What happened to Danielle Locklear? Oxygen's Final Moments Episode 5 explores teen's murder

Oxygen's acclaimed true-crime series, Final Moments, gives detailed insights into the last moments of the victim's life, taking an intimate look at the last interactions, behaviors, and details with the help of archival footage, interviews, and research. It tackles some of the most sensational cases, ones that have previously shaken the world. It also takes a peek at the investigation procedure.

In this week's episode of Final Moments, the show will take us to Hope Mills, North Carolina, where the case of a missing teenager, Danielle Locklear, shook the town back in 2014. The girl, who went to a friend's house in the evening, seemingly vanished into thin air. There was no trace of her until three weeks later when she was found in a river with cinder blocks tied around her body.

The upcoming episode of Final Moments is titled Murder at the Creek, and it will air on April 17, 2022.

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All about Final Moments of Danielle Locklear

In 2014, 15-year-old Danielle Locklear went missing from the sleepy town of Hope Mills, North Carolina. A generally happy and excitable girl, this was a rather odd shock for her family, who soon filed a police report.

Danielle was a typical teenager from South Carolina. She often went to Hope Mills with her grandparents on holidays. Over time, the teenager had found friends, and ultimately a date in Hope Mills named Je’Michael Malloy. She decided to move there permanently and enroll in a high school in Hope Mills. She often mentored young children at a youth summer camp operated by an Autryville church there.

One ordinary evening, she left for a friend's house across the street after taking permission from her grandparents. She never returned. It was the evening of March 11, 2014. After futile attempts at contacting her, her anxious grandparents took the matter to the police.

The Hope Mills Police Department then arranged volunteer search parties and began scouring the town in hopes of finding Danielle. They even used missing persons billboards and posters but to no avail.

Almost three weeks later, an off-duty officer saw her body floating in a lake. Upon investigation, they discovered that she was choked to death and a sock was stuffed into her throat.

Danielle's ex-boyfriend, Je’Michael Malloy, was arrested. He confessed to murdering her. On the day she went missing, she lied to her grandparents and went to meet Malloy instead. They had been having problems. When Danielle faked her pregnancy to get his attention, he freaked out and they broke into a heated argument. This ended up in Malloy murdering her.

Police found several proofs, like similar cinder blocks at Malloy's house, the same kind of rope, and Danielle's cellphone a little further away from his house. All this led to the court prosecuting him for second-degree murder, as it was a crime of passion.

Malloy's friend Dominic Lock also helped him dispose of the body. He was charged as an accessory to murder. Malloy pleaded guilty in court and was awarded 25 years in prison. Lock was also awarded a six-year prison term. Malloy continues to remain in prison to this day.

Final Moments is a collaboration between Oxygen and Dick Wolf, the creator of crime dramas like Law and Order. Wolf Entertainment has also produced Murder for Hire, Criminal Confessions, and Cold Justice for Oxygen.