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The Twisted Tale of T'Keisha Gilmer · Minor Mischief Podcast

• Kiki George: What happens when the search for love brings you to the point of no return? Is it justified or should you simply walk away? This is the Minor Mischief Podcast, and this is the twisted tale of Takisha Gilmer. The Minor Mischief Podcast, everyone. I first wanted to take a moment to thank you all for the love and support on our flagship episode. The feedback I received was so unreal, and I'm so incredibly thankful. I'm ever so thankful, like Lila would say on Hey Arnold. I even got some feedback on cases to look into, so I'm pretty excited about looking into them. So this week's story involved a young lady by the name of Takisha Gilmer, who is our mischief maker. Dawn Brooks, her sister-in-law Mositi Sakela, and her children Shakur Sakela and Shayla Sakela, who are unfortunately our victims. Takisha Nicole Gilmer was hatched on July 2nd, 1984, in or around Houston, Texas, which her middle name being Nicole sent me. I saw a post on Instagram that said black women have one of three middle names: Renee, Nicole, and Marie. And I was like, not both of my daughter's middle names being on that list. Like, am I basic? I mean, I love a good pumpkin spice jean jacket moment, but my gosh, like picking those names for my daughters, I'm like, dang, I really pick like the middle name roulette of most common middle names. But that's okay. That's not why we're here. so though not very much is known about Takisha's upbringing, like I literally searched birth records, case files. I looked for a Facebook page. I was looking for a cousin screaming free Takeisha, anything or anyone, but I could not find a single thing about her family, her parents, if she had any siblings. There was one article that stated that her family had requested for their information to be sealed from the public. So I don't know how true that is, but I guess there is that. I watched the For My Man episode, which, if you're interested, it's season two, episode seventeen. And there it stated that Takisha had a very tumultuous upbringing. She didn't get along with her mom. Not sure if she was a troublemaker or if mom was the problem or if their personalities just clashed, but she didn't get along with her mom and she was kicked out of mom's house at the age of 16. When she would when she was kicked out of mom's house, she was basically couch hopping with her friends and she spent a lot of time on the streets. I'm not sure if she went to school, but when I tell you there is not much about this girl's backstory on the interweb, I pray that anybody that wants to be hidden finds the person that took her family's request, if this is a real thing, to leave them and everything connected to them outside of it. Because I can't find anything. And maybe it's just me, but I couldn't find anything. so anyway. It's around 2008 and Takisha is 16 years old, you know, roaming the streets with her baddie friends as she's been doing since she got kicked out of mom's house. And so a car pulls up on her and her home girls, and the guy in the car starts talking to Takisha, and he introduces himself as Daryl Ballard. Now, I'm gonna pronounce it Ballard because that's how it's spelled. Some of the news footage said Ballard. He's gonna be Daryl Ballard in my telling of this tale, and that's how we're gonna leave it. so Daryl's old ass was 41 at the time. And this is in no way to say that 41 is old, because here I am, and I am so much closer to 41 than 31. So I get it. But what old, musty, crusty, dusty, thirsty, trifling, miserable, repugnant, detestable, sad, wretched, busted ass 41 year old man just pulls up on a 16 year old girl, like, baby, I know your feet are tired because you've been running through my mind all day. Like, police swat. Somebody please help this young lady. And also, if you know where I got that reference from, please let me know in the comments. Cause I I live for a good pop culture reference, and that was one of them. So Daryl and Takeisha started chatting, and Daryl tells her that he is a retired military vet who has some health issues. He had some type of gastrointestinal issue, which required him to have a colostomy bag. and if you don't know what a colostomy bag is basically like a pouch that they attach to your abdomen. And this removes waste from your intestines. So something in his GI tract was not working well. He had a colostomy bag. And this is why he said to Takeisha that because of his health issues, he's looking for someone to help him around the house. he presents it to her as like a working position with comes with room and board. So Takeisha naturally needing a place to stay, a little bit of change in her pocket, she takes him up on his offer. but I do think that she also felt like finally she would have someone around, someone to keep an eye on her, someone who loves her, someone who cares for her. Like she looked at him in that moment as a father figure. so I'm not really sure what time passed. It wasn't very long, less than a year, between them meeting and Takisha moving in with Daryl, but everything that I read made it seem like it was an immediate attachment. So for all intents and purposes, we're gonna say they met. He was like, hey girl, you want to move in with me? I'll give you some money, help me around the house, cook a little dinner, you know what I'm saying? And she agreed and moved in with him because she had nowhere else to go. So Takisha moves in with Daryl and gets busy holding up her end of the bargain, making sure that Daryl is taken care of. So Takeisha made sure the house was clean, had a little something on the table for dinner every night, and apparently, embrace yourself, guys, because this is wild. Takeisha was taking care of Daryl sexually. Because a few months after she moved in with Daryl, Takisha, who was now 17, because she's had a birthday, discovers that she's pregnant. Now, Daryl should have been in prison, in my opinion, for the crime of impregnating a minor. But that's not why we're here. But he should have been in jail for that alone. however, I feel like Daryl groomed and took full advantage of Takeisha when she was at her lowest and most vulnerable. And for that, he can go to hell. So Takisha is now pregnant. neither her or Daryl are working and they are about to have another mouth to feed. Daryl at this point is trying to figure out ways to get some inch extra income. He was getting, you know, his retirement check from the military, but that can only go so far, especially when you have a house and lights, water, trash, sewage, all the things to pay for, and now you're having a baby. So Daryl's now chopping it up with one of his friends, and they tell him about an opportunity to earn some money by running weed for one of the local drug dealers. basically, what Daryl would have to do is load the marijuana in his car, drive it from Texas to one of the northeastern states, which sidebar that has nothing to do with this case. But several years ago in my past life, someone actually presented me with the same offer. They were like, you know, you have a good driving record, you got a clean record. Would you mind? Because, you know, you can make some good money. Baby, I immediately declined because you must be out your rabbit ass mind if you think I would jeopardize my freedom for a dollar. I am not cut out for jail. I just would not make it. Like, what do you mean we're not having seafood boil for dinner? What do you mean I can't have shoelaces? What do you mean I can't yap on the phone for twelve hours a day? Like, I sincerely cannot. My time on the psych ward was enough for me to know that I am not equipped for jail. I'm just not. but apparently. Daryl was. And he did not share in my sentiments because he jumped on that offer with both feet. And with that, he and a very pregnant Takeisha start transporting weed from Texas to the Northeast. business was apparently good for them because they would leave Texas with about 20 to 25 pounds of weed in return with the money for it. I am not sure what the dollar amount of that would be. and I was afraid to Google it because my search history is already becoming questionable. with all this case research. So I didn't want to add like drug scale, weight, price, street value, regular value to my search history personally. but Takeha and Daryl made several trips up north until the fall of two thousand nine when Takeisha went into labor and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy whose name we do not know. So after the arrival of their handsome little man, Daryl starts feeling the heat of being a new parent. every time you turn around, these kids need something: diapers, clothes, wipes, formula, baby food, doctor's visits, daycare, you name it. They just need, like they need. also, kids just get more and more expensive as they get older. They start eating more, they're going through more clothes. Especially in childhood, they're always growing out of stuff. So their baby could have been wearing a size five shoe today and is wearing a size six shoe tomorrow. Or he could have been like my kids who just jump multiple sizes all at once. But Daryl decides that these little 20 to 25 pound weed runs just weren't worth it anymore. And they just haven't been bringing in enough income. So he wants to make bigger moves. And Takisha is pretty much like, yes, sir, let's do it. I do want to take a moment to say that even though news outs outlets maintain that Daryl and Takisha had a normal relationship, Takisha did state that Daryl was physically, mentally, and sexually abusive to her. so Daryl is talking to people. He's calling around, trying to figure out how he can earn some more coins. He calls his brother in Maryland, and his brother tells him, like, basically, I can't help you, bro. Like, I don't know nothing about that. I don't know if he just, you know, wasn't into drugs or if he was just like, I am not helping you. I don't know what their relationship was, but he said that he had a sister-in-law. His sister-in-law's name is Dawn. And Dawn may have some contacts and some connects that could potentially find someone to take him up on his offer. So Daryl's brother connects Daryl and Dawn, you know, giving them each other's phone number and pretty much steps out of it and leaves them to their plan. Dawn Yvette Brooks was born on January 31st, 1972, in Maryland. That's how they say it. Maryland, Maryland, that's how they say it, right? I love their accent. I just, I'm not very good at accents, I don't think. but she was born in Maryland and she lived in an apartment with her two small children above her soon to be sister in law, Mositi Sekela's garage. Now, Mositi had a brother named Neonzi. Sequela, who was Dawn's fiance and the father of her two small children. Dawn's two small children were named Shakor, who was four at the time of the story, and Shayla, who was age three at the time of the story. Dawn was also the mother of at least one older daughter named Shade Newsen. Dawn was described as being a bold mother with an infectious personality who deeply loved her children. Shakur was a protective big brother, which I know some people are just like, how could he be that protective when he's only a year older than Shayla? But as the mother of Irish twins, that tracks. I have a four-year-old and a three-year-old, and they will pretty much go to blows about each other and with each other. Shayla was the baby girl with cheeks like gumballs, which, my gosh, I love little kids with big chunky cheeks. Anyway. So Daryl calls up Dawn and is like, Hey, sis-in-law, like I'm looking to make some things happen. I have a new baby boy. I'm looking for some opportunities to earn money. You know, do you think you can help me out? Dawn is kind of hesitant because her and Daryl don't really have a relationship. So she told him, like, I'll think about it, you know, I'll see what I can do to help you, if anything, and I'll call you and if something comes up. Well, baby, apparently something came up. Because she calls Daryl and tells him that she has figured out a way to help. So Daryl asked Dawn if she knew of anyone that may be interested in taking him up on the offer to purchase weed in bulk. He would drive it from Texas to Maryland, drop it off in exchange for the funds for it, and that's it, that's all. They will be about their day. Dawn said she felt like she had known enough people that would be interested in that they could make a deal. The specifics of the deal as far as the financials aren't totally clear, but the deal is that Daryl would get weed from his supplier, drive it up to Maryland, meet with Dawn, and they'll sell it to whomever Dawn set up to purchase. So in August 2010, Takisha drops their baby off at Daryl's mom's house who lives next door, which is crazy. You live next door to your son, who has impregnated a 17 year old girl. And I know that we can't dictate and determine what our kids do, but I would have called the police. Just me as a parent. I would have been like, hell no, we're not doing this. And then if Takeisha decided I would help her raise her baby, but baby, my son would be in jail. God forbid. But anyway, they drop the baby off at Daryl's mom's house. They pack up. Two 45 caliber guns and about 60 pounds of weed and a blue cooler. You know, like the igloo coolers that the parents would bring to the sports games. They had one of those. And so they load up the car and they drive off into the sunrise towards Maryland. When they get to Maryland, they quickly stop by to check into a small motel and then they head over to Dawn's apartment on the 6,800 block of 3rd Street in Lanham. Or Lanham? Lanham? Lanham sounds correct. so at this apartment, Dawn, her sister-in-law Mositi, and her two youngest children, Shayla and Shakur, were inside. So it's August 5th, 2010, and everybody's at the apartment. The adults and Takisha, because she isn't quite grown yet. they're breaking down the weed and they measure it into smaller packages so they can sell it. And they then decide to run to the store before the sales are made, and they left Mositi, Shayla, and Shakur at the house. So remember. Dawn lives above this detached garage, and Moisiti and her husband live in the main house. So, you know, their houses are right there next to each other. So Mo Citi has all day at this point. Now it was mentioned that all Takisha was talking about at this time was getting this run over with so she can make it back home to her baby. Which, quick sidebar, and I'm no psychologist, but I have noticed that women who had tumultuous upbringings. either go on to become abusive and toxic to their children, or they hold their kids super, super close and they love them so intentionally because they have never had anyone love them the way that they needed. So they want to provide that love for their children. And the way that Takeisha as a mother was described was giving the latter. Like she was infatuated with their son. She loved him, took very good care of him. Like she was. A great mom is what you know sources say. and again, she had someone to finally love her unconditionally, someone who would stick by her, and someone she could, you know, care for and take care of without feeling taken advantage of, unlike his daddy. I'm sorry, I'm gonna throw a jab at Daryl every chance I get. I'm so sorry. But Daryl pissed me off. You know how last week Josh Phillips' father pissed me off? Daryl was that for me this week, okay? at this time for my man mentioned that they sold one of the smaller packages, but I didn't see that mentioned in the case files. So regardless, they're out and about, they're running errands, if you will, and they need to head back to the house. so they get back to the house and Wasiti runs outside. She is bawling, she is crying. She's like three armed men came to the door and they barged inside and they stole all the weed. So Daryl, not believing his freaking luck, because another sidebar. Takeisha and Daryl had made a trip to Maryland in June 2010 with a large amount of weed to sell, and the weed was stolen out of their hotel room while they were away. So Daryl is like punching air at this point because what do you mean y'all jacked me again? Like he got jacked for his weed in June, and now it's August, and he got jacked for his weed again. Like I would be punching air because I would not be able to believe my luck. Regardless, they head upstairs with the exception of Moisiti to check on the cooler and the weed. And surprise, surprise, the weed was gone. Mossiti was not lying. That weed was gone. Now, whether or not three arm men came and barged in and stole it, up to question. But it was not there. So Daryl, my guy, is fed up with the criminals in Maryland at this point, and he and Takisha head back down to the car to get the 45s that they packed. Now, Takisha and Daryl are now armed with handguns and they shove Mositi and Dawn back into the apartment with Shale and Shakur. and they start questioning them. Because what do you mean you don't know where my weed is, honey? What do you mean you don't know where my 60 pounds of weed is, honey? Like, you better make it appear at this point. And I'm not gonna hold you, I get it, because I don't know how much that is, but it seems like a lot of money. And at this point, you're not convincing them that Dawn didn't set them up. And you're not convincing them that Mositi had nothing to do with it. So Daryl is screaming at Dawn, swinging his gun in her face, asking about the whereabouts of his weed. And Dawn is insisting that she had nothing to do with it. And as he is screaming at her and she's denying it, my guy is getting pissed. He is pissed. He is enraged. He is up to here and he is fed up. So at this point, they force. Daryl and Takisha force Mositi, Dawn, Shayla, and Shakur into the bedroom. And Daryl is still like he is not letting up. He is not stopping for breath. He is not stopping for water. He is questioning the hell out of Dawn because my weed needs to appear immediately. So finally, he feels like Dawn is not getting the hint. Cause I don't question you. I have been waving this gun in your face. You know that it's loaded. So. He decides that the only thing he can do is get her to understand that he is being for real. So he shoots Dawn in the leg. And he's just like, I will use this gun. Tell me where the weed is. And Dawn is freaking out at this point, like, I don't know. I don't know what happened to it. Please just let us go. I don't know anything. I didn't do this. And while all of this is going on, Takeisha is guarding the door like a bouncer at the club, posted up. guarding the door with a gun in her hand, pointed directly at Don Mossiti and the children. So Daryl makes a call to his supplier and he's just like, listen, the drugs are gone, man. Like I just they're gone. I I I left them here. They were in a cooler we went out. We came back. It's gone. Like I I don't know. The drugs are gone. And so Daryl's supplier is like, hmm, make them pay. Make them pay. So Daryl, realizing that Dawn is not going to break, even after getting shot in the leg, she is still maintaining, like, I have nothing to do with this. He decides to make an example out of Mossiti and he grabs a pillow, I guess to silence the noise, and he shoots Mositi in the stomach and in her face, killing her. So Dawn at this point is begging because she knew that if she didn't get him calmed down, she would be next, especially since he had just killed Mositi. So Daryl drags Dawn out of the room into the kitchen and leaves Takisha in the bedroom holding the children hostage at gunpoint. In the kitchen, Daryl is still screaming at Dawn. He has not stopped for air. He has not stopped for water. Like, you just saw me kill your sister-in-law. I need you to tell me where those drugs are immediately, or else I will turn on you. And Dawn is maintaining her innocence. She is like, I genuinely don't know what you're talking about. I was with you the whole time. How could I have had something to do with this when you knew my whereabouts? Did I make any calls? Did I text anybody? Like you have to believe me. I don't know nothing about nothing. Just please let me and my babies go. I don't know what to tell you. I don't know where the weed is. I don't have any money to give you because I don't know what Dawn did for a living. I know Mositi worked at the flea market. I'm not sure if Dawn had a job or whatever the case may be. But apparently their living conditions were absolutely disgusting. So she's just like, I like you see my house. You see like what I have. It's it's a shack for all intents and purposes. Like, I don't have the money. I don't have it. I don't have your weed. I didn't set you up. I don't know. I don't know. Like, please just let us go. And Daryl is at this point hitting the roof. He's hitting the roof. So he shoots Dawn in her stomach and she falls to the floor and she's begging, like, Daryl, please, like, I don't know. Like, I'm telling you, you have you're taking like you shot me twice at this point. I I would have caved. Like, please just just just let me go. I don't know. I'll I'll try to figure out what I can, but I really just don't know. She's maintaining her innocence the whole way. So Daryl's like over it. And he stands over her and shoots her right through her ear, killing her. And at this point, and this is just Kiana speaking, because Daryl, baby, what was your plan? Because now you don't know where your weed is, and you just killed the two people who may know. Those kids don't know nothing. This is literally, it reminds me of last week because I was like, okay, Josh Baby, what was your plan? You killed her. What is your plan? So now I'm like, Daryl, sweetheart, what is your plan? What is your plan, Daryl? Tell me your plan, Daryl. Tell me why you thought. And I get being enraged because I crashed out this morning. But murder did not cross my mind. Anyway, so what Daryl does next is completely unthinkable. It is just completely unthinkable. So if you're sensitive to discussing the deaths of a minor, I would skip ahead about a minute or two. And I know I said last week, not all my stories are gonna be like this. I promise not all my stories are gonna be like this, but it just so happens that this week's case also does involve the death of minors. So listener discretion is advised. If you are sensitive, this is a trigger warning, please skip ahead about a minute or two. And I'll give you time to do so now. So for those of us still here, now Don and Wasiti are both dead. And Shayla and Shakur are in the room and they are terrified because Takisha is still holding them at gunpoint. Their aunt's dead body is laying there in the room with them, and they just heard they don't hear their mom anymore. She's no longer screaming, she's no longer crying. She's no longer pleading her case. So I feel like at that point, a four-year-old is s smart enough to know something is wrong. So Daryl enters the room. Shayla and Shakura are sitting on the bed, and he shoots them both, execution style. Shayla dies immediately, but what Takisha and Daryl did not know is that Shakura was still very much alive. Injured, yes. Alive, also yes. So Daryl and Takeisha start cleaning up, trying to wipe down everything. They're Clorox wiping things, trying to pick up any evidence that they may have left. They're trying to clean up any trace that they were at that house. At this point, Shakur gets up because he has to pee. And Takeisha, I guess in her motherly nature, helps him to use the bathroom. And I don't know if he went in a bucket or I don't know if he went in a corner. Because the case file said she helped him go to the bathroom, but I'm just like, the police report also says that there was no plumbing or running water in the house. So maybe there was a bathroom, but it was just inoperable. I'm not sure. But Takisha helps Shakur go relieve himself, which is crazy to me. So once Shakur uses, you know, once he goes potty, she takes him back to the bedroom and Daryl tells him, like, hey, go stand on the bed. And he points at Shakur and pulls the trigger. And nothing happened. The gun was jammed. I truly feel in my heart of hearts like Daryl, you have tried to kill this little boy twice at this point. You can really let him go because you have failed twice. But I guess that was not in Daryl's plan because he proceeded to take the gun from Takisha's hand and shoot Shakur in the head twice. Which at this point, Daryl deserves. Whatever consequences are coming to him. So Takisha and Daryl finished cleaning up. They grabbed their things, put all of the evidence that they could gather in a trash bag, including the murder weapons, and they threw the evidence in a nearby dumpster. Which y'all are really not true crime fans because it's like one of the rules, like you don't dispose of evidence somewhere where it could be found, and you literally threw a bag full of evidence in a nearby dumpster. It's a rookie mistake. So after this, they head back to the hotel, they shower, scrub really good, and they just get any trace of blood or any evidence off of themselves. So at this point, back down the street, Mositi's husband flags down the police at 2 42 a.m. It's now August 6, 2010. And Musiti's husband is like, okay, I've not seen or heard from my wife, and I know she lives here. And I don't hear nobody above the garage. So let me go up there and see what's going on. Cause Dawn should at least be home. Like, this is weird. So he goes upstairs, opens the door, sees everything. So he flies down the stairs and he calls the police and he's like flagging down anyone that could help him. So Officer Hong Park of the Prince George's County Police Department was the first officer on the scene. And he described the scene as ghastly and horrific. Dawn's apartment, like I said earlier, was apparently filthy. It was littered with trash, human waste, that was stored in containers. It was just like it literally looked like a landfill. I saw the news footage, and I'm not speaking ill of the dead, but they were absolutely right. The house was completely like dilapidated. It looked like a complete junkyard. Like it looked like at any moment. A truck should come through and just bulldoze everything because there was just trash everywhere. There was just junk. Like they Sanford and Son had nothing on the way they kept this house. And again, it's not to speak ill of the dead, but there was no air conditioning, no plumbing, no running water. They were just going in corners like to use the bathroom and like storing it in containers. The smell, the smell. And I can only imagine just because I wasn't there, but the smell was so bad. Prince George's County Councilman Eric Olson said, I can't imagine what was going on before the crime. just basically because the house was in such dire straits that he was like, I don't know what they were they had going on before, but this we should have known about this. He was like, I don't know if the kids were in school. I don't know what was going on because we have no record of this family even, but I would have loved for someone to report this because we could have gotten the kids out of here prior to this crime. Regardless, while police are canvassing the neighborhood and the crime scene, Daryl apparently could not sleep. And my guy was tossing and turning and turning and tossing and tossing and turning because he just killed four people. And he is in his mind like. I'm gonna get caught. I'm gonna get caught. I need to go back and I need to dispose of anything that could be in there that may even have my scent, my hair, anything on it. So he gets up, heads back to the apartment. When Daryl gets there, he runs into police and they naturally ask him, like, why are you here? He says, well, you know. My sister-in-law lives here and I was, you know, chilling with her earlier today, but I haven't really heard from her since then. So I figured I should come by and check it out. We kind of got lit earlier. Just wanted to see how she was doing, if she's okay, if she needed anything, some Gatorade, perhaps. And you know what? The police actually believed him. But because he stumbled onto, quote unquote stumbled onto, an active crime scene, they asked him to sit in the police cruiser until they could figure out exactly what was going on at this point. And Daryl complies. He has a seat in the front seat of the police car and just kind of chills out there while they're investigating. Around 3 45 a.m., Officer Stephen Campbell responded to the scene, and he says at this point he sees Daryl leaning against a car. And he kind of goes up to him and is like, hey, you know, tell me a little bit about your involvement here. Do you have any relation to these people? And he's just Yeah, that's my sister in law. and I was just coming to check on her. And so He asks Officer Campbell for a cigarette. They get him one. And then Officer Campbell is like, you know, all this sounds well and good, but I really want to move this investigation along. So because you're here and because you know the people inside, can I take you down to the station and get a statement? Perhaps. I give you a little bit of coffee, a donut, maybe. And let's just go chat. And you know what Daryl did? He agreed. He genuinely agreed, like, okay, sure, I'll go down to the police station with you. I'll give you a statement. Not a problem. Mind you, the whole time Daryl is waiting outside of Dawn's apartment, he technically was free to go. Like there was nothing binding him there except for the police thing. I think you should stick around. But I'm wondering if he thought, like, okay, maybe if I stick around, they wouldn't suspect me, they wouldn't question me. I'm not exactly sure what his point was because I'd have been like, well, I gotta go to work in the morning. Like I would have maybe he did the right thing. I don't know. But I just think it's wild that he technically was free to go. And he was just like, all right, I'll just chill here with y'all. So Officer Campbell takes Daryl to the station. They get there a little bit after 4 a.m. and they start interviewing him. at around 7:30 a.m., they get a call. And the call just basically says, like, Daryl is lying to you because Daryl's in the interrogation room telling them like it was a hitman. Like, I don't know who would have done this. It had to be a hitman. I know, I think I know exactly where they disposed of the evidence. And it they did say in the police report that at some point that day they did go, Daryl led them to the dumpster where they disposed of the evidence. And I don't know why he did that, but he made it very easy for them. So at 7 30 a.m. and they get a call stating that, hey, Daryl's a drug dealer from Texas. You guys should really look into him. He had just lost about 60 pounds of weed, and he is pissed about it because this is what happened in June. And I just think you guys should check into him a little bit more than you are. So while this is going on, back down the street, which not literally, but in my story, back down the street, Takisha awakens from her slumber, which Takisha, how are you asleep after all of this? But she wakes up from her slumber, stretches her arms out wide, wipes the cold out her eye, and notices, my gosh, Daryl is gone. So she immediately throws on some clothes and rushes to Daryl's brother's house. Now, Daryl's brother was not for the shenanigans, and he seemed to be probably the only person in the story that had any sense because he had already heard that Dawn was CT and the children were dead. So Takisha comes to the and she's like, knock, knock, knock, help me. I need help. Like, please. Daryl left. I don't know where he is. Something terrible happened. And I don't mean to laugh, but Daryl's brother looked at Takisha through the peephole and was like, I know you freaking lying. He said, baby, find somewhere else to go because I'm not getting wrapped up in none of this. My wife is in here. Her sister's dead. I'm not, I'm not dealing with you on today. I will turn you in. Like, get out of here. And Takeisha leaves. Which I will say that Daryl not Daryl, Daryl's brother. Daryl's brother is me and I am him. Because please don't come to me after you've committed a crime. I will turn you in and I might collect a little reward money if available. And Daryl's brother was on that exact type of time. So Takisha decides that she's going to head to the nearest bus stop and try to make her way back home. However, her plan was derailed because police discovered that Daryl had a brother that lived in Maryland and they went to question him. And they got there to question him, and Daryl's brother was like, I'm gonna tell you like I told that little girl that came over here and said that she needed help. I am not getting involved in none of this. So he sang like Jennifer Hudson. He was like, Takeisha should be on her way down to the bus station. She's probably on the way back home by now. You should go get her and get off my front doorstep. I've told you everything I know. He sang like Jennifer Hudson, baby. Not have done all that, but I am not mad at Daryl's brother for his approach to things. I'm not even gonna lie to you. So the police get down to the bus station and they find Takisha because Daryl told them, Daryl's brother, excuse me, Daryl's brother told them exactly where she went. And by now they know that she has a connection to Daryl. They have a son together. She knows that Daryl. they know that Darrell is Don't brother in law. And there are just so many people in the story. I just have to make sure that all of the pieces are fitting together. And I really do pray they are. So they take Takisha back down to the station. And Daryl is in his interrogation room, still blaming the crime on the hitman. He had taken the police down to the dumpster because he's like, I saw a bag around here somewhere. There should be some. That's where the guns are. It was a hitman that did it. It had nothing to do with me. And Takeisha gets into her interrogation room and she folds like a lawn chair. She told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help her God. And with that, both Takisha and Daryl were charged with four counts of first-degree murder. So Dawn Shakur and Sheila's funeral was held on Friday, August 13th, 2010, at the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. With all of their family, friends, and loved ones in attendance. and Dawn's family really spoke very highly of her. Like they loved her very much. and I know time doesn't heal the tragic passing of a loved one, but just watching some of their interviews and some of the things that they had to say, they are still very much shaken and broken by what happened to Dawn and her children. and Wasiti's family shares the same sentiments. They are very, very heartbroken, especially her brother, because he has lost his sister, his fiancee, and his two children. And that is just inexplicable, you know? Daryl's mother was interviewed and she stated, my gosh, I can't believe it. I am shocked. I was devastated. I was devastated for their family, but I was really hurt about the kids. I'm just kidding, I should stop doing her like that. She then goes on to say, quote, I think every moment, what if this happened to him and how it could have been, knowing that if he did that, he has a 10-month-old child. End quote. A child that was now her responsibility, I guess, because her son is a murderer and a pedophile. And they should have thrown some extra charges on him for being 42 and impregnating a 17-year-old girl. But I guess that's besides the matter at this point. So in November 2011, Takisha decided to forego her right to trial by jury. And entered a guilty plea in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table. Because Marilyn apparently does not play about their criminals and they will kill they will put you to death. So Takeisha was like, you know what? I might be able to serve a life sentence and still get out of here. So yeah, I'm gonna just go ahead and plead guilty and I'll do life. That's fine, not a problem. Just give me a little parole, you know, and I'll tell you exactly what happened. Her attorney at the time wanted to make sure that the judge, who the judge in the initial case was named Dwight Jackson. he wanted to make sure that the judge knew that Takeisha was bipolar and schizophrenic. But that did not matter to Judge Jackson because he sentenced Takeisha to four life sentences. Takeisha then turned around and testified against Daryl at his trial, and Daryl was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Takeisha has filed multiple appeals since Her original sentencing, which, in my opinion, and this is just me here, she agreed to testify against Daryl, which she did. And her testimony placed Daryl behind bars, and it did. and not only did her testimony place Daryl behind bars, but her testimony placed Daryl behind bars beh for the rest of his natural born life. I feel like she got the worst deal in history. I truly do. I feel like Takisha. Her testimony is the only reason Daryl's in prison right now. They had no physical evidence tying Daryl and Takisha to the scene. But I guess the whole point of it all was to take the death penalty off the table. But regardless, I feel like she got the worst deal in history. an attorney by the name of Doyle Neiman took another look into Takisha's case in 2021, but died suddenly due to complications from surgery. Takeisha reportedly made a cross stitch that read, A beautiful soul is never forgotten, and sent it to his family. But after attorney Doyle's death, her case was picked up by a new attorney named Aisha Brave Boy. And attorney Brave Boy stated, and I quote, I support a judge looking at all the factors and making a decision that's fair and appropriate for this particular defendant. She's lived a very tragic life. She had a child very, very young, and then was taken advantage of by this much older man. Dawn's family pretty much felt like attorney Brave Boy could go to the depths of hell with that statement because they set an eye for an eye. Dawn is no longer with us, so Takisha could spend the rest of her natural born life in jail. In May 2025, Takisha was back in court after filing an appeal to reduce her sentence on the grounds that the original judge was supposed to follow whatever sentence the prosecution suggested. The prosecution at that time suggested a 70 year sentence. And the judge at the time gave Takisha a life, well, four life sentences. I found a Facebook post by a woman that goes by the name of Gail Yates Seaton that read, quote, headed to court, hoping this mass murderer is kept behind bars. I truly hope justice prevails. I get tired of seeing they were young. I knew not to hurt anyone else, much less murder anyone at a very young age. Well, you want to be an adult and commit adult crimes, you do adult times. I hope other young people can learn from this. Takeha Gilmer should not get a reduced sentence. End quote. Prosecutors and defense attorneys recommended that Takisha be sentenced to 20 years with supervised probation and successful completion of Marion House, which apparently is a halfway house in Baltimore. In addition, a clinical psychologist testified that Takisha was at a very low risk of reoffending. Takeisha spoke in her own defense stating that she was in no way trying to minimize the victims. But she was a scared 16-year-old who had been abused and manipulated by Daryl. She said, I couldn't find a way out of the situation I was in. I felt trapped. Judge Sharon Kelsey heard victim impact statements from Dawn and Mussiti's family, and after hearing all sides, she made a judgment to reduce Takisha's sentence to 40 years in prison. Dawn's daughter, Shade Newsen, stated that she was, quote, devastated by bombshell, if you will. I was shocked and appalled. I think they should serve their full sentence. Unquote. Where are the families now? Well, in short, I have no idea. I did some research on where Takisha and Daryl's son is now and I found nothing. Not a name, an elementary school photo. Does he play Pop Warner football? Nothing. he was born in two thousand nine, so he'd be about sixteen years old now. And I do wonder like if he has a relationship with Takisha, if he has a relationship with his father. Daryl is well in his probably almost sixty years old by now. and he is currently rotting in prison. I only say rotting because he had health issues prior to going into prison. He's been in there for sixteen years and the prison system is not great. It's just not. But that's a separate rant for a separate day. I just feel like care to inmates is just subpar and that's a different rant for a different day. But I just know going into prison with chronic health conditions is it's Don't bet on yourself, baby. it appears that as of spring semester 2024, Takisha is working on her college degree behind bars. She made the dean's list and is studying for a degree in information technology. She has been baptized and attends church regularly. And now that she has a reduced sentence, she has something to look forward to. So this brings me to my final thoughts, which is this case was a freaking mess. This case was a freaking mess. The story was a freaking mess. Everything about this was a freaking mess. First of all, and I know I have shared my opinion on this like all throughout the show, but Daryl should be ashamed of his damn self. He should be ashamed because you I do believe what Tehisha said. I do believe that he abused her. I do believe he was a manipulative. And I just feel like any 40 something year old man that is willing to take on a relationship with a 16 year old girl and Impregnate her and then drag her into this lifestyle of like drugs and money and hus like sir, you should have had your stuff together before you decided to enter her life. And truth be told, you should have never entered her life. She was a child. And granted, he provided her with a place to stay. But I feel like he, if he was concerned about her and wanted to give her a place to stay, he could have gone about it a different way. He could have said, Well, you know, I just feel like there are other ways. Maybe he could have asked. her his mom, like, hey mom, there's this little girl that I see on the street all the time. I'm feeling uneasy about it. And I really think she needs some place safe to stay. But he could have reached out to his resources and seen if there was something he could do for her instead of put bringing her in his house. I believe that from day one he had full intention on basically grooming her, basically bringing her into his house and pursuing a relationship with her, which I think is foul. And I feel like he should be under the jail Wrapped in barbed wire for that. Because I do believe he manipulated her. I do believe he was narcissistic. I do believe he was abusive. And there's nothing that anyone can tell me to change my mind. With Takeisha, I am sorry that this happened to you. But at some point, while you were in that house holding a gun to those babies' heads, I wish you would have done something. I wish you would have done something. You had your cell phone on you. I wish you would have called the police. You He was in the other room with Dawn. Like really quickly, you could have just like, hey, 911, I need help. Something. Like I just wish she would have thought. And I understand fear would have you doing some things that you never thought. But I wish she would have thought about her son more in that moment because the consensus is that she loved and cared for that baby boy. So I really wish that she would have done something, anything, to think about her baby and to think about the fact that if I continue with this. I will be going to jail for the rest of my life. I also feel like when she woke up and realized that Daryl wasn't in the hotel room, if she had the gall to like go to his brother's house, I feel like she could have just called the police. I would have pinned it all on him, to be quite honest. If I was Takeisha and I wake up and you are gone, I'm gonna look around first. Is the car outside? Is anyone here? And at that moment, I'm calling the police. Cause now you're alone. I would have called the police. Hey. There's this murder that happened over here. I know who did it. He held me hostage. And that might have been hard to prove though, because they did have a baby together. But I would've I would have played the long game. I was 16 years old when he entered my life and he has been holding me hostage ever since I'm finally alone. Like I would have done something. Like there's just no freaking way. I would like she sang like a canary anyway. I would have just thrown him under the bus. I also think it's messed up that to begin with, they didn't give her. And I get it. It's an egregious crime. It's a horrible crime. My heart hurt when I saw what happened to those children, especially Shakur. Like the last moments of his life was just filled with fear and chaos. Like to survive being shot in the head and then have to deal with your attackers trying to figure out what to do with you is just I I can't even fathom that type of like I couldn't and and my heart really hurts for those babies, but I just wish that Takeisha would have done anything, anything at all to save them. but yeah, she is currently in jail. Daryl's in jail. She does have a fighting chance. You know, she got 40 years, but chances are, they did give her parole, so she may be able to get out before then. Now, Dawn's family is extremely pissed because they don't feel like she deserves a fair chance. Like they really think that and I get it. I get it, I get it. This crime was horrendous. And it just really did not have to go down that way. And once again, I'm going to ask Daryl Honey, what was your plan? What was your plan? You were upset with these ladies because you believed that they stole your drugs and you killed them. And so it's like now you're never going to know. And not only are you never going to know, but now you're in prison about it for the rest of your life. It was just it was just Poor planning as a whole. It was just poor decision making as a whole. And Daryl can truly go to hell and he deserves whatever he gets. Honestly. My heart does go out to Takeisha, but I also do understand Dawn's family and Mositi's family's standpoint. Whereas you were there and you could have done anything. And I It's just such a sticky situation because I do believe she was very afraid of Daryl. I do believe she saw him as someone to be feared and like an authority figure in her life. And I just truly felt like she froze and didn't know what to do. Unfortunately, not knowing what to do is not a good defense. So that is the end of our show. Guys, I cannot believe it. I actually stuck with it two weeks in a row. We will do this again next week. I promise. I already have next week's case, which I'm very interested in diving into. please, please, please, please, please, if you have made it to this point, leave a review. Leave a review. And then I did, if you're on Spotify, I left a poll because I'm curious. Like, do you guys think that Dawn and Mussiti set them up? Or do you think Musiti set them up? Like, I genuinely want to know. What do you guys think? Because I think they had something to do with it. I'm not even gonna lie to you because what are the odds? Three masked men break into a dilapidated house. Baby, you didn't even have furniture. You had a mattress. What are they breaking in for? Like they had to have known something. And if they knew something, how did they know something? I 150% believe that they had something to do with that. Do I think that they deserved their fate? No, I don't. It was horrible what happened to them. But I do think they have something to do with it. So please, in the comments, let me know. Do you think they do you think they knew? Is it just me? Anyways, follow me on social media at Minor Mischief Podcast. I still have not put up that Instagram page yet, but I will get there. I will get there. It will happen. My TikTok page currently has no posts. But don't you worry, your pretty little head. I will do it. Before this weekend is out, I will make Two posts on TikTok. That is my goal. But please go follow me on TikTok. The Instagram page will be up by the end of this weekend. And I truly do hope you guys enjoyed the story. Please leave reviews, comment, share anything that you can to kind of get the word out about this podcast. Because mama would like to start earning some coins off of this. Do you understand me? I would love to. So that is it for today's show. See you all. same time, same place next week. And until then, stay machinious friends.