Tanika Smith

Jocelyn Linette Payne was born in February of 1968 in Detroit, Michigan. She had three sisters and one half-brother. Tragically, at the age of 27, Jocelyn was fatally shot and stabbed in her Harrison Township apartment at the Village Green Apartments on Jefferson. The motive behind her murder was apparently a dispute over money. Jocelyn's roommate, Tanika Lynch, claimed that Payne owed her money for a counterfeit Louis Vuitton purse, amounting to $600. At the time of the incident, Tanika was only 16 years old. She was convicted of the murder and sentenced to 16 to 60 years in prison for second-degree murder and armed robbery. For more details about the event, an article was published in the Detroit Free Press in 1995, which can be found at Girls accused of killing over money. Jocelyn left behind three sisters and a young 11-year-old daughter. It was her daughter who discovered her lifeless body after returning home from school. Regarding Tanika Lynch's appeal for parole, the family fought against it. Further information about this appeal can be read in an article at Smith fights prison releases. Tanika also left a comment on AncientFaces in 2015, which can be seen at Memory about Jocelyn Payne.