Trigger Warning: The article contains disturbing details of sexual assault, use of narcotics and murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Danishka Sibaja Mejia never shied away from doing the right thing. That is among the enduring recollections of the 22-year-old r—pe survivor. She was Costa Rican dancer and volleyball player who was murdered in April 2024 in Knoxville, Tennessee, following a targeted house invasion by a former acquaintance a day after she accused him of r—ping her while she was sleeping.
“One of the things Danishka mentioned during our last dinner on the night of April 4 was that she was not afraid to do the right thing,” Mejia’s mother Melba Mejia said during a recent court hearing, according to The Charlotte Observer. “She wanted to follow up with this report so that [her attacker, Latawyne Osborne] will not hurt any other women. Although it cost her life, she’s going to have her final wish.”
According to the Observer, WATE, and WVLT, Osborne, 40, was found guilty of first-degree murder, three charges of attempted first-degree murder, and aggravated sexual charge and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole last week.
Following his client’s guilty plea, Osborne’s defense lawyer Cullen Wojcik stated, “This spares all the parties of extended litigation of trial and sentencing and appeals,” according to the Observer. “And we hope that this resolution gives the entire process a certain amount of closure.”
One day after she allegedly went to the police to formally accuse Osborne of r—ping her after she fell asleep at his house, Mejia was slain on April 5, 2024. Mejia told police she woke up with her tampon mysteriously gone and only half dressed, according to the Observer. According to the publication, Osborne denied sexually assaulting Mejia when she questioned him about it. However, prosecutors claimed that a subsequent check at a nearby hospital revealed DNA proof that Osborne had r—ped her.
A man who forced a 22-year-old Knoxville woman to snort drugs until she died — his vengeance for her reporting that he’d raped her days before — pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree murder and other charges. https://t.co/GyXiQAosDe pic.twitter.com/FInUCgaDWI
— WBIR Channel 10 (@wbir) May 31, 2025
Osborne and two other men broke into a South Knoxville home where Mejia was staying, forcing her and two other people—a guy and the man’s pregnant girlfriend—down into the basement, according to local WBIR.
According to WBIR, Osborne made Mejia repeat the ingestions until she passed out while forcing her to take a combination of cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl at gunpoint. WBIR claims that Osborne then proceeded to administer medicines to her while periodically checking to see if she was breathing and recording parts of the encounter.
Details in this case are unspeakable. Proof shows Osborne made Mejia snort a deadly cocktail of drugs until she fell unconscious and died. @wbir pic.twitter.com/imPb3sjQrM
— jnbeatlefan (@jnbeatlefan) May 30, 2025
Then, according to authorities cited by The Observer and WBIR, Osborne and two associates shot Mejia to death. When police arrived at the house, Mejia’s companions, who had also been shot, informed them of what had happened because they had survived the attempts on their lives.
During the house invasion, Osborne was also allegedly accidentally shot by one of his co-conspirators. He was treated at a nearby hospital before being arrested following interrogation by homicide detectives. On May 30, he entered a guilty plea and was given a life sentence, according to WBIR.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault or abuse, help is available. You can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) — free, confidential, and available 24/7.
