ByABC7 Chicago 24/7 StreamA Black transgender woman and the guy she was secretly dating had just been pulled over in rural South Carolina. Dime Doe, the driver, was worried. She already had points against her license and didn't want another ticket to stop her from getting behind the wheel. Daqua Lameek Ritter, whom she affectionately called "my man," frequently relied on her for rides.
Much of what transpired in the roughly two-and-a-half hours between the last time Doe was seen and the discovery of her body remains unclear. But as prosecutors wrap up their case this week, more details are emerging about the furtive connection between the 24-year-old Doe - remembered by friends as an outspoken party lover with long lashes and blunt bob hairstyles - and Ritter, a man whose distinctive left wrist tattoo is captured in body camera footage from the traffic stop.
One of those boys was Ritter, who came from New York to stay with his grandmother in Allendale during the summertime. Doe and Ritter started to grow close over the course of those visits, leaving Delasia Green - Ritter's regular girlfriend in the summer of 2019 - with a "gut feeling" that something was up.
Yanna Albany, Doe's cousin, testified that she too had a relationship with Ritter that summer but ended it after about three weeks when Doe told her she was also seeing him. Albany said when she broke up with Ritter, he turned red, threatened to beat Doe for "lying on him" and used a homophobic slur.
Shortly before Doe's death, the text messages started getting tense. In a July 29, 2019, message, she complained that Ritter did not reciprocate her generosity toward him. He replied that he thought they had an understanding that she didn't need the "extra stuff." He also told her that Green had recently insulted him with a homophobic slur. In a July 31 text, Doe said she felt used and that Ritter should never have let his girlfriend find out about them.
When the two ran into each other the following day, Jenkins said he could see the silver handle of a small firearm sticking out from the waistline of Ritter's pants. He said Ritter asked him to "get it gone."