KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — UPDATE (4/11/24): The Knoxville Police Department said a total of four people were indicted in the death of a 22-year-old woman whose body was found in a South Knoxville home on April 5.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Chief Paul Noel said officers found the body of Danishka Melina Sibaja Mejía while responding to a home on Gilbert Lane.
10News has learned more about Mejía through friends and family who knew her.
Mejía attended Carter High School and played volleyball there for three years, according to her former coach, Dwayne Cupp. He coached her during her freshman and sophomore years before he retired.
KPD said they found two other gunshot victims inside the home on Gilbert Lane and both were 23 years old. While officers were at the scene, another suspect appeared at a hospital with a gunshot wound, who turned out to be a suspect indicted on Wednesday -- Latawyne Osborne.
KPD said three people are now facing felony murder charges in relation to Mejía's death, and a fourth person is facing charges for tampering with evidence and accessory after the fact.
10News obtained the Knox County grand jury indictment on Thursday. The grand jury returned a 49-count indictment on Wednesday against the four, identifying the two other victims in this case as Katia Young and D'Andre Thaxton.
The charges came just days after Meijia was found dead. The people and their charges are listed below.
- Latawyne Osborne, 39: Felony murder, first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, attempted first-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape, arson
- Edward Wilson, 31: Felony murder, first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, attempted first-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape, arson
- Marquis Ellis, 20: Felony murder, first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, attempted first-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape, arson
- Angela Greenberg, 59: Accessory after the fact, tampering with evidence
10 of the counts are gang-related charges that specifically focus on Osborne and Wilson. According to the indictment, the two were part of the Gangster Disciples and are also facing another first-degree murder charge in the death of Young's unborn child. The two could face enhanced punishments in this case if found guilty because of the gang charges.
Osborne, Wilson, and Ellis were charged with a premeditated attempt to kill Young's unborn child, according to the indictment. They are also facing arson of Mejía's home on April 5.
KPD said Greenberg is the mother of Osborne. Authorities said Wilson has been in custody since Monday after officers took him into custody for a warrant out of Blount County for failing to appear. Ellis was taken into custody Tuesday for violating probation, and Greenberg was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon.
The police department also said Mejía's cause of death was not immediately clear, but said it was likely she did not die from a gunshot.
"This was truly a heinous crime," Noel said during the press conference. "All officers and detectives immediately identified the urgency and complexity of this situation."
Authorities said the man who arrived at the hospital while officers were on the scene, Latawyne Osborne, was also charged with rape in connection to a report filed by Meija a day before she was found dead. KPD said according to the report, the rape occurred between April 1 and April 2.
Watch the briefing below: