Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

South Knoxville Braces as Court Revives Danishka Mejia Murder Case
Hoodline ^ | February 19, 2026 | Emily Chen

Posted on 02/21/2026 7:31:41 AM PST by TheDon

Knox County prosecutors and defense attorneys are heading back to court this week in the brutal rape and torture killing case of 22-year-old Danishka Melina Sibaja Mejia, a crime that rattled South Knoxville in April 2024. One defendant has already pleaded guilty and is serving life in prison, but the remaining co-defendants are back on the criminal calendar as judges take up pretrial procedures that will determine how the rest of the case moves forward. The renewed court dates are drawing fresh attention from Mejia’s family and local advocates who say they still want answers.

According to WBIR, Knox County Criminal Court calendars list hearings resuming this week in connection with the Gilbert Lane homicide. The station reported that judges are expected to handle scheduling and case-management issues, including whether the remaining defendants will face a joint trial or be tried separately.

Knoxville police identified the victim as Danishka Sibaja Mejia and said officers found her on April 5, 2024, inside a South Knoxville home on Gilbert Lane. The department reported that Mejia had reported a sexual assault the previous day at an address in the 600 block of Walker Street and named Latawyne Osborne as the suspect. According to the Knoxville Police Department, investigators later took their findings to a grand jury, which returned multiple indictments.

Earlier Plea and Life Sentence

One central defendant, Latawyne Osborne, later pleaded guilty and in 2025 was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. As reported by WVLT, Mejia’s family addressed the court at the sentencing hearing. Her father told reporters afterward, “He tried to silence her but he made her louder.”

...

(Excerpt) Read more at hoodline.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: Tennessee
KEYWORDS: danishkasibajamejia; emilychen; fian; fin; furrymom; furrysaddened; hoodline; knoxville; latawyneosborne; tennessee; wwjd
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021 next last
Sad case.
1 posted on 02/21/2026 7:31:41 AM PST by TheDon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: TheDon

Pattern recognition.


2 posted on 02/21/2026 7:38:00 AM PST by Jeff Chandler (The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TheDon

Scott Adams was right. May he RIP.


3 posted on 02/21/2026 7:43:37 AM PST by ChuckHam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TheDon

4 posted on 02/21/2026 7:52:24 AM PST by coloradan (They're not the mainstream media, they're the gaslight media. It's what they do. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: coloradan

5 posted on 02/21/2026 7:54:22 AM PST by coloradan (They're not the mainstream media, they're the gaslight media. It's what they do. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; BraveMan; cardinal4; ...

In Knoxville? That’s unusual:

https://freerepublic.com/tag/knoxville/index


6 posted on 02/21/2026 8:40:15 AM PST by SunkenCiv (TDS -- it's not just for DNC shills anymore -- oh, wait, yeah it is.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: coloradan

How does a pretty white girl get mixed up with3 blacks?

Drugs? Casual party meeting/spiked drink? Money/prostitution? Simple abduction?

I guess I’ll have to read the article :)


7 posted on 02/21/2026 8:44:19 AM PST by citizen (A transgender male competing against women may be male, but he's no man.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: citizen

It says “...aggravated burglary and especially aggravated kidnapping...”


8 posted on 02/21/2026 8:47:01 AM PST by citizen (A transgender male competing against women may be male, but he's no man.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: citizen

How does a pretty white girl get mixed up with3 blacks?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I guess no one ever gave her this to read and understand....

https://www.takimag.com/article/the_talk_nonblack_version_john_derbyshire/


9 posted on 02/21/2026 8:52:00 AM PST by Responsibility2nd (Import the third world. Become the second world.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: TheDon

Yes, Boo-Boo, yes it was.


10 posted on 02/21/2026 8:56:30 AM PST by Ken H (Freeper #240 - Dec 05, 1997)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: citizen

She’s mixed race.


11 posted on 02/21/2026 9:04:14 AM PST by VTenigma (Conspiracy theory is the new "spoiler alert")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Responsibility2nd

Interesting. The Talk

Send it to Fury? lol


12 posted on 02/21/2026 9:15:03 AM PST by citizen (A transgender male competing against women may be male, but he's no man.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: TheDon
I've been following this case. Horrific. Satanic. Out of the Jungle. These 4 Negro hyenas did such horrific things to this woman that words fail me. They didn't just kill her; they tortured her.

Reminds me of the Christian–Newsom murders, also in Knoxville. Those murders also involved 4 hyenas torturing and killing a White couple.



13 posted on 02/21/2026 9:36:59 AM PST by Governor Dinwiddie ( O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is gracious, and his mercy endures forever. — Psalm 106)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Governor Dinwiddie

I still think about that.....sub-humans


14 posted on 02/21/2026 10:20:25 AM PST by Dawgreg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: TheDon

Danishka was raped the day before her murder and named Osborne as the rapist. But the rape occured at a different house than the one she was murdered at. Also, at the house where the murder took place, two other people were found shot (they survived).
So this HOODLINE report has left out lots of info.
Also, the mother of the killer, Angela Greenberg is in custody due to evidence tampering. Greenberg (mom)...Osborne (son)...sounds like the genealogy of a feral cat colony.
Here’s my sordid take ..
She has sex (maybe she was drunk, maybe semi-consensual, “c’mon baby, it’s cold outside”) with Osborne, tries to blackmail him by reporting to the police that he raped her ...he gets out of control angry and tortures and kills her.
This doesn’t sound like a random home invasion burglary/torture/murder case.
The Knoxville PD website has better info than HOODLINE.
IMHO


15 posted on 02/21/2026 10:21:09 AM PST by Getready (Wisdom is more valuable than gold and harder to find.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: citizen

“How does a pretty white girl get mixed up with3 blacks?”

Her name is Danishka Sibaja Mejia. Not saying one way or the other but sometimes pictures can be deceiving.


16 posted on 02/21/2026 10:21:23 AM PST by suthener ( I do not like living under our homosexual, ghetto, feminist government.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Getready

Her parents are Thomas DOLIAS, and her mother is Melina Mejia. How did they come up with Danishka Sibija Mejia.
I get the Mejia part. Supposedly from Costa Rica....
P.S. She is reported to be a volleyball player, and a dancer. Professional dancer? What dance company? Supposedly made food for the homeless.

The accomplices should all get life.
The perp made a deal for life by admitting his guilt. He shoulda gotten death. No deal. Pretty nasty murder.


17 posted on 02/21/2026 10:36:44 AM PST by Getready (Wisdom is more valuable than gold and harder to find.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

It is unusual, but Memphis hood rat criminals have been invading for the past quarter century, so horrible crimes like this do happen now.. Our local black people are almost all good decent God fearing folks and they resent these Memphis gang bangers ruining their schools and neighborhoods.

This infamous case happened almost 20 years ago, but still echoes here, as the entire city was shocked and horrified and the poor parents had to endure two rounds of trials because of the crooked judge who presided over the first round. Local stations broadcast the trials instead of regular programming, and it was a big deal here. Now it’s become more common:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Channon_Christian_and_Christopher_Newsom

In a few ways, this case reminds me of that one — like putting the garbage bag over the poor girl’s head to make her die faster. But the thugs who carjacked Christian and Newsom nabbed them in a good part of town and were complete strangers to them. It really sent a shock wave through the whole city. I would not be surprised at all if this piece of garbage is an invader from Memphis like those thugs.

Between all the rude lefty Yankees and Californians moving here plus the Memphis gang bangers and homeless druggies bussed down here from NYC, Knoxville is nothing like it used to he. I’m glad I’m moving away and won’t miss my hometown at all.


18 posted on 02/21/2026 8:21:24 PM PST by CatHerd (Whoever said "all's fair in love and war" probably never participated in either.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: suthener

She was born in Costa Rica and came here as a small child.


19 posted on 02/21/2026 8:24:13 PM PST by CatHerd (Whoever said "all's fair in love and war" probably never participated in either.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: citizen

More details from our local TV station here, easier to understwnd:

https://www.wbir.com/article/news/crime/danishka-melina-sibaja-mejia-latwayne-osborne/51-e1d712d5-bc32-4898-8ccf-7e378452a08b


20 posted on 02/21/2026 8:26:44 PM PST by CatHerd (Whoever said "all's fair in love and war" probably never participated in either.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson