Jessi Gorman - The Death of Danielle Nemetz: A collection of True Crime

THE DEATH OF DANIELLE NEMETZ

JESSI GORMAN

Born seven weeks early on January 11, 1995, Danielle Rippeon-Nemetz made friends everywhere she went with her winning smile, energetic personality, and empathetic soul. But when Danielle was just 19 years old, an accident cut her life short.

Danielle was such a happy, joyful, and compassionate young woman, read an obituary following Danielles death on October 16, 2014. Everyone she encountered felt her enormous, heartfelt warmth and beautiful smile.

Her family had already faced tragedy early on in Danielles life when her mother, Elizabeth, lost her battle with cancer. Danielle, who was just two years old at the time, was initially left in the care of her grandmother, Scarlett, but was adopted a short time later by her step-father, Micheal Boulton, who raised the young girl as though she was his own daughter.

She was the type of girl ... its like you knew she had a hard home life, but you would never know it, at the same time, said Danielles high school cheerleading coach Erin Mikolai. She just didnt dwell on it.

Originally from Lakewood, Washington, Danielle attended middle school and high school in McKinleyville, California, before graduating in 2012. She was actively involved in the sport of cheerleading, which at just five feet tall and 100 pound she participated in as a flyer.

This was so fitting because of her tiny frame and her dream to soar to new heights, the obituary read. Many would compare her to a small stick of dynamite.

Danielle was the happiest girl you could ever meet, said her friend Michaela Yingling, who bonded with Danielle after the two girls had both lost their mothers at around the same time. She was always happy. Like, I didnt know where she got it from.

On top of the many loyal friends and the large extended family Danielle had developed, she also upon chance, according to the obituary met the love of her life and soul mate, Skylar Nemetz, while she was still in high school.

According to Mikolai, Danielle had a habit of falling hard whenever she met a new guy.

Every boyfriend was the one she was gonna marry, Mikolai recalled. She always got very close with the families of the boyfriends that she had, because they always were the most stable part of her life. But it was just that need to be loved and for that nurturing and that attention ... and relationships would end, and the next one would start.

But in her junior year, when she Facebook messaged a newly-graduated student from a nearby high school who was thinking of joining the Army, she found the man she wanted to marry.

I remember I fell in love with her just like that, Skylar said with a snap of his fingers. I was head over heels, like, immediately.

His mother Danette Heller remembers the sparkle in his eye when he was with Danielle, and knew his love for her was real. But she was still surprised when just a month after theyd met Skylar moved Danielle into his mothers home with him. According to Skylar, his mother treated Danielle as if she was her own daughter.

I felt sorry for her, for her upbringing ... I loved spoiling her, you know, because she never had been spoiled, Danette said. But she was an absolute doll and I loved being able to help. I was crazy about her she called me mom.

There was no one able to stand in their way for the future they planned for, the obituary stated.

Since Skylar had joined the army, the couple decided to marry young in Columbus, Georgia, on March 7, 2012. Skylar had just completed his basic training program, while Danielle was preparing to graduate.

Sometimes ... I would sit there and be like, Oh, my gosh, Im 18. Im getting married, Skylar admitted. But the thing is, though, I loved her so much and she loved me so much and we didnt want to wait. We wanted to get married.

But not everyone was as supportive about the development.

I felt like I needed to be the person to shake her and say, Slow down ... Theres no rush. But shes the type of person ... she was just so strong willed that there was never going to be any convincing her, Mikolai said. And there just wasnt an adult in her life that could put a stop to it.

According to the obituary, though, Danielle loved being Skylars wife, and frequently told her close friends and her sister Ashley about the new sense of belonging shed developed since her marriage.

Skylar cherished her, and there was never a time they were apart, aside from his duties with the army, the obituary said. Skylar taught her how to drive, saw that Danielle finished high school, and both were looking forward to welcoming a new addition as aunt and uncle, with her sister Ashleys pregnancy.

Danielle was also excited to become a mother herself, someday, but had been focused on pursuing her dream of opening a nail studio and was an aspiring YouTube star. The couple had plans to travel the world together, but their future was cut short when Danielle was shot in the back of the head with an AR-15 rifle and when Skylar was charged with her murder.

Skylar Nemetz, a 20 year old specialist with the 7th Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington, was booked into Pierce County Jail after confessing to officers that hed accidentally shot his wife in the back of the head with an AR-15 rifle.

The fatal shot had occurred while Danielle had been sitting in front of the computer in their Lakewood apartment. Reportedly, Skylar believed the weapon had been unloaded, but admitted that he had intentionally pointed it at Danielles head and had pulled the trigger. According to police, Skylar was never able to express exactly why hed done this.

I just heard one bang and then I heard him saying, Oh my God, oh my God, recalled Brandon Cochran, a neighbour of the couple who had been at home at the time of the incident. And then she started to scream and yell, and then she stopped screaming, and he just kept saying, Oh my God, oh my God.

According to Cochran, Skylar had been wearing a white t-shirt covered in blood stains when he emerged from the building, appearing distraught.

Another neighbour said he hadnt overheard any disagreement or argument leading up to the shooting, and police hadnt received any previous domestic violence calls regarding the couple. Still, neighbours who overheard the shot immediately contacted 911, and police were dispatched to the scene to investigate.

Video captured of Skylar from the backseat of the squad car after he was handcuffed reveals him saying, Im a bad person, Im a bad person! and I love my wife so much. Im innocent. I didnt mean to hurt anybody!

He also elaborated on the shooting, saying, I took the magazine out. I put it on the bed. I put it on fire and I pulled the trigger. And it went off. And it was on my shoulder.

He stated that he did all of this while the rifle was pointed at the back of his wifes head, read a probable cause affidavit written by deputy prosecutor Jared Ausserer. He provided no reason why he did this and said it was a stupid thing to do.

But then, his story changed. One neighbour recalled Skylar telling them that Danielle had shot herself accidentally, while attempting to clean the rifle. However, ballistic evidence disproved that theory immediately the round had struck Danielle in the back of her head, passing through cleanly and penetrating the computer screen shed been looking at.