A Tennessee man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after he was convicted of kidnapping a woman and forcing her to fatally overdose on drugs as part of a brutal revenge plot. Latawyne Osborne, 40, pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of 22-year-old Danishka Melina Sibaja Mejia in April 2024, alongside multiple other charges, including attempted murder and aggravated sexual battery.
The Horrific Crime
On April 3, 2024, Mejia reported to the Knoxville Police Department that she had been sexually assaulted by Osborne. She recalled falling asleep at his home after drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana, only to wake up partially undressed with her tampon removed. A medical exam confirmed that she had been raped. The very next night, Osborne, along with two accomplices, broke into Mejia’s home, seeking revenge.
They held Mejia and two others—both a nine-month pregnant woman and her boyfriend—at gunpoint in the basement. Osborne initially attempted to force Mejia to kill the boyfriend, but when she refused, he began a horrific sequence of events that led to her death. He forced her to snort drugs, including fentanyl, cocaine, meth, and heroin, at gunpoint. Even after she passed out, he continued to administer the drugs into her mouth, filming the entire ordeal on his cellphone.
A Gruesome Aftermath
The abuse continued as Osborne and his co-conspirators made jokes about how long it was taking for Mejia to die. They then reportedly placed a plastic bag over her head and beat her. Once they confirmed that she was dead, the trio shot the pregnant woman and her boyfriend. However, both survived and managed to give police a detailed account of the horrific crime.
After the murder, the suspects stole Mejia’s car and set it on fire. In a bizarre twist, one of Osborne’s co-conspirators, Marquis Ellis, shot Osborne in the leg during the home invasion. When Osborne sought treatment at a local hospital, he lied to authorities, claiming that Mejia had overdosed, and he was only trying to help when an unknown assailant shot him.
Investigation and Prosecution
Osborne’s arrest led investigators to seize his cellphone, where they found disturbing images and videos of both Mejia’s murder and her earlier sexual assault. Prosecutors called the crime heinous, with Knoxville Police Chief Paul Noel labeling it “truly a heinous crime.”
Osborne’s co-conspirators, Marquis Ellis and Edward Wilson, are awaiting trial for their roles in the murder. Osborne himself was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty, ensuring that he will never see freedom again.
The brutal murder of Danishka Melina Sibaja Mejia is a tragic reminder of the cruelty some individuals are capable of. For her family and loved ones, this crime represents an unthinkable loss, made even worse by the horrifying manner in which she was killed. Osborne’s sentence ensures that he will never again harm another person, while the ongoing prosecution of his co-conspirators highlights the need for justice for all victims of such heinous acts.
