The Story of Shaniya Davis: Sold and Murdered For A $200 Debt

The last known image of her is being carried out of a hotel by her murderer.

[Fayetteville, NC]

Shaniya Davis (5) was the perfect, vibrant embodiment of a precious little princess. Her favorite colors were pink and yellow because she just couldn’t choose one particular shade. She absolutely loved playing dress up in glitzy dresses, playing hair dresser, and caring for all of her Barbie dolls. From a young age, she had a desire to help around the house with chores. People never had to ask her to offer assistance; she just wanted to. Shaniya embraced the world with a heart full of dreams and love.

She lived with her mother, Antoinette Davis, and aunt, Brenda Davis, inside a mobile home. Originally, she stayed with her father, Bradley Lockhart, but he eventually found the confidence and trust to give her back to her mother after she appeared to have better financial responsibility.

“She was just learning how to ride her scooter,” her father said through his tears. “Every day was special with Shaniya.”

On November 9th, 2009, there were odd sounds coming from outside their mobile home, but Brenda and her boyfriend brushed off the noises and fell back asleep. Their peaceful dreams didn’t last…