movement that seems to indicate that Danya headed south, perhaps 517 00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:59,720 Speaker 1: only a few houses down, perhaps further if the signal 518 00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:03,080 Speaker 1: cut out. We wondered if perhaps Danyae knew somebody in 519 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:05,880 Speaker 1: the neighborhood whose house he could walk to, So we 520 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 1: called Javan and asked him about it. No, I do know. 521 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:14,040 Speaker 1: We had a playing to rio the stay we'll see. 522 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:15,920 Speaker 1: I think his family he stayed in the house. I 523 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:17,680 Speaker 1: don't think he stay as he lived in the house 524 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 1: not I think they was right on to the to 525 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:25,080 Speaker 1: live going towards that day and our Francia went to school, 526 00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:29,320 Speaker 1: he had stayed down there. Rich Trell is somebody that 527 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:31,960 Speaker 1: Donya had gone to school with and had remained friends 528 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:34,920 Speaker 1: with over the years. Melissa refers to him as Danna's 529 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:38,160 Speaker 1: smoking buddy. We can see in Danyae's text record that 530 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:41,360 Speaker 1: Treill reached out to Donye on the sixteenth at two 531 00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:45,200 Speaker 1: forty three pm to say new pressure on deck tennan 532 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:49,120 Speaker 1: gee and unplugging. This was followed by a series of emojis, 533 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:51,920 Speaker 1: one of a tree, a gas tank, a rocket, and 534 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:54,320 Speaker 1: a face with smoke coming out of the mouth. So 535 00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:57,360 Speaker 1: Trell is saying he has new weed available for sale. 536 00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:01,400 Speaker 1: This seemed like an incredible lead. A friend within walking 537 00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:04,400 Speaker 1: distance who was staying in the direction that Danye's movement 538 00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:08,120 Speaker 1: data suggested he traveled, and who would hit Danyae up 539 00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:10,800 Speaker 1: that afternoon to let him know he had good new weed. 540 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:18,040 Speaker 1: So we called Treill right across the trains as the 541 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:21,000 Speaker 1: house ripe for him. So the last house he lived 542 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:24,200 Speaker 1: in was about seven houses away from the house you 543 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:28,120 Speaker 1: were in. Ye stay right at the corner house. According 544 00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:30,640 Speaker 1: to Treill, he had stayed at various houses in the 545 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:33,840 Speaker 1: neighborhood as he had various family members there, but at 546 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:36,000 Speaker 1: the time of Danye's death, he was staying in a 547 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:38,560 Speaker 1: house to the south of Melissa's and to the east, 548 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:42,080 Speaker 1: just over the railroad tracks behind her yard. This would 549 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:44,840 Speaker 1: align with the movement data we see on Danyae's phone. 550 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:49,240 Speaker 1: We asked Trell when he saw Donna last. So his 551 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:52,040 Speaker 1: last his last day was the sit was the sixteen, 552 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:56,200 Speaker 1: So you're thinking probably about something like that is when 553 00:31:56,200 --> 00:32:02,600 Speaker 1: you saw him. It was about a couple days before 554 00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:06,800 Speaker 1: before everything he had, he was in our spirits and 555 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:12,040 Speaker 1: so at first. Trell says he saw Danyae a couple 556 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:14,960 Speaker 1: of days before him. We told Treille we saw the 557 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:17,600 Speaker 1: text he sent Danyae about having new weed for sale, 558 00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:20,640 Speaker 1: and since we didn't see Danya respond to that message, 559 00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:23,480 Speaker 1: we asked if Danyae just popped by, or if he 560 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:28,680 Speaker 1: ever just stopped over and announced, I ain't popped up 561 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:32,480 Speaker 1: at my house. He wouldn't he went to Pomlo type. 562 00:32:32,320 --> 00:32:34,760 Speaker 1: You know, I always informed me that he was because 563 00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:41,360 Speaker 1: I did he call you in that day at night 564 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:47,680 Speaker 1: he was working on the car right outside that you 565 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:52,600 Speaker 1: know about what time? Yeah, and it had all up 566 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:56,000 Speaker 1: in the car. I said, boy, you black black and 567 00:32:56,040 --> 00:33:00,959 Speaker 1: it's not paying at surrounds. According to Trell, he had 568 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 1: hung out with Donya a couple of days before his death. 569 00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:06,480 Speaker 1: He saw Danya on the sixteenth out on the street 570 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:10,000 Speaker 1: working on his car, roughly in mid afternoon, roughly around 571 00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:12,120 Speaker 1: the same time he texted him about having the weed. 572 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:17,720 Speaker 1: Did danye ever respond to your October sixteen? You know, 573 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:20,120 Speaker 1: I got all types of gas on deck text? He 574 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:23,320 Speaker 1: didn't read, no, miss said until before he opened he 575 00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:25,880 Speaker 1: opened up that new presson on date on the six 576 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:29,080 Speaker 1: think he never opened had missed. It was odd that 577 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:31,480 Speaker 1: Trell told us the last time he saw Donya was 578 00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:33,640 Speaker 1: a couple of days before he died, and then went 579 00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:36,080 Speaker 1: on to say he saw him that afternoon on the street. 580 00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:39,120 Speaker 1: But perhaps he means that was the last time he 581 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:42,120 Speaker 1: hung out with Danye and not just saw him in passing. 582 00:33:42,840 --> 00:33:45,640 Speaker 1: It was so frustrating that this promising lead seemed to 583 00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:48,680 Speaker 1: be a dead end. But back in Danyae's phone, we 584 00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:52,280 Speaker 1: find that there is around September thirt some sort of 585 00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:57,320 Speaker 1: mysterious event that has Danye quite upset and possibly seeking revenge. 586 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:01,520 Speaker 1: This is evidenced by text to three different numbers. The 587 00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:03,880 Speaker 1: first is a singular text he sent to a number 588 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:07,120 Speaker 1: stating plainly, I found out where dude stay at. The 589 00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:09,200 Speaker 1: next is a text he sends to a friend of 590 00:34:09,280 --> 00:34:11,640 Speaker 1: his who lives about three and a half hours drive 591 00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:16,600 Speaker 1: west in Springfield, Missouri, my Shianna. He tells her, been good, 592 00:34:16,640 --> 00:34:19,440 Speaker 1: a lot of bs, though everybody getting jammed up, m 593 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:21,680 Speaker 1: f getting popped in a bit. I'll probably need to 594 00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:24,920 Speaker 1: duck off for a week there. And finally, there is 595 00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:27,560 Speaker 1: a series of texts he sends to Deja, the first 596 00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:31,560 Speaker 1: of which reads, Marcel three dark skin, I found out 597 00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:35,040 Speaker 1: where he stayed. Delete this after you got it. Note 598 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:37,920 Speaker 1: Danye gave Marcell's full name, but we were withholding it 599 00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:40,960 Speaker 1: because the accusation against him is pretty heavy and has 600 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:43,640 Speaker 1: not been proven in a court of law. Deja replied, 601 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:47,120 Speaker 1: I got you. Danya then sent Deja pictures which we 602 00:34:47,160 --> 00:34:52,560 Speaker 1: cannot see but presumably contain Marcel's image. She asks who 603 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:56,400 Speaker 1: on the first picture, so perhaps the pictures contain several 604 00:34:56,440 --> 00:35:01,000 Speaker 1: different people. The next day, Dane asks Asia, can you 605 00:35:01,040 --> 00:35:04,040 Speaker 1: have your people's line it up? We never see a 606 00:35:04,080 --> 00:35:08,279 Speaker 1: definitive end of this conversation. On September sixteenth, we see 607 00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:10,799 Speaker 1: that Danya and Deja had a video chat, and we 608 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:13,160 Speaker 1: also see that before the first text in the series 609 00:35:13,239 --> 00:35:17,160 Speaker 1: was sent, at ten twenty am, Danye called Deja, So 610 00:35:17,239 --> 00:35:20,240 Speaker 1: the whole thing where he names Marcel and sends photos 611 00:35:20,280 --> 00:35:22,960 Speaker 1: of him and asked for people can line something up, 612 00:35:23,080 --> 00:35:26,200 Speaker 1: and she says, I got you had some greater context 613 00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:30,160 Speaker 1: that now only Deja knows, but it's pretty obvious. Danya 614 00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:33,520 Speaker 1: is angry about a recent event. He wants Stage's help 615 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:35,920 Speaker 1: addressing it, and he thinks he may need to go 616 00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:39,439 Speaker 1: hide out in Springfield. We asked Melissa if she knew 617 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:43,919 Speaker 1: who Marcel was him that's the one that shot at 618 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:53,160 Speaker 1: Javon in Um. Danye's best friend, Damon was seemingly hanging 619 00:35:53,160 --> 00:35:57,319 Speaker 1: out with Danya's younger brother Javon on September twelve, when 620 00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:02,320 Speaker 1: Damon was shot four times agedly by Marcel. The alleged 621 00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:05,319 Speaker 1: amotive for this shooting was that javan and Damon had 622 00:36:05,360 --> 00:36:08,640 Speaker 1: recently hung out with Marcelle's girlfriend and she had posted 623 00:36:08,719 --> 00:36:12,279 Speaker 1: something of this hangout on Snapchat. He seems very mad 624 00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:16,719 Speaker 1: about he was Danyae and I. We went to the hospital. 625 00:36:16,880 --> 00:36:19,200 Speaker 1: They only let him go in and see him. He 626 00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:23,000 Speaker 1: came back out he was so I told him, I said, listen, 627 00:36:23,080 --> 00:36:26,239 Speaker 1: you have to let the police handle this. You know, 628 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:29,080 Speaker 1: the police is not going to do anything. He said, 629 00:36:29,080 --> 00:36:32,160 Speaker 1: they could have killed my brother. And I told Givanne 630 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:36,160 Speaker 1: to go and talk to the police about it, and 631 00:36:37,239 --> 00:36:40,040 Speaker 1: me and Danyelle got into it because Danyelle said that 632 00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:43,839 Speaker 1: if Givonne goes to the police, then they can come 633 00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:47,880 Speaker 1: back and kill Givann and I said, well, I just 634 00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:51,280 Speaker 1: need you to stay out of it. Melissa also thought 635 00:36:51,719 --> 00:36:55,759 Speaker 1: Danye was probably asking Deja in those texts for help 636 00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:59,280 Speaker 1: getting a gun. So you're you're thinking that him talking 637 00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:02,680 Speaker 1: to Deja about this this can your people line it up? 638 00:37:02,760 --> 00:37:07,520 Speaker 1: He's trying to get a gun through her to Danye 639 00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:09,960 Speaker 1: hope to get a gun so he could exact revenge 640 00:37:09,960 --> 00:37:12,799 Speaker 1: against Marcel. Is that why he thought he might need 641 00:37:12,840 --> 00:37:16,520 Speaker 1: to lay up in Springfield? Or was it something else, 642 00:37:16,920 --> 00:37:19,480 Speaker 1: perhaps trying to arrange for other people to do the 643 00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:24,520 Speaker 1: dirty work. I mean, this is speculation, but do you 644 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:27,359 Speaker 1: think Danye would do something so far as like try 645 00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:32,560 Speaker 1: to arrange to get Marcel hurt? Danye would do it himself. 646 00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:38,160 Speaker 1: He would do it himself. Um, when it comes to 647 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:41,799 Speaker 1: his family. That's what this is what I'm saying. He 648 00:37:41,880 --> 00:37:44,120 Speaker 1: did not play about us that and when I say 649 00:37:44,160 --> 00:37:48,480 Speaker 1: he was like my protector, he was my protector, our protectives. 650 00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:54,520 Speaker 1: He he did not play when if someone came after us. 651 00:37:55,680 --> 00:37:58,920 Speaker 1: Danyae's protective nature is a large part of the reason 652 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:01,880 Speaker 1: Melissa does not leave. He would have ended his own life. 653 00:38:03,360 --> 00:38:06,920 Speaker 1: But as far as these texts are concerned, again, only 654 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:11,000 Speaker 1: Deja knows for sure what Danya was asking for. In 655 00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:14,399 Speaker 1: episode six, Deja told us Danyae and Melissa had been 656 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:18,680 Speaker 1: fighting before he died. This whole series of events, Damon 657 00:38:18,760 --> 00:38:22,440 Speaker 1: and Javon being shot at, and Donna wanting to seek retribution. 658 00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:26,920 Speaker 1: It's what that fight was about. By September nineteenth, a 659 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:31,359 Speaker 1: week after the shooting, Melissa says police had Marcel and custody. 660 00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:34,280 Speaker 1: She had a long text conversation about it with Dania, 661 00:38:34,480 --> 00:38:37,120 Speaker 1: which boiled down to the fact that Dania didn't want 662 00:38:37,160 --> 00:38:40,560 Speaker 1: anyone to snitch because he believed that would be traced 663 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:44,319 Speaker 1: back to Javon and then Javon would be targeted. He 664 00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:47,719 Speaker 1: told Melissa the Marcel problem was going to be handled 665 00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:51,279 Speaker 1: at the street level. Here she is reading part of 666 00:38:51,320 --> 00:38:54,879 Speaker 1: this text chain. The stress was going to take care 667 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:58,880 Speaker 1: of that. He knows a lot of people. I said, 668 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:03,920 Speaker 1: the streets was gonna take care of him when after 669 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:08,440 Speaker 1: somebody else is killed. So he says, that's what I'm saying, 670 00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:11,040 Speaker 1: And the first people they will look at is Givonne. 671 00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:16,480 Speaker 1: So what he was saying was he didn't want Givonne 672 00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:20,080 Speaker 1: to be implicated on anything till he said, tell Givonne 673 00:39:20,160 --> 00:39:22,759 Speaker 1: to get a gun, is all I'm saying. After that, 674 00:39:23,520 --> 00:39:26,719 Speaker 1: me and him, we had our words and got into it. 675 00:39:26,719 --> 00:39:29,920 Speaker 1: That's when we got into it and he left. That 676 00:39:30,040 --> 00:39:33,120 Speaker 1: we can tell based on a record search, this Marcelle 677 00:39:33,160 --> 00:39:36,720 Speaker 1: person never was charged for shooting at Damon and Gavan. 678 00:39:37,760 --> 00:39:40,040 Speaker 1: Stop for a moment and think about this timeline of 679 00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:45,600 Speaker 1: events from Melissa's point of view. In August of Melissa 680 00:39:45,640 --> 00:39:49,160 Speaker 1: aids a stranger KWin after he is shot on West 681 00:39:49,200 --> 00:39:53,200 Speaker 1: Flores Saint Avenue. The next month, in September, her son 682 00:39:53,239 --> 00:39:55,759 Speaker 1: Givann is shot at while hanging out with her other 683 00:39:55,800 --> 00:40:00,800 Speaker 1: son's best friend, Damon. Then in October, Manya has found 684 00:40:00,920 --> 00:40:05,640 Speaker 1: hanged in Melissa's backyard. This woman knew four young black 685 00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:08,800 Speaker 1: men who were the victims of fatal or near fatal 686 00:40:08,880 --> 00:40:12,680 Speaker 1: violence over the course of three months, two of whom 687 00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:17,400 Speaker 1: were her own sons, and none of whose cases seemingly 688 00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:23,160 Speaker 1: received a satisfactory investigation. Neither Damon nor Javon wanted to 689 00:40:23,200 --> 00:40:26,920 Speaker 1: talk to us much about Marcel or the shooting. We 690 00:40:26,920 --> 00:40:29,919 Speaker 1: couldn't help, but wonder if Marcel was at least part 691 00:40:29,960 --> 00:40:33,839 Speaker 1: of the reason Dania seemed so anxious and maybe paranoid 692 00:40:34,120 --> 00:40:38,000 Speaker 1: in his last week or so of life. Danye's phone 693 00:40:38,080 --> 00:40:41,360 Speaker 1: was really a treasure trove of information, and there's no 694 00:40:41,440 --> 00:40:45,400 Speaker 1: way to possibly cover everything that we found. A quick note, 695 00:40:45,680 --> 00:40:48,640 Speaker 1: we found absolutely zero hint that Dania was interested in 696 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:52,879 Speaker 1: men sexually in any of his data. In fact, quite 697 00:40:52,920 --> 00:40:56,360 Speaker 1: the opposite. He seemed very interested in women. So anyone 698 00:40:56,440 --> 00:41:00,520 Speaker 1: with lingering thoughts that perhaps a hidden homosexuality was secretly 699 00:41:00,560 --> 00:41:03,719 Speaker 1: eating at him, just no, there's no real smoke there. 700 00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:08,640 Speaker 1: In fact, searching his phone data, we found nothing that 701 00:41:08,719 --> 00:41:12,920 Speaker 1: hinted at depression or suicidal ideation in his texts, nothing 702 00:41:12,960 --> 00:41:16,680 Speaker 1: in his email, and nothing in his Google searches. Yes, 703 00:41:17,040 --> 00:41:20,439 Speaker 1: he had some struggles real estate deals that didn't work out, 704 00:41:20,520 --> 00:41:23,360 Speaker 1: in a car that needed attention, in a late payment 705 00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:26,719 Speaker 1: that was keeping it from operating. But remember back in 706 00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:30,200 Speaker 1: episode five we talked about how Donier was reconnecting with 707 00:41:30,239 --> 00:41:34,480 Speaker 1: his ex girlfriend Loretha. Unlocking his phone is how we 708 00:41:34,560 --> 00:41:37,880 Speaker 1: know that they texted back and forth. On the fifteenth 709 00:41:37,880 --> 00:41:41,920 Speaker 1: of October, after seven pm, they had a long conversation 710 00:41:42,200 --> 00:41:45,200 Speaker 1: in which Dane told Loretha he was getting his business 711 00:41:45,239 --> 00:41:48,719 Speaker 1: up and running, and she said that was exciting. She 712 00:41:48,840 --> 00:41:50,719 Speaker 1: said both of their birthdays were coming up in the 713 00:41:50,760 --> 00:41:53,719 Speaker 1: next month, so he asked her what she wanted, and 714 00:41:53,800 --> 00:41:56,239 Speaker 1: she answered that she wanted perfume and a promise ring. 715 00:41:57,120 --> 00:41:59,440 Speaker 1: She said she wanted to hear all about his business 716 00:41:59,680 --> 00:42:02,440 Speaker 1: and so jested that they go to a restaurant that weekend, 717 00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:07,560 Speaker 1: to which Danya said that sounds good, and she said okay. 718 00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:11,720 Speaker 1: The next morning, on what would ultimately be the last 719 00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:15,040 Speaker 1: full day of Danie's life, at about ten am, he 720 00:42:15,120 --> 00:42:18,960 Speaker 1: texted Loretha, good morning, beautiful. We don't know if he 721 00:42:19,040 --> 00:42:21,759 Speaker 1: called her that day or if she called him, so 722 00:42:21,840 --> 00:42:25,080 Speaker 1: the phone didn't ultimately reveal if Loresa is who Danya 723 00:42:25,160 --> 00:42:28,200 Speaker 1: went to see the night he died, but clearly he 724 00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:31,479 Speaker 1: had things to look forward to. There was only one 725 00:42:31,520 --> 00:42:34,439 Speaker 1: thing and the whole phone that pointed to Danya having 726 00:42:34,480 --> 00:42:39,720 Speaker 1: suicidal intent, and when we found it, it hit us hard, 727 00:42:40,800 --> 00:42:45,640 Speaker 1: very hard. We went into his YouTube searches and there's 728 00:42:45,719 --> 00:42:48,320 Speaker 1: like twenty searches. I'm going down and I'm finding everything 729 00:42:48,320 --> 00:42:53,360 Speaker 1: you expect. Music, it was a car, stuff, real estate, 730 00:42:54,440 --> 00:42:57,200 Speaker 1: and then there's a search for a very specific phrase, 731 00:42:57,719 --> 00:43:01,080 Speaker 1: which is how to tie the hangman's and was a blanket. 732 00:43:05,880 --> 00:43:09,680 Speaker 1: Looking into someone's phone data is an eerie modern proxy 733 00:43:10,040 --> 00:43:14,040 Speaker 1: for looking into their minds. Seeing photos DNA took from 734 00:43:14,080 --> 00:43:18,160 Speaker 1: his cross country journey, hearing the music he liked knowing 735 00:43:18,160 --> 00:43:21,160 Speaker 1: which games he liked to play. It all helped us 736 00:43:21,160 --> 00:43:25,319 Speaker 1: feel strangely close to him. There was a video in 737 00:43:25,400 --> 00:43:27,920 Speaker 1: his Google drive in which he's sitting with some friends 738 00:43:28,719 --> 00:43:31,400 Speaker 1: and as music plays in the background, he's smoking a 739 00:43:31,440 --> 00:43:35,759 Speaker 1: hookah and blowing smoke rings quite well. When a young 740 00:43:35,760 --> 00:43:39,200 Speaker 1: woman goes to blow smoke rings herself, Danya imitates her, 741 00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:42,960 Speaker 1: making good natured fun of her, mocking her face. Everybody 742 00:43:42,960 --> 00:43:46,520 Speaker 1: in the room is cracking up, laughing. There he was. 743 00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:50,040 Speaker 1: Everyone who knew Danyae well told us he was so 744 00:43:50,120 --> 00:43:53,239 Speaker 1: funny and silly, and now we can see that it 745 00:43:53,280 --> 00:43:56,680 Speaker 1: was true he was. We'd play it here if it 746 00:43:56,719 --> 00:43:59,480 Speaker 1: weren't for the fact that the comedy is so purely physical. 747 00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:02,799 Speaker 1: There isn't much to hear other than the room laughing hysterically. 748 00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:07,200 Speaker 1: In response a phone full of texts and posts and 749 00:44:07,239 --> 00:44:11,040 Speaker 1: search history that all seemed normal and healthy, but for 750 00:44:11,120 --> 00:44:15,640 Speaker 1: this one YouTube search how to tie a hangman's noose 751 00:44:15,960 --> 00:44:20,680 Speaker 1: with a blanket, searched for on October six, the last 752 00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:25,000 Speaker 1: day of his life. Upon finding it, we thought, this 753 00:44:25,200 --> 00:44:28,360 Speaker 1: is it. The clue we've been looking for, the piece 754 00:44:28,360 --> 00:44:31,080 Speaker 1: of evidence that tips the scale of certainty in one 755 00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:37,839 Speaker 1: clear direction. Or does it That's next time and After 756 00:44:37,880 --> 00:44:44,720 Speaker 1: the Uprising? After the Uprising is directed, produced, investigated, written 757 00:44:44,719 --> 00:44:47,720 Speaker 1: and reported by myself, Raino the Shell Ski and John Duffy. 758 00:44:47,800 --> 00:44:50,719 Speaker 1: John Duffy was also the editor. Dave Cassidy was producer, 759 00:44:50,960 --> 00:44:54,520 Speaker 1: sound engineering, design and mixed by Josh Condon. Executive producers 760 00:44:54,520 --> 00:44:57,000 Speaker 1: were Matt McDonough and Tina x Ros for Now This, 761 00:44:57,280 --> 00:44:59,680 Speaker 1: Brett Kushner for Group nine Media, and Jess bore of 762 00:44:59,760 --> 00:45:02,360 Speaker 1: A is executive in charge of production. Jonathan Hartwig and 763 00:45:02,400 --> 00:45:05,960 Speaker 1: Bradley Rayford were consulting producers. Eliza Craig was assistant producer 764 00:45:06,000 --> 00:45:09,320 Speaker 1: and did additional reporting. Mallory Keenoy was a writer's assistant. 765 00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:12,760 Speaker 1: Kristin McVicker and Taya Wilson were production assistants, and Haley 766 00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:16,320 Speaker 1: Klesmer was a post production assistant. Fact checking by Alison Humes. 767 00:45:16,520 --> 00:45:19,359 Speaker 1: Theme song and other music by Zachary Walter, legal by 768 00:45:19,440 --> 00:45:22,480 Speaker 1: Keith Sklar and Peter Yazy. Special thanks to Ann Frado, 769 00:45:22,600 --> 00:45:27,400 Speaker 1: Danny Gonzalez, Barbara Copple, Alex Lester, Bethan Macaluzo, Emily Maronoff, 770 00:45:27,560 --> 00:45:30,280 Speaker 1: Ruth Vaka, and the Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press. 771 00:45:30,520 --> 00:45:32,799 Speaker 1: After The Uprising is a production of Double asterisk I 772 00:45:32,880 --> 00:45:35,760 Speaker 1: Heart Media and now this in association with True Stories. 773 00:45:35,920 --> 00:45:38,120 Speaker 1: You can find us on Twitter and Facebook. If you 774 00:45:38,200 --> 00:45:40,719 Speaker 1: have useful information about the death of Danye Jones or 775 00:45:40,760 --> 00:45:43,120 Speaker 1: anything we've covered, please leave a message on our tip 776 00:45:43,160 --> 00:45:46,279 Speaker 1: line at three four seven six seven four seven four 777 00:45:46,400 --> 00:45:55,480 Speaker 1: zero one.