confirmed smith was engaged to officer jermeir stroud. n an officer with the greensboro police department for four years. the mere fact that he was her fiancÉ immediately made stroud a person of interest. jermeir insisted he knew nothing about who killed denita. >> jermeir was at home asleep because he had just worked a night shift the day before. >> reporter: so he was off duty? >> he was off duty. it's not unbelievable. it just makes it harder to rule him out. >> reporter: so there's no proof he was anywhere. >> except for the fact that his phone was at his house on his nightstand plugged in. >> reporter: but by all accounts, jermeir stroud loved denita dearly. it didn't make sense that he would kill the woman to whom he had just proposed. they were planning a big wedding. now after speaking with detectives, jermeir headed back home to greensboro, his life changed forever. and then, two hours after the murder, detectives got a lead. >> durham 911, where is your emergency? >> at campus crossings apartments. >> reporter: they discovered a