Tanika Lynch is a Michigan woman who was convicted of second-degree murder and armed robbery in 1995, at age 16, for the killing of 27-year-old Jocelyn Payne in Harrison Township. She was sentenced to 16 years and 8 months to 60 years in prison. Her case became widely known for a second reason: while incarcerated, Lynch reported being sexually abused by a corrections officer, and she became one of the most cited examples of retaliation against women who came forward during Michigan’s prison sexual-abuse scandal of the 1990s. After a prolonged legal fight, the Michigan Court of Appeals cleared the way for her parole in August 2012.
The 1995 Killing of Jocelyn Payne
Payne was a single mother and aspiring teacher who had previously helped Lynch when Lynch was homeless. She later moved from Detroit to the Village Green apartments in Harrison Township specifically to distance herself from Lynch.1Macomb Daily. Convicted Murderer Pleads for Release The killing arose from a dispute over $600 that Payne allegedly owed Lynch.
Lynch stabbed Payne 12 times with a butcher knife and shot her in the head. Payne’s 10-year-old daughter found the body. Lynch and her 16-year-old co-defendant Tanisha Wheeler then ransacked the apartment to stage a random robbery, taking $1,600 in cash and two fur coats.1Macomb Daily. Convicted Murderer Pleads for Release
A Macomb County jury convicted Lynch of second-degree murder and armed robbery. She received concurrent sentences of 16 years and 8 months to 60 years on each count.2Michigan Courts. In re Parole of Tanika Lonyea Lynch Wheeler cooperated with prosecutors, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and was sentenced as a juvenile to confinement until age 21. Lynch’s boyfriend, who drove the car and said he did not know about the killing until afterward, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and received time served.1Macomb Daily. Convicted Murderer Pleads for Release At trial, Lynch blamed Wheeler and Wheeler’s boyfriend for the murder; she did not acknowledge that testimony was a lie until her 2010 parole hearing.3MLive. Convicted of Murder as a Teen
Sexual Abuse by a Guard and Retaliation for Reporting It
Lynch was incarcerated during a period when male corrections officers at Michigan’s women’s facilities were engaged in widespread sexual abuse of inmates. A 1995 U.S. Department of Justice investigation found that “nearly every woman” interviewed at the Florence Crane and Scott Correctional facilities reported sexually aggressive acts by guards.4Human Rights Watch. Nowhere to Hide – Summary
Lynch reported being sexually abused by an officer named Philip Lewis. In January 1998, Lewis was convicted of criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree and sentenced to two years’ probation.5Human Rights Watch. Nowhere to Hide – Retaliation6Metro Times. Barred From View
Human Rights Watch described a systematic campaign of retaliation against women who reported abuse or joined the class-action litigation. Officers used misconduct tickets as weapons because their accounts were almost always believed over inmates’, and the resulting disciplinary records could derail parole prospects.4Human Rights Watch. Nowhere to Hide – Summary
Lynch’s Place in the Michigan Prison Abuse Litigation
Lynch was a plaintiff in a lawsuit against prison guards alleging sexual abuse.3MLive. Convicted of Murder as a Teen The broader legal fight moved on two tracks. The federal class action Nunn v. Michigan Department of Corrections, filed in 1996 and joined by the DOJ in 1997, was settled for $3,787,000 distributed among 31 named inmates, along with injunctive relief including a retaliation review committee.7Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. Nunn v. Michigan Department of Corrections
A parallel state action, Neal v. Michigan Department of Corrections, grew to over 500 plaintiffs. The first bundle of ten cases went to trial in January 2008, producing a jury verdict of $15.5 million against the MDOC, its former director, and the warden of the Scott Correctional Facility.8Michigan Courts. Neal v. Department of Corrections The remainder of Neal and related lawsuits settled in 2009 for $100 million.9Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. Neal v. Michigan Department of Corrections
The Fight Over Her Parole
Lynch became eligible for parole in August 2010, after roughly 15 years served. Macomb County prosecutors opposed her release fiercely. Assistant Prosecutor Kerry Ange called it a “dangerous decision” and pointed to Lynch’s record of 55 major misconduct citations, 27 of them since 2000. Prosecutors also argued that Lynch continued to minimize her role in the stabbing.1Macomb Daily. Convicted Murderer Pleads for Release
Lynch argued that many of those tickets were retaliation for her participation in the sexual abuse lawsuit.3MLive. Convicted of Murder as a Teen The 2012 appeals court opinion confirmed that across more than 16 years of incarceration she had been cited for three instances of assaultive conduct: fights in 1998 and 2001 and an assault in 2000.2Michigan Courts. In re Parole of Tanika Lonyea Lynch At the hearing, Lynch acknowledged she had lied at trial about her co-defendant’s involvement and asked for “a second chance at life.”1Macomb Daily. Convicted Murderer Pleads for Release
The Court Rulings That Cleared Her Release
The Michigan Parole Board initially granted Lynch a 24-month parole in January 2010, but the Macomb Circuit Court reversed. The Board granted parole again on May 11, 2011, projecting a June 9, 2011 release date.2Michigan Courts. In re Parole of Tanika Lonyea Lynch
On September 15, 2011, the circuit court denied the prosecutor’s application to block her release. Three weeks later, on October 5, the same court reversed itself, vacated that order, and sent the case back to the Parole Board with instructions that Lynch undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation before release. Motions to reconsider were denied in November 2011.
Lynch and the Parole Board both appealed. On August 7, 2012, the Michigan Court of Appeals reversed the circuit court’s October 2011 order, ruled that Lynch was not required to undergo the evaluation, and directed the lower court to reinstate its September 2011 order upholding the Parole Board.2Michigan Courts. In re Parole of Tanika Lonyea Lynch The appeals court did not retain jurisdiction. That ruling cleared the legal obstacles to Lynch’s release after more than 16 years in prison. The available court records end there, and no document in the record confirms the exact date she left custody.