Snapped is investigating the attempted murder of Melissa Latham by Tonica Jenkins, who hatched a harebrained scheme to kill Latham so she could steal her identity and avoid a federal narcotics conviction.
Jenkins was facing a trial after she was caught buying drugs from a federal agent. She decided to persuade Latham to switch dental records with her. Jenkins would then fake her death by killing Latham, fooling the police into thinking the dead body was hers.
On April 20, 2001, Jenkins and her cousin, Kyle Martin, and an acquaintance, Melissa Sharp, approached Latham on a street in East Cleveland, Ohio.
Latham was addicted to drugs, which led her to accept money to take part in what they told her was an insurance scam.
After Latham helped them falsify the dental records, Jenkins and Martin attacked her in the basement of Sharp’s home. They held Latham down and injected her with insulin, but when this failed to kill her, they started hitting her with a brick.
Incredibly, Latham not only survived this ordeal, but she managed to escape while the killers were distracted. She ran to a fast food restaurant, where she raised the alarm.
Tonica Jenkins already had criminal record before decided to kill Melissa Latham
Jenkins had a lengthy criminal history. She and her mother were subsequently convicted after they were apprehended buying 22 lbs of cocaine from an undercover agent in Tampa, Florida. They received 24 and 14 years, respectively.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelIn 1997, Jenkins was involved in a high-publicity case when she was caught having forged transcripts and letters of recommendation to gain admittance to a Yale graduate program. On that occasion, she was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to return $16,000 in financial aid.
For the Latham case, Jenkins was eventually convicted on six charges, including attempted murder and kidnapping.
At the sentencing, Judge Lillian Greene called Jenkins a “narcissistic predator” and told her, “You committed, in my view, the worst form of attempted aggravated murder.”
Latham told the court, “No time you guys can give Tonica today can make up for what she did to me.”
Tonica Jenkins and Kyle Martin received lengthy sentences for Melissa Latham attempted murder
Jenkins was sentenced to 20 years to be served consecutively with the previous 24-year sentence for federal drug charges.
Kyle Martin was charged with assaulting and kidnapping Latham but was found guilty of only kidnapping. He was given a 10-year sentence.
Snapped airs Sundays at 6/5c on Oxygen.