1 00:00:12,379 --> 00:00:14,275 ERIKA: You look at this group of honor roll students, 2 00:00:14,275 --> 00:00:16,068 of overachievers, 3 00:00:17,172 --> 00:00:18,965 this group is competitive, 4 00:00:20,206 --> 00:00:21,241 and it's fierce. 5 00:00:22,413 --> 00:00:26,000 Failure was not an option, it really wasn't. 6 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,689 They both were straight A students, they both 7 00:00:28,689 --> 00:00:30,586 wanted the same thing. 8 00:00:30,655 --> 00:00:33,586 But also, they had a little competition going on 9 00:00:33,586 --> 00:00:35,068 as far as boys. 10 00:00:36,172 --> 00:00:37,689 ERIKA: She's got one up on her. 11 00:00:37,689 --> 00:00:41,482 He's cute, he's popular, he's mine. 12 00:00:41,482 --> 00:00:43,482 She was just standing her ground. 13 00:00:43,482 --> 00:00:46,482 If she do want to fight, I'll fight her. 14 00:00:48,275 --> 00:00:52,689 She seemed like she wanted her to just die. 15 00:00:52,758 --> 00:00:54,551 It was just a toxic relationship. 16 00:00:55,793 --> 00:00:57,965 It was only gonna lead one way. 17 00:01:04,896 --> 00:01:08,172 [theme music playing] 18 00:01:22,793 --> 00:01:25,379 KAYHLA: I had economics class second period. 19 00:01:27,310 --> 00:01:29,172 10 minutes into class, 20 00:01:29,241 --> 00:01:32,000 everybody's getting up, moving around. 21 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,551 I'm still sitting at my desk with my headphones in. 22 00:01:37,586 --> 00:01:40,586 And then everybody starts shouting, "Call the police." 23 00:01:40,655 --> 00:01:42,103 [distant screaming] 24 00:01:42,103 --> 00:01:44,172 FRANCESCA: We hear screaming. 25 00:01:44,172 --> 00:01:47,448 We're all trying to figure out what's going on. 26 00:01:49,103 --> 00:01:52,965 Everyone's up and scattered around the room. 27 00:01:54,620 --> 00:01:57,689 I see drops of blood 28 00:01:57,758 --> 00:02:01,896 from the back of the classroom to the side of the classroom. 29 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:05,862 It was a moment of shock. 30 00:02:12,103 --> 00:02:14,689 [school bell rings] 31 00:02:21,896 --> 00:02:24,275 NARRATOR: It's the start of a new school year at 32 00:02:24,275 --> 00:02:25,586 Fitzgerald High School. 33 00:02:25,586 --> 00:02:29,482 Fitzgerald High School is about 13 miles north 34 00:02:29,482 --> 00:02:31,586 of downtown Detroit. 35 00:02:31,655 --> 00:02:33,586 It's your typical high school. 36 00:02:33,655 --> 00:02:37,586 It has the social cliques just like any high school, 37 00:02:37,586 --> 00:02:40,448 but is known for its academics, as well. 38 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:46,275 At some schools, you would think that smart kids or brainiacs 39 00:02:46,344 --> 00:02:49,172 are kind of the nerdy kids, but at Fitzgerald, it's not 40 00:02:49,172 --> 00:02:51,586 really seen that way. 41 00:02:51,586 --> 00:02:54,172 NARRATOR: Instead of prom queens and cheerleaders, 42 00:02:54,172 --> 00:02:57,000 here, it's the smart girls who rule the school. 43 00:02:57,034 --> 00:03:00,586 Most of my friends were brainiacs. 44 00:03:00,586 --> 00:03:03,586 They were all straight-A students. 45 00:03:04,896 --> 00:03:07,172 JIM K.: These are kids who want to be everything. 46 00:03:07,241 --> 00:03:08,689 They want to get involved. 47 00:03:08,758 --> 00:03:12,000 They want to be attractive for colleges so they can get 48 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,103 accepted to good schools. 49 00:03:14,103 --> 00:03:16,482 From the outside looking in, you look at this group of 50 00:03:16,482 --> 00:03:20,586 overachievers, and they may look perfect. 51 00:03:20,586 --> 00:03:25,000 But there is strict competition between them, 52 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,068 and it's fierce. 53 00:03:28,137 --> 00:03:31,000 NARRATOR: It's a race to get into the best colleges, 54 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:33,689 and there's one girl at Fitzgerald who's the queen bee 55 00:03:33,689 --> 00:03:37,482 of APs, 15-year-old junior Danyna Gibson. 56 00:03:37,551 --> 00:03:41,689 Danyna was a competitive, A-plus student. 57 00:03:41,689 --> 00:03:44,586 She was the type of student to volunteer, 58 00:03:44,586 --> 00:03:47,793 or it's a question, she know the answer. 59 00:03:47,793 --> 00:03:51,275 We was in a group together, like she just wanted to do 60 00:03:51,275 --> 00:03:52,482 all of the work. 61 00:03:52,482 --> 00:03:55,103 She was serious about her future, 62 00:03:55,103 --> 00:03:57,379 serious about her career. 63 00:03:57,448 --> 00:04:00,275 So she wanted to make sure she got things done right. 64 00:04:01,896 --> 00:04:05,172 Danyna was smart, and she knew she was smart. 65 00:04:05,172 --> 00:04:07,068 It was very important for Danyna to 66 00:04:07,068 --> 00:04:09,172 become valedictorian, 67 00:04:09,172 --> 00:04:12,793 But she also enjoyed having a good time. 68 00:04:12,793 --> 00:04:15,275 So that's why I call her the fun nerd. 69 00:04:15,275 --> 00:04:17,379 She really enjoyed robotics. 70 00:04:17,379 --> 00:04:21,274 She liked putting the wires together and kind of 71 00:04:21,344 --> 00:04:23,275 just building things. 72 00:04:23,344 --> 00:04:28,000 FRANCESCA: She liked her sports. She was on top of her grades. 73 00:04:28,034 --> 00:04:31,000 She was just on top of everything. 74 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:33,379 ERIKA: She would kind of make a remark here and there to 75 00:04:33,379 --> 00:04:38,172 remind everyone, "I am kind of at the top of the pack here." 76 00:04:38,172 --> 00:04:42,068 KAYHLA: She really could make your day just by looking at you. 77 00:04:42,068 --> 00:04:44,586 I never seen her not smiling. 78 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,172 She gave off the energy of the sun, literally. 79 00:04:51,068 --> 00:04:54,689 NARRATOR: Orbiting around Danyna is a tight group of friends. 80 00:04:54,689 --> 00:04:58,000 Danyna's friends consisted of Carlycia, her best friend, 81 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:03,068 Jakayla, one of my closer friends, Tia, 82 00:05:03,068 --> 00:05:07,275 Lexi, Jordan, and Daja. 83 00:05:07,344 --> 00:05:08,586 This is the group of friends that I seen 84 00:05:08,586 --> 00:05:10,379 cliqued up at breakfast. 85 00:05:10,379 --> 00:05:12,586 If they had lunch together, they was cliqued up, 86 00:05:12,655 --> 00:05:15,482 or after school, they was cliqued up. 87 00:05:15,482 --> 00:05:16,724 They were cool. 88 00:05:18,896 --> 00:05:21,689 NARRATOR: Everyone knows Danyna has her sights set on being 89 00:05:21,689 --> 00:05:25,172 valedictorian, but there's one girl in their circle 90 00:05:25,172 --> 00:05:27,275 who's looking to stand in her way. 91 00:05:27,275 --> 00:05:30,344 ERIKA: Tanaya was also a junior at Fitzgerald. 92 00:05:31,482 --> 00:05:32,896 She's kind of sporty. 93 00:05:32,965 --> 00:05:35,068 She dressed in jeans and sweatshirt, 94 00:05:35,068 --> 00:05:36,586 casual, wore Vans. 95 00:05:36,586 --> 00:05:41,379 Not as extroverted or magnetic as Danyna, 96 00:05:41,448 --> 00:05:44,482 but they were all friends. 97 00:05:44,482 --> 00:05:46,896 FRANCESCA: I met Tanaya in the economics class that 98 00:05:46,896 --> 00:05:48,482 we all had together. 99 00:05:48,482 --> 00:05:52,586 She also was a go-getter, as well. 100 00:05:52,655 --> 00:05:56,172 She always wanted to be, like, on top. 101 00:05:56,241 --> 00:05:58,586 KAYHLA: We'd be sitting outside after school. 102 00:05:58,586 --> 00:06:01,896 She'd be on the bleachers doing her work. 103 00:06:01,896 --> 00:06:05,689 Plus, she was taking college classes already. 104 00:06:05,689 --> 00:06:09,344 I know that she wanted to do something great with herself. 105 00:06:12,103 --> 00:06:15,000 NARRATOR: It's Danyna versus Tanaya when it comes 106 00:06:15,034 --> 00:06:16,103 to school achievement. 107 00:06:16,103 --> 00:06:18,689 They both were academically smart, both 108 00:06:18,689 --> 00:06:20,172 striving for valedictorian. 109 00:06:21,482 --> 00:06:23,482 Both beautiful, pretty smile. 110 00:06:23,482 --> 00:06:25,172 NARRATOR: The two are good friends. 111 00:06:25,241 --> 00:06:29,172 But Tanaya has one thing Danyna doesn't. 112 00:06:29,172 --> 00:06:33,379 Evan was Tanaya's boyfriend, my best friend. 113 00:06:33,379 --> 00:06:37,586 I met him in seventh grade. They met in eighth grade. 114 00:06:37,655 --> 00:06:40,000 They were dating for about two years. 115 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:41,896 They were a cute couple. 116 00:06:41,896 --> 00:06:45,689 Evan is a ginger, freckles. 117 00:06:45,689 --> 00:06:49,172 He dressed nice all the time, blue eyes. 118 00:06:49,241 --> 00:06:52,896 He was talkative, he would crack jokes. 119 00:06:52,896 --> 00:06:55,689 I would say he was a cute kid. 120 00:06:55,758 --> 00:06:58,000 NARRATOR: When it comes to high school social status, 121 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:02,000 having a boyfriend is like acing two AP classes. 122 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:05,103 But when you're on top, you have to watch your back. 123 00:07:05,103 --> 00:07:07,689 KAYHLA: I'd see Tanaya and Evan in the hallway, 124 00:07:07,689 --> 00:07:11,068 and Tanaya'd be just holding on to him. 125 00:07:11,137 --> 00:07:14,482 I believe he was walking her to class, every class. 126 00:07:14,482 --> 00:07:17,482 She'd always have his arm. 127 00:07:17,482 --> 00:07:20,275 NARRATOR: Tanaya proudly wears the promise ring Evan gave her, 128 00:07:20,275 --> 00:07:22,793 but it doesn't keep the eyes away. 129 00:07:22,862 --> 00:07:24,793 KAYHLA: A lot of girls were looking at Evan, 130 00:07:24,793 --> 00:07:27,000 so she was probably getting more insecure. 131 00:07:28,103 --> 00:07:30,689 Tanaya definitely wanted people to know that 132 00:07:30,689 --> 00:07:33,379 Evan was her man. 133 00:07:33,379 --> 00:07:36,172 Evan was my best friend, and she didn't want him 134 00:07:36,241 --> 00:07:37,896 talking to me. 135 00:07:37,965 --> 00:07:40,379 I felt like that was a little mean. 136 00:07:40,448 --> 00:07:42,000 So we still talked. 137 00:07:49,793 --> 00:07:53,586 NARRATOR: Danyna pays no mind to Tanaya's possessive behavior 138 00:07:53,655 --> 00:07:57,172 until one day, the drama finds her. 139 00:07:57,172 --> 00:07:59,896 ERIKA: As the junior year progresses, 140 00:07:59,896 --> 00:08:03,103 Danyna and Tanaya's boyfriend, 141 00:08:03,103 --> 00:08:05,379 Evan, are in an AP class together. 142 00:08:05,448 --> 00:08:08,965 And they get paired up to become study partners. 143 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,793 And they start studying at Evan's house together. 144 00:08:13,862 --> 00:08:15,172 NARRATOR: An arrangement that doesn't 145 00:08:15,172 --> 00:08:17,482 go over well with Tanaya. 146 00:08:17,551 --> 00:08:20,896 When Evan was around Danyna, they laughed a lot. 147 00:08:20,896 --> 00:08:24,000 I know they were really goofy, and they had a lot in common. 148 00:08:25,275 --> 00:08:27,241 Tanaya was probably jealous. 149 00:08:28,689 --> 00:08:32,068 I think that Tanaya just didn't like the fact that 150 00:08:32,068 --> 00:08:36,000 Danyna was having the alone time with Evan as far 151 00:08:36,034 --> 00:08:39,172 as them studying -- I mean, I get it. 152 00:08:39,172 --> 00:08:42,379 Beautiful little girl is around my boyfriend, 153 00:08:42,448 --> 00:08:44,689 spending time with him -- I mean, I get that. 154 00:08:44,689 --> 00:08:48,172 Any normal teenager would probably be jealous at 155 00:08:48,241 --> 00:08:50,000 the time or something like that. 156 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:55,379 Evan knows his girlfriend, Tanaya, is also striving for 157 00:08:55,379 --> 00:08:58,586 valedictorian, so in her mind, she might be 158 00:08:58,586 --> 00:09:01,172 thinking, well, why is he helping Danyna study? 159 00:09:01,172 --> 00:09:02,586 Why isn't he helping me? 160 00:09:02,586 --> 00:09:03,896 [phone ringing] 161 00:09:03,896 --> 00:09:06,793 Tanaya starts calling him constantly, 162 00:09:06,793 --> 00:09:10,000 interrupting their study time. 163 00:09:10,034 --> 00:09:12,379 KAYHLA: The fact that Danyna and Tanaya consider themselves 164 00:09:12,379 --> 00:09:15,000 friends, you would like to think that she took 165 00:09:15,034 --> 00:09:16,379 that into consideration. 166 00:09:16,448 --> 00:09:19,586 But no matter who it was, you could 167 00:09:19,655 --> 00:09:21,275 have been her sister. -[phone ringing] 168 00:09:21,275 --> 00:09:24,068 I don't think she wanted anybody close to Evan. 169 00:09:24,068 --> 00:09:26,068 [phone ringing] 170 00:09:27,206 --> 00:09:31,586 JIM K.: This is confusing to Danyna -- she's studying. 171 00:09:31,655 --> 00:09:33,586 She's not used to this drama. 172 00:09:33,655 --> 00:09:36,000 She's not really sure how to deal with it. 173 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:39,896 NARRATOR: One thing is certain, Danyna is not about to 174 00:09:39,896 --> 00:09:41,172 get pushed around. 175 00:09:43,482 --> 00:09:46,000 ERIKA: Danyna isn't backing down. 176 00:09:46,034 --> 00:09:48,689 She's not gonna be told who she can and can't hang out 177 00:09:48,689 --> 00:09:52,793 with, especially if she's strictly doing homework 178 00:09:52,793 --> 00:09:54,896 and trying to do well in school. 179 00:09:54,896 --> 00:09:58,482 KAYHLA: Evan would tell me about Tanaya getting mad about him 180 00:09:58,482 --> 00:10:00,000 talking to Danyna. 181 00:10:00,034 --> 00:10:03,068 He was kind of stuck in between. 182 00:10:03,068 --> 00:10:05,896 He loved his girlfriend, but some things that 183 00:10:05,896 --> 00:10:08,793 she wanted, he just couldn't do. 184 00:10:08,793 --> 00:10:13,275 It became the competition between Tanaya and Danyna. 185 00:10:13,275 --> 00:10:16,482 It was almost like anything and anyone 186 00:10:16,482 --> 00:10:19,344 was fair game at that point. 187 00:10:30,275 --> 00:10:33,482 NARRATOR: High school junior Tanaya Lewis is none too happy 188 00:10:33,482 --> 00:10:35,793 when her boyfriend Evan continues to study with 189 00:10:35,793 --> 00:10:38,793 her friend, now rival, Danyna Gibson. 190 00:10:40,172 --> 00:10:44,103 As the year progresses, Tanaya's possessiveness kind 191 00:10:44,103 --> 00:10:45,689 of goes into overdrive. 192 00:10:45,758 --> 00:10:49,379 She wants to know where Evan is at all times. 193 00:10:49,448 --> 00:10:52,689 She's constantly checking who he's with. 194 00:10:54,275 --> 00:10:56,068 If you think about the competitive nature between 195 00:10:56,068 --> 00:10:59,551 these two girls, it kind of escalated. 196 00:11:01,586 --> 00:11:04,103 KAYHLA: I know Tanaya was sending Evan messages 197 00:11:04,103 --> 00:11:07,482 about being friends with Danyna. 198 00:11:07,551 --> 00:11:11,793 It made him uncomfortable -- he cared about how she felt, 199 00:11:11,793 --> 00:11:15,275 but he also had to make decisions for himself. 200 00:11:16,931 --> 00:11:19,689 NARRATOR: Evan and Danyna are strictly friends. 201 00:11:19,689 --> 00:11:22,379 And at this point, Danyna's fed up with 202 00:11:22,379 --> 00:11:24,689 Tanaya's controlling behavior. 203 00:11:24,689 --> 00:11:27,275 While Evan's phone is just blowing up while they're 204 00:11:27,275 --> 00:11:31,379 trying to study, Danyna says to Evan, "Maybe you should 205 00:11:31,379 --> 00:11:33,689 "focus more on your studying instead 206 00:11:33,689 --> 00:11:36,068 of Tanaya's possessiveness." 207 00:11:36,137 --> 00:11:39,586 Of course, Tanaya is upset. 208 00:11:39,655 --> 00:11:42,482 KAYHLA: Tanaya would sigh when she seen Danyna and Evan 209 00:11:42,482 --> 00:11:45,000 walking down the halls or talking. 210 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,689 You didn't have to ask her how she felt about it. 211 00:11:47,689 --> 00:11:49,344 You could see it on her face. 212 00:11:51,275 --> 00:11:54,103 I tried to convince him to break up with her. 213 00:11:54,103 --> 00:11:56,482 It was times where months went on, 214 00:11:56,551 --> 00:11:58,862 and we didn't speak just because of that. 215 00:12:01,482 --> 00:12:03,689 NARRATOR: That December, Tanaya demands 216 00:12:03,689 --> 00:12:06,586 to track Evan's location through his cell phone. 217 00:12:06,586 --> 00:12:09,689 That's the last straw for Evan, and he breaks up with her. 218 00:12:09,689 --> 00:12:13,586 That leaves one of the rivals happy. 219 00:12:13,586 --> 00:12:16,172 I'm sure Danyna felt fine about the breakup. 220 00:12:16,241 --> 00:12:19,103 They can study in peace, and they can be friends, 221 00:12:19,103 --> 00:12:21,000 and they don't have to worry about a jealous 222 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:23,793 girlfriend constantly interrupting. 223 00:12:23,793 --> 00:12:28,103 Tanaya was distraught when they broke up because of how 224 00:12:28,103 --> 00:12:31,000 possessive she was and how clingy she was. 225 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:34,551 She was not over him. It made her angry. 226 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:43,000 ERIKA: Meanwhile, Danyna develops 227 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:46,586 a crush on a boy named Jack. 228 00:12:46,586 --> 00:12:49,689 And she's sitting there with Daja and the other 229 00:12:49,689 --> 00:12:52,000 girls, and they're chatting. 230 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:57,137 And Tanaya is kind of quietly there, listening in. 231 00:12:59,310 --> 00:13:04,689 And not long after, Tanaya starts dating Jack. 232 00:13:10,482 --> 00:13:12,586 NARRATOR: Danyna confronts Tanaya. 233 00:13:12,655 --> 00:13:17,000 Dating her crush is a clear violation of the "girl code," 234 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:18,689 but Tanaya isn't sorry. 235 00:13:18,689 --> 00:13:22,275 FRANCESCA: I feel like girl code is an important thing, 236 00:13:22,275 --> 00:13:26,793 but at the same time, I felt like they were just competing 237 00:13:26,793 --> 00:13:28,379 at that moment. 238 00:13:28,448 --> 00:13:31,586 This is kind of mean girl behavior. 239 00:13:31,655 --> 00:13:34,586 It's like a backstabbing behavior to go after 240 00:13:34,586 --> 00:13:36,896 your good friend's crush. 241 00:13:39,413 --> 00:13:41,758 [sports whistle blowing] 242 00:13:43,586 --> 00:13:46,896 NARRATOR: Danyna's next move is the best revenge. 243 00:13:46,896 --> 00:13:49,896 Evan is on the cross country team. 244 00:13:49,896 --> 00:13:51,172 She signs up too. 245 00:13:52,172 --> 00:13:53,896 FRANCESCA: I would think that Danyna 246 00:13:53,896 --> 00:13:55,379 joined the cross country team 247 00:13:55,448 --> 00:13:58,379 to get back at Tanaya for getting with somebody that 248 00:13:58,379 --> 00:14:00,275 she said that she liked. 249 00:14:00,344 --> 00:14:02,275 It's like what girls do. 250 00:14:02,275 --> 00:14:04,965 They get back at their friends. 251 00:14:06,103 --> 00:14:07,793 KAYHLA: I think Tanaya thought that 252 00:14:07,793 --> 00:14:09,482 Danyna was doing that probably 253 00:14:09,482 --> 00:14:12,344 out of spite -- it made her angry. 254 00:14:13,931 --> 00:14:16,275 ERIKA: What does Tanaya do? 255 00:14:16,275 --> 00:14:17,482 She says, "Well, I want Evan back." 256 00:14:17,482 --> 00:14:21,068 She breaks up with Jack, and she starts 257 00:14:21,137 --> 00:14:23,586 pursuing Evan again. 258 00:14:23,655 --> 00:14:26,172 I don't know what she would do or what she would say, 259 00:14:26,172 --> 00:14:30,068 but she would say things to Evan that made him come 260 00:14:30,137 --> 00:14:31,655 right under her wing again. 261 00:14:34,896 --> 00:14:38,689 NARRATOR: By spring, Tanaya and Evan are back together. 262 00:14:38,689 --> 00:14:41,689 But as the weather warms up, so does Tanaya's 263 00:14:41,689 --> 00:14:43,586 need for control. 264 00:14:43,586 --> 00:14:47,000 Tanaya promised that she'd keep her cool and she 265 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:51,379 wouldn't act possessive, but Danyna and Evan are still 266 00:14:51,379 --> 00:14:54,379 running every day in cross country together, 267 00:14:54,379 --> 00:14:57,482 and she starts going crazy. 268 00:14:57,482 --> 00:15:00,172 She starts getting clingy again. 269 00:15:00,172 --> 00:15:02,793 She's looking at his cell phone, asking where he's been, 270 00:15:02,793 --> 00:15:05,896 checking where he is all the time. 271 00:15:05,896 --> 00:15:08,586 KAYHLA: So there was a time where Tanaya went through 272 00:15:08,655 --> 00:15:11,172 and deleted all of Evan's female friends through 273 00:15:11,172 --> 00:15:13,137 his Snapchat, including me and Danyna. 274 00:15:15,068 --> 00:15:18,586 It just made me feel ugly towards her, because why would 275 00:15:18,655 --> 00:15:20,793 you be so spiteful? 276 00:15:20,862 --> 00:15:24,379 NARRATOR: By summer, Evan has had it with Tanaya again. 277 00:15:24,379 --> 00:15:26,689 SHARITA: I think Evan loved Tanaya. 278 00:15:26,689 --> 00:15:29,793 I think he wanted to be with Tanaya, but I think the way 279 00:15:29,793 --> 00:15:33,172 that she was, it was too much for Evan. 280 00:15:33,241 --> 00:15:34,344 He didn't like it. 281 00:15:35,310 --> 00:15:37,000 ERIKA: He doesn't just break up with her, 282 00:15:37,034 --> 00:15:39,034 but he kind of breaks up with her for good. 283 00:15:40,586 --> 00:15:44,586 KAYHLA: She was very upset with Evan breaking up with her. 284 00:15:44,586 --> 00:15:47,448 I can imagine that that's what she thought of 24-7. 285 00:15:55,482 --> 00:15:58,896 NARRATOR: When school resumes in the fall, Tanaya Lewis 286 00:15:58,896 --> 00:16:01,344 enters the building a different person. 287 00:16:02,482 --> 00:16:05,793 Gone is the confident potential valedictorian. 288 00:16:05,862 --> 00:16:09,000 Tanaya was never completely over Evan. 289 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,482 At the start of senior year, she was more so to herself. 290 00:16:12,482 --> 00:16:17,379 She was more so her hoodie on, earphones in, 291 00:16:17,379 --> 00:16:19,000 about her studies type of thing. 292 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,172 She really didn't talk to anybody. 293 00:16:21,241 --> 00:16:24,586 When I did see Tanaya in the hallways, she was either 294 00:16:24,655 --> 00:16:26,689 by herself or with Evan. 295 00:16:26,689 --> 00:16:30,793 I think she was trying to be friends with him to get more 296 00:16:30,793 --> 00:16:32,379 so in his circle again. 297 00:16:32,379 --> 00:16:38,068 NARRATOR: But just friends has never been enough for Tanaya. 298 00:16:38,068 --> 00:16:42,000 Meanwhile, Danyna is at the top of her game. 299 00:16:42,034 --> 00:16:43,586 This is fourth already. This is yearbook, 300 00:16:43,586 --> 00:16:46,172 and this is our senior year -- 2019, baby. 301 00:16:46,241 --> 00:16:50,000 She's in color guard. She's in AP classes. 302 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,379 She's still pursuing valedictorian. 303 00:16:52,448 --> 00:16:55,689 Her and Evan are seemingly closer than ever. 304 00:16:55,689 --> 00:16:58,793 When I seen her, she was smiling all the time. 305 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,586 NARRATOR: It may be a new year, but for the girls at 306 00:17:05,655 --> 00:17:08,689 Fitzgerald, the gossip never stops. 307 00:17:08,689 --> 00:17:14,655 Daja tells Danyna that Tanaya told her a secret. 308 00:17:16,103 --> 00:17:19,896 And she swore you can't tell a soul. 309 00:17:19,896 --> 00:17:21,586 It's a big secret. 310 00:17:23,482 --> 00:17:24,896 It's a doozy. 311 00:17:38,103 --> 00:17:40,379 ERIKA: Senior year starts. 312 00:17:40,448 --> 00:17:44,758 One day, Daja and Danyna are sitting at 313 00:17:44,827 --> 00:17:46,137 lunch, just chatting. 314 00:17:47,379 --> 00:17:53,000 Daja tells Danyna that Tanaya cheated on Evan 315 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:54,275 a few months back. 316 00:17:54,275 --> 00:17:57,172 Danyna can't believe it. 317 00:17:57,172 --> 00:18:00,793 Tanaya, this whole time, has been so possessive over Evan, 318 00:18:00,793 --> 00:18:03,827 yet she's the one who cheated on him. 319 00:18:05,586 --> 00:18:07,379 NARRATOR: The irony of the secret isn't lost 320 00:18:07,379 --> 00:18:09,965 on Danyna, nor is the opportunity 321 00:18:09,965 --> 00:18:12,379 to keep Tanaya and Evan apart. 322 00:18:12,379 --> 00:18:16,000 KAYHLA: I don't wanna say that she felt empowered, 323 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:20,586 but that's a big piece of information to hold. 324 00:18:20,586 --> 00:18:23,896 ERIKA: Danyna gets home, she immediately calls Carly, 325 00:18:23,896 --> 00:18:26,862 and she says, "I wanna tell Evan, I gotta tell Evan." 326 00:18:26,862 --> 00:18:30,034 And Carly says, "Danyna, you can't. 327 00:18:30,034 --> 00:18:32,172 You gotta mind your own business." 328 00:18:32,172 --> 00:18:35,689 But Danyna says, "He's my friend, I gotta let him know." 329 00:18:37,310 --> 00:18:40,482 I feel like Danyna probably wanted to say something 330 00:18:40,551 --> 00:18:43,172 because it was a possibility that Evan could go back. 331 00:18:43,172 --> 00:18:46,068 So she wanted to ensure that, you know, 332 00:18:46,068 --> 00:18:48,482 with that information, he wouldn't, or at least he'd 333 00:18:48,482 --> 00:18:50,448 have the option to know. 334 00:18:54,965 --> 00:18:57,034 NARRATOR: The following week, Danyna can't hold 335 00:18:57,034 --> 00:18:58,482 it in any longer. 336 00:18:58,551 --> 00:19:01,000 She tells Evan that Tanaya cheated on him 337 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:03,275 the previous spring while they were dating. 338 00:19:03,344 --> 00:19:05,896 KAYHLA: I heard about Tanaya cheating through mutual friends. 339 00:19:05,896 --> 00:19:07,758 It started spreading around school. 340 00:19:07,827 --> 00:19:11,068 It was a big school, but every clique was cliqued up 341 00:19:11,068 --> 00:19:13,862 with the next clique, so everybody knew everything. 342 00:19:16,482 --> 00:19:18,862 I felt like Tanaya was very manipulative, 343 00:19:18,931 --> 00:19:21,103 especially considering the fact that she didn't want 344 00:19:21,103 --> 00:19:25,034 him to talk to other females, but she was allowed to 345 00:19:25,034 --> 00:19:26,862 go out and cheat. 346 00:19:26,862 --> 00:19:30,379 But to be quite honest, I would have kept that 347 00:19:30,379 --> 00:19:31,689 information to myself. 348 00:19:32,689 --> 00:19:34,655 That's for him to know, for him to find out. 349 00:19:42,275 --> 00:19:44,482 NARRATOR: Even though they're no longer dating, 350 00:19:44,482 --> 00:19:47,172 Evan is hurt and furious. 351 00:19:47,172 --> 00:19:50,068 If Danyna didn't want him to get back together with 352 00:19:50,068 --> 00:19:52,862 Tanaya, mission accomplished. 353 00:19:52,931 --> 00:19:56,586 Evan and Tanaya were still on talking terms. 354 00:19:56,586 --> 00:20:00,275 I know that he cared for her enough to be friends with 355 00:20:00,275 --> 00:20:03,758 her, but he was livid about, you know, 356 00:20:03,827 --> 00:20:05,655 finding out that he was getting cheated on. 357 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:09,275 This was the breaking point for him. 358 00:20:09,275 --> 00:20:12,275 NARRATOR: That day, Evan asks Tanaya to return 359 00:20:12,275 --> 00:20:15,379 the promise ring he gave her when they began dating. 360 00:20:15,448 --> 00:20:18,586 JIM K.: There's a whole new level of anger for Evan 361 00:20:18,586 --> 00:20:20,000 with this bombshell. 362 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:24,379 And Tanaya's not used to seeing him this way. 363 00:20:24,379 --> 00:20:25,689 He confronts her. 364 00:20:25,689 --> 00:20:28,689 He says, "I want the promise ring back." 365 00:20:28,758 --> 00:20:30,965 She's devastated. 366 00:20:30,965 --> 00:20:33,172 She says, "I would have never told you. 367 00:20:33,241 --> 00:20:36,758 "I would have slit my wrists and taken this to my grave 368 00:20:36,827 --> 00:20:38,862 before I told you." 369 00:20:38,931 --> 00:20:41,172 Everything blows up. 370 00:20:41,172 --> 00:20:44,896 SHARITA: Evan taking his promise ring back from Tanaya, 371 00:20:44,896 --> 00:20:47,068 it really let her know that he was serious. 372 00:20:47,068 --> 00:20:49,758 He wasn't playing with her anymore. 373 00:20:49,827 --> 00:20:53,862 I felt like this was really a sure way of saying, 374 00:20:53,931 --> 00:20:55,275 "We're never getting back together." 375 00:20:58,482 --> 00:21:00,172 SHARITA: I would think that Tanaya's 376 00:21:00,172 --> 00:21:02,000 state of mind at that point was, 377 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:04,862 how did he find out who said this? 378 00:21:04,931 --> 00:21:07,172 How does he know this? 379 00:21:07,172 --> 00:21:08,793 NARRATOR: Evan doesn't tell Tanaya 380 00:21:08,793 --> 00:21:10,379 how he found out she cheated, 381 00:21:10,448 --> 00:21:12,896 but Tanaya has her suspicions. 382 00:21:12,896 --> 00:21:15,586 Word starts to get around among their group that Danyna 383 00:21:15,586 --> 00:21:18,482 said something, and Danyna decides, "All right, I'm gonna 384 00:21:18,482 --> 00:21:21,172 get in front of this," and she calls 385 00:21:21,241 --> 00:21:24,000 Tanaya to apologize. 386 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:28,000 Tanaya basically told her she wasn't going to accept 387 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:30,275 her apology, something was going to happen, 388 00:21:30,344 --> 00:21:32,275 and hung up the phone on her. 389 00:21:33,413 --> 00:21:37,379 She sends Danyna a text and says, 390 00:21:37,448 --> 00:21:39,965 "You made the biggest mistake." 391 00:21:43,068 --> 00:21:45,379 At that point, they weren't friends. 392 00:21:45,379 --> 00:21:49,068 Like, they were just at each other's necks over 393 00:21:49,068 --> 00:21:51,379 stuff that happened. 394 00:21:51,448 --> 00:21:53,758 Danyna probably felt like they were going to fight, 395 00:21:53,827 --> 00:21:57,172 so she probably just brushed it off. 396 00:21:57,172 --> 00:21:59,689 Like, oh, it's about to be a girl fight. 397 00:22:12,689 --> 00:22:16,586 Danyna meets up with her friend Carly and Donald. 398 00:22:16,586 --> 00:22:20,586 It's marching band practice, and she's filling them in on 399 00:22:20,655 --> 00:22:22,689 her call with Tanaya. 400 00:22:22,758 --> 00:22:26,482 She told them, "Hey, I told Evan about Tanaya 401 00:22:26,482 --> 00:22:29,965 "cheating on him, and Tanaya threatened me. 402 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:34,965 I tried to apologize," but she's basically expecting 403 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,862 Tanaya to try and fight her at school today. 404 00:22:39,965 --> 00:22:41,379 KAYHLA: Danyna was just standing her ground. 405 00:22:41,379 --> 00:22:45,275 Like, if she do want to fight, I'll fight her, but I don't 406 00:22:45,275 --> 00:22:49,068 think, honestly, that Danyna ever wanted to fight. 407 00:22:49,068 --> 00:22:51,586 Like, she's at the risk of getting suspended. 408 00:22:51,586 --> 00:22:53,689 And in our school, we had police officers, 409 00:22:53,758 --> 00:22:55,172 so you could even get arrested. 410 00:22:55,172 --> 00:22:58,689 So she was putting her academics at cost. 411 00:23:04,482 --> 00:23:06,689 ERIKA: Tanaya's day started like usual. 412 00:23:06,689 --> 00:23:09,103 She got up, got dressed, walked the dog. 413 00:23:09,103 --> 00:23:12,482 She called Evan for a ride, said she wanted to talk. 414 00:23:12,482 --> 00:23:16,172 Evan picks her up, and she starts apologizing. 415 00:23:16,172 --> 00:23:20,137 But the more Tanaya apologizes, the madder Evan gets. 416 00:23:21,482 --> 00:23:24,965 KAYHLA: I think Evan agreed to take Tanaya to school to 417 00:23:24,965 --> 00:23:26,965 probably hear her out. 418 00:23:26,965 --> 00:23:30,586 But I don't think Evan really cared to hear much of what 419 00:23:30,655 --> 00:23:31,965 Tanaya really had to say. 420 00:23:38,275 --> 00:23:41,689 ERIKA: Before they kind of part ways and go to first period, 421 00:23:41,758 --> 00:23:47,034 Tanaya gives Evan $100 and says, "Here, you know, 422 00:23:47,034 --> 00:23:48,448 this is everything I have." 423 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:53,379 As anyone would be, Evan's confused. 424 00:23:53,448 --> 00:23:55,862 He doesn't understand why Tanaya is giving him money. 425 00:23:55,862 --> 00:23:58,379 Is she trying to bribe him? Is she trying to get him back? 426 00:23:58,448 --> 00:23:59,931 What's this money for? 427 00:24:02,379 --> 00:24:04,862 KAYHLA: And Danyna, 428 00:24:04,862 --> 00:24:06,551 when I seen her, she wasn't happy. 429 00:24:07,862 --> 00:24:09,379 She was really quiet, 430 00:24:10,586 --> 00:24:11,862 which was unusual. 431 00:24:12,896 --> 00:24:14,586 JIM K.: Danyna knew that the breakup 432 00:24:14,655 --> 00:24:16,758 was traumatic for Tanaya, 433 00:24:16,758 --> 00:24:20,862 but nobody knew how far this might go. 434 00:24:32,793 --> 00:24:36,551 [school bell rings] 435 00:24:36,551 --> 00:24:39,724 ERIKA: Tanaya walks into second period economics. 436 00:24:42,448 --> 00:24:44,586 She doesn't have Evan anymore. 437 00:24:44,586 --> 00:24:46,655 Does she really even have a lot of her friends 438 00:24:46,724 --> 00:24:48,482 in her group anymore? 439 00:24:48,482 --> 00:24:51,862 It's hard to think of how Tanaya must have been feeling 440 00:24:51,931 --> 00:24:53,689 at that point. 441 00:24:53,689 --> 00:24:56,034 She just seems not herself. 442 00:24:58,172 --> 00:25:00,344 She's listening to a song over and over. 443 00:25:02,068 --> 00:25:05,068 I remember, Tanaya this day was quiet. 444 00:25:05,068 --> 00:25:07,758 She had her headphones in, and she was like kind of 445 00:25:07,827 --> 00:25:11,517 slouching her seat some, just standoffish. 446 00:25:12,586 --> 00:25:15,551 FRANCESCA: Everyone sat down as normal. 447 00:25:15,551 --> 00:25:18,551 We used to do, like, good news in class. 448 00:25:18,620 --> 00:25:21,000 Some people raised their hands to do good news, 449 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,413 and everything was just normal. 450 00:25:27,689 --> 00:25:31,379 Danyna walks in and kind of bumps her books 451 00:25:31,379 --> 00:25:34,172 when she walks by, knocking them over. 452 00:25:36,034 --> 00:25:38,862 She goes to her desk and sits down and starts working. 453 00:25:42,379 --> 00:25:45,862 My first memory from Danyna that day was looking over at 454 00:25:45,862 --> 00:25:48,551 her, and she literally was just looking at the board in 455 00:25:48,620 --> 00:25:51,448 blank space, like she was in blank thought. 456 00:25:51,448 --> 00:25:53,344 But it was unusual for her, because 457 00:25:53,413 --> 00:25:56,241 she was always smiling -- I'd never seen her like that. 458 00:25:57,793 --> 00:26:01,896 At the same time, Evan is in his second period class in 459 00:26:01,896 --> 00:26:05,965 another classroom, but he gets a text from Tanaya saying, 460 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:08,241 "Do you like Danyna?" 461 00:26:09,551 --> 00:26:12,862 He texts back, "I don't have to tell you." 462 00:26:16,551 --> 00:26:20,103 About 10 minutes into second period, the teacher asks 463 00:26:20,103 --> 00:26:23,103 everyone to kind of break up into groups to work. 464 00:26:23,103 --> 00:26:27,758 Everyone got up, and it was, like, a lot of commotion, 465 00:26:27,758 --> 00:26:31,965 because everyone is trying to find each other, and, like, most 466 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:33,655 people really don't even know each other, 467 00:26:33,724 --> 00:26:36,758 because it's the beginning of the school year. 468 00:26:36,758 --> 00:26:40,344 And I'm walking to the front, waiting for Tanaya, 469 00:26:40,344 --> 00:26:42,517 because she was my partner at the time. 470 00:26:43,862 --> 00:26:46,862 At 8:25, Evan gets another text from Tanaya. 471 00:26:46,862 --> 00:26:49,758 It says, "It's time." 472 00:26:53,172 --> 00:26:55,655 Everybody's getting up, moving around. 473 00:26:55,655 --> 00:26:57,758 I'm still sitting at my desk with my headphones in, 474 00:26:57,827 --> 00:26:59,413 even though I'm not playing music. 475 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:04,206 Tanaya and Danyna started walking around me. 476 00:27:05,275 --> 00:27:07,068 They were just doing, like, a fast walk 477 00:27:07,068 --> 00:27:10,482 type of thing, so I paid it no mind. 478 00:27:10,482 --> 00:27:13,448 I didn't hear arguing or nothing, so I didn't think 479 00:27:13,448 --> 00:27:15,517 it was a fight or nothing -- I thought they were playing. 480 00:27:18,379 --> 00:27:19,758 [distant scream] 481 00:27:19,758 --> 00:27:22,551 FRANCESCA: I heard loud screaming, and people are 482 00:27:22,551 --> 00:27:24,241 hopping over desks. 483 00:27:26,344 --> 00:27:28,965 People in the classroom are just trying to figure out, 484 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:31,000 like, what just happened? 485 00:27:32,379 --> 00:27:36,103 As I stood up, I turned around, and I see drops of 486 00:27:36,103 --> 00:27:40,137 blood from the back of the classroom to 487 00:27:40,137 --> 00:27:41,344 the side of the classroom. 488 00:27:42,586 --> 00:27:45,758 Everybody starts screaming, "Call 911." 489 00:27:45,758 --> 00:27:48,137 [numbers dialing] 490 00:27:48,137 --> 00:27:50,344 -[phone ringing] -CALLER: Oh, my god. 491 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:11,758 NARRATOR: Fitzgerald High School goes into code red lockdown. 492 00:28:12,689 --> 00:28:16,000 At 8.29 a.m., the Warren Police Department 493 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:18,344 receives a 911 call to the school. 494 00:28:20,344 --> 00:28:23,551 Officers were in a patrol car not too far from there, 495 00:28:23,620 --> 00:28:26,551 and they were there quickly, within less than a minute or so. 496 00:28:27,793 --> 00:28:30,103 The school is attempting to get the place locked down, 497 00:28:30,103 --> 00:28:33,137 but it's just chaos, because at some point, it becomes obvious 498 00:28:33,137 --> 00:28:35,551 that something horrific has happened. 499 00:28:35,551 --> 00:28:38,551 And you've got this big building full of students. 500 00:28:40,448 --> 00:28:41,758 And I think, at that point, 501 00:28:41,758 --> 00:28:43,862 you're just trying to gain control. 502 00:28:45,655 --> 00:28:48,379 The school resource officer gets to the room, 503 00:28:48,379 --> 00:28:50,862 and he sees blood on the floor. 504 00:28:50,931 --> 00:28:55,241 He sees a student lying there, and there's a knife 505 00:28:55,241 --> 00:28:56,448 next to her body. 506 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:01,172 He immediately starts performing CPR to 507 00:29:01,172 --> 00:29:02,758 try and save her life. 508 00:29:02,827 --> 00:29:06,241 I didn't realize somebody was stabbed until I was walking 509 00:29:06,241 --> 00:29:07,655 out of the classroom. 510 00:29:09,275 --> 00:29:11,655 We were ushered to another classroom. 511 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:15,965 A lot of the kids were still processing it. 512 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,172 We had a lot of crying. 513 00:29:19,275 --> 00:29:22,758 Some students were telling other students what 514 00:29:22,758 --> 00:29:24,000 happened in the classroom. 515 00:29:26,137 --> 00:29:28,965 NARRATOR: By now, rumors are quickly spreading like 516 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:30,758 wildfire through the school. 517 00:29:30,827 --> 00:29:34,068 At 8:31, students are texting each other. 518 00:29:34,068 --> 00:29:36,793 The word is getting around. 519 00:29:36,793 --> 00:29:40,448 Evan gets a text, and he texts his friend, Zach, 520 00:29:40,517 --> 00:29:43,068 who was in the economics classroom. 521 00:29:43,068 --> 00:29:47,310 Evan says, "Hey, did Tanaya do something?" 522 00:29:49,275 --> 00:29:50,655 And Zach says, 523 00:29:52,172 --> 00:29:54,965 "She stabbed Danyna with a knife." 524 00:30:04,275 --> 00:30:09,137 [indistinct radio chatter] 525 00:30:09,137 --> 00:30:13,103 Police find a kitchen knife with a three-inch blade. 526 00:30:13,103 --> 00:30:16,965 Danyna was stabbed in the back of the classroom, 527 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:20,172 and she had run up 528 00:30:20,172 --> 00:30:22,241 to in front of the teacher's desk, 529 00:30:22,310 --> 00:30:25,448 and that trail of blood was 58 feet long. 530 00:30:27,689 --> 00:30:29,275 JIM T.: We figured there must be 15 531 00:30:29,275 --> 00:30:31,862 to 30 kids who had witnessed it. 532 00:30:31,931 --> 00:30:34,862 Detectives were tasked with interviewing as many of those 533 00:30:34,931 --> 00:30:38,172 kids as we could so we could get an idea on what 534 00:30:38,172 --> 00:30:39,448 exactly took place. 535 00:30:40,586 --> 00:30:43,344 I told the investigators 536 00:30:43,413 --> 00:30:47,965 I saw Tanaya stab her in the back 537 00:30:47,965 --> 00:30:49,206 when she was running. 538 00:30:51,379 --> 00:30:53,862 Tanaya didn't seem mad when she was 539 00:30:53,931 --> 00:30:55,241 chasing her with the knife. 540 00:30:55,310 --> 00:30:59,379 She seemed like she wanted her to just die, but she was 541 00:30:59,379 --> 00:31:02,103 happy that she was doing it. 542 00:31:02,103 --> 00:31:04,689 KAYHLA: I told them I could never get 543 00:31:04,689 --> 00:31:06,586 Tanaya's face out of my head. 544 00:31:06,586 --> 00:31:08,517 She was smiling... 545 00:31:09,896 --> 00:31:12,448 the biggest smile I ever seen on her face. 546 00:31:12,448 --> 00:31:14,758 Like, she was happy about this. 547 00:31:14,758 --> 00:31:18,448 She was just taunting her. "I'm gonna kill her." 548 00:31:18,448 --> 00:31:20,551 Her eyes were really blank, 549 00:31:20,620 --> 00:31:24,448 like she didn't have a soul 550 00:31:24,448 --> 00:31:25,758 type of thing. 551 00:31:25,827 --> 00:31:29,034 She was lost, I would say, evil. 552 00:31:32,034 --> 00:31:34,862 NARRATOR: Police piece together the chilling scene. 553 00:31:34,931 --> 00:31:37,862 Some kids are on their desks, some are trying to 554 00:31:37,862 --> 00:31:39,241 go for a window. 555 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:44,275 The teacher, seeing all of this chaos unfold, 556 00:31:44,275 --> 00:31:47,448 grabs Tanaya, pushes her out of the room. 557 00:31:47,448 --> 00:31:51,862 And still, Tanaya is fighting to get back into 558 00:31:51,931 --> 00:31:54,241 that classroom, screaming, 559 00:31:55,275 --> 00:31:58,413 "I hope you die. I'm going to kill you." 560 00:32:01,482 --> 00:32:03,724 She also screamed, 561 00:32:06,448 --> 00:32:07,655 "You told Evan." 562 00:32:17,689 --> 00:32:20,758 I was gonna be one of the lead detectives on the case. 563 00:32:23,172 --> 00:32:26,275 Danyna was transported to St. John Oakland Hospital, 564 00:32:26,275 --> 00:32:28,137 which is only a few miles from the school. 565 00:32:30,068 --> 00:32:34,000 And patrol had the alleged suspect secured, 566 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:36,275 and that they were going to be bringing her to 567 00:32:36,275 --> 00:32:38,413 the Warren Police Department shortly. 568 00:32:40,689 --> 00:32:42,862 I went into it thinking it was a fight. 569 00:32:42,862 --> 00:32:45,172 Two girls were throwing punches, and one of them 570 00:32:45,172 --> 00:32:46,448 got a knife out. 571 00:32:47,758 --> 00:32:50,034 What we learned is that it was a little more 572 00:32:50,034 --> 00:32:51,344 cold-blooded than that. 573 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,103 Tanaya is placed in an interview room 574 00:32:57,103 --> 00:32:58,931 with Detective Twardesky. 575 00:33:02,241 --> 00:33:06,000 Her demeanor is calm, but it's intense. 576 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:09,241 It was readily apparent very early on, I was dealing with 577 00:33:09,310 --> 00:33:11,310 a very highly intelligent person. 578 00:33:12,551 --> 00:33:15,103 NARRATOR: Tanaya refuses to proceed with an interview until 579 00:33:15,103 --> 00:33:16,379 she talks to Evan. 580 00:33:16,379 --> 00:33:19,827 Police locate Evan and arrange the phone call. 581 00:33:47,241 --> 00:33:48,551 JIM T.: They had a whole conversation. 582 00:33:49,586 --> 00:33:52,965 I think it was starting to set in what she had done 583 00:33:52,965 --> 00:33:54,758 and how she had changed 584 00:33:54,758 --> 00:33:56,931 the trajectory of her life dramatically. 585 00:34:23,241 --> 00:34:26,827 JIM T.: So she has the phone conversation, she ends it, 586 00:34:27,793 --> 00:34:30,862 and then she said, "I want to talk to you now." 587 00:34:30,862 --> 00:34:32,896 NARRATOR: When asked to explain what happened at school, 588 00:34:32,896 --> 00:34:36,275 Tanaya admits to bringing a knife with her that day 589 00:34:36,275 --> 00:34:38,344 but denies stabbing Danyna. 590 00:34:55,551 --> 00:34:58,413 NARRATOR: But she is clear about one thing. 591 00:35:11,655 --> 00:35:14,758 JIM T.: I've been a cop for a long time. 592 00:35:14,827 --> 00:35:17,068 You don't expect a scary or creepy statement coming 593 00:35:17,068 --> 00:35:20,655 out of a normal-looking 17-year-old girl who was in 594 00:35:20,724 --> 00:35:24,103 advanced placement classes and getting all As. 595 00:35:24,103 --> 00:35:26,172 It just kind of threw me off, how much hatred 596 00:35:26,172 --> 00:35:27,758 was coming through in her voice. 597 00:35:57,655 --> 00:36:01,344 NARRATOR: While the questioning continues, Danyna succumbs to 598 00:36:01,413 --> 00:36:02,793 her injuries at the hospital. 599 00:36:02,793 --> 00:36:05,862 I was at work, 600 00:36:05,931 --> 00:36:08,896 and my sister called me and said that Danyna 601 00:36:08,896 --> 00:36:13,344 had been stabbed, and she was in surgery. 602 00:36:14,793 --> 00:36:16,965 And I said, "Okay, I'm about to leave, 603 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:18,275 I'm about to come up there." 604 00:36:18,275 --> 00:36:22,344 But then, not even 3 minutes later, my sister 605 00:36:22,344 --> 00:36:24,655 called me back and said she didn't make it. 606 00:36:28,896 --> 00:36:30,206 I couldn't believe it. 607 00:36:32,586 --> 00:36:34,137 I couldn't believe it. 608 00:36:34,137 --> 00:36:38,275 JIM T.: The ER and the hospital staff did everything they could, 609 00:36:38,275 --> 00:36:41,413 but approximately 9:24 a.m., she was declared deceased. 610 00:36:42,793 --> 00:36:45,689 It was determined she had approximately four stab wounds, 611 00:36:45,689 --> 00:36:48,344 one to her heart, two to her back, 612 00:36:48,413 --> 00:36:49,758 and one to the lung. 613 00:36:51,344 --> 00:36:53,241 NARRATOR: Officers gather statements 614 00:36:53,241 --> 00:36:55,344 from traumatized friends and classmates, 615 00:36:55,413 --> 00:36:58,758 who also hear the news that Danyna is gone. 616 00:36:58,827 --> 00:37:03,344 They told us that Danyna passed away when we were in 617 00:37:03,413 --> 00:37:07,068 the multipurpose room doing the interviews. 618 00:37:07,068 --> 00:37:11,724 Everyone, including me, was just devastated. 619 00:37:13,172 --> 00:37:17,758 I was in such shock, with her being such 620 00:37:17,758 --> 00:37:19,482 the sweet girl she was. 621 00:37:19,482 --> 00:37:22,275 Going through that moment and looking at it, 622 00:37:22,275 --> 00:37:24,862 it was heartbreaking. 623 00:37:32,793 --> 00:37:34,103 NARRATOR: 17-year-old Tanaya Lewis 624 00:37:34,103 --> 00:37:35,689 is charged as an adult with 625 00:37:35,689 --> 00:37:38,137 first-degree murder with premeditation. 626 00:37:38,137 --> 00:37:42,758 JIM T.: In this particular case, we had 20-some eyewitnesses. 627 00:37:42,758 --> 00:37:46,241 There was no doubt that she had stabbed 628 00:37:46,241 --> 00:37:48,689 Danyna in the classroom. 629 00:37:48,689 --> 00:37:51,482 NARRATOR: And just as damning is the evidence police uncover 630 00:37:51,482 --> 00:37:54,482 that she planned the attack, from the knife she brought 631 00:37:54,482 --> 00:37:58,034 from home, to handing Evan her last $100, 632 00:37:58,034 --> 00:38:00,517 to the song she was playing on her headphones. 633 00:38:18,689 --> 00:38:21,758 ♪ Baby I am not afraid to die ♪ 634 00:38:21,758 --> 00:38:24,586 ♪ Push me to the edge, all my friends are dead ♪ 635 00:38:24,586 --> 00:38:27,655 ♪ Push me to the edge, all my friends are dead ♪ 636 00:38:27,724 --> 00:38:29,758 ♪ Push me to the edge, all my friends are dead ♪ 637 00:38:29,827 --> 00:38:32,241 JIM T.: Tanaya, at that point, I think knew in her mind 638 00:38:32,241 --> 00:38:34,793 what she was planning to do. 639 00:38:34,793 --> 00:38:37,689 And I think that song kind of fit with the way she felt. 640 00:38:37,689 --> 00:38:39,172 She felt pushed to the edge. 641 00:38:42,172 --> 00:38:44,655 KAYHLA: I don't think she seen a life without Evan 642 00:38:44,655 --> 00:38:46,137 at that point. 643 00:38:46,137 --> 00:38:50,172 So once he took back her ring, it really finalized her life 644 00:38:50,172 --> 00:38:52,000 at that moment, you know? 645 00:38:53,172 --> 00:38:55,137 Can't have him, she don't want nothing. 646 00:38:56,379 --> 00:38:59,379 I feel like Tanaya wanted to take Danyna down, as well. 647 00:38:59,379 --> 00:39:03,655 "If I can't have a life, you can't either" type of thing. 648 00:39:03,655 --> 00:39:07,344 ERIKA: Danyna was her target. She was obsessed with Danyna. 649 00:39:07,344 --> 00:39:10,000 But not everyone kills 650 00:39:11,172 --> 00:39:12,344 over obsession. 651 00:39:14,689 --> 00:39:15,965 Not everyone does that. 652 00:39:17,068 --> 00:39:19,689 NARRATOR: In August 2020, Tanaya accepts 653 00:39:19,689 --> 00:39:23,448 a plea deal that spares her a life sentence without parole. 654 00:39:23,448 --> 00:39:27,172 She is sentenced to 27 to 60 years and will be eligible 655 00:39:27,172 --> 00:39:29,275 for parole in 2045. 656 00:39:29,275 --> 00:39:32,758 KAYHLA: I don't think justice was served, no. 657 00:39:32,758 --> 00:39:34,551 She hurt a lot of lives. 658 00:39:34,620 --> 00:39:37,965 She didn't only take Danyna's life. 659 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:40,551 She ruined the lives of classmates. 660 00:39:48,275 --> 00:39:51,482 This was a very difficult case as far as dealing with all 661 00:39:51,482 --> 00:39:54,034 the students and what they saw and what took place. 662 00:39:55,793 --> 00:39:57,241 It was just a level of violence 663 00:39:57,241 --> 00:39:58,689 that really no one should see. 664 00:39:58,689 --> 00:40:00,965 but for a group of high school kids, I don't know how 665 00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:02,344 they wrap their head around what they saw. 666 00:40:13,034 --> 00:40:14,344 NARRATOR: Danyna Gibson's friends 667 00:40:14,413 --> 00:40:16,000 and family remember her as 668 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:19,068 a bright light with a promising future, 669 00:40:19,068 --> 00:40:20,862 gone too soon. 670 00:40:20,931 --> 00:40:24,862 Danyna should be remembered as a cheerful, outgoing person, 671 00:40:24,862 --> 00:40:28,965 a straight-A student, somebody who strived to 672 00:40:28,965 --> 00:40:34,379 give everything they could, somebody who just loved life 673 00:40:34,379 --> 00:40:36,413 and wanted to enjoy it. 674 00:40:38,137 --> 00:40:40,137 Every year, um, 675 00:40:40,137 --> 00:40:41,965 on September the 12th, the day that 676 00:40:41,965 --> 00:40:45,172 she passed, we have a candlelight. 677 00:40:45,172 --> 00:40:48,275 I miss Danyna's smile, and I miss 678 00:40:48,275 --> 00:40:50,068 her saying, "Auntie Sharita." 679 00:40:51,862 --> 00:40:54,448 Danyna's death affected us all very deeply, 680 00:40:55,965 --> 00:40:58,965 from then till now, but we still try to share 681 00:40:58,965 --> 00:41:01,172 light and share her honor. 682 00:41:01,172 --> 00:41:05,655 She really had that spirit to, you know, make you happy, 683 00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:10,172 and I really wish she had more time. 684 00:41:15,103 --> 00:41:16,448 On the next Mean Girl Murders. 685 00:41:16,448 --> 00:41:17,793 There is a lot of cattiness. 686 00:41:17,793 --> 00:41:20,448 At the beach there can be a lot of competition. 687 00:41:20,517 --> 00:41:23,551 She was pretty and that turned into power. 688 00:41:26,241 --> 00:41:27,655 She wasn't going to let her get the upper hand. 689 00:41:27,724 --> 00:41:30,068 And that's when the mean girl started coming out.