Buffalo Mother Wins $2.7 Million Settlement After Being Wrongfully Convicted of Her Daughter’s Death

Lynn DeJac Peters lived a tragic life. She spent 13 years in prison for the murder of her 13-year-old daughter, a crime she never committed. Even after winning a $2.7 million settlement for her wrongful conviction, the damage had already been done. Sadly, just two years later, she passed away from cancer.

A Night of Chaos Leads to Tragedy

On the night of February 13, 1993, Lynn DeJac and her boyfriend, Dennis Donohue, attended a wedding. The couple drank heavily and got into an argument. Their fight continued after they left the wedding and returned to DeJac’s home in Buffalo, New York. Her two children, Crystallynn
Girard, 13, and Edward, 8, were asleep inside.

The argument became more intense, and DeJac called the police, saying she needed help to remove an “unwanted visitor.” However, by the time officers arrived, no one was there.

Instead of staying home, DeJac went out drinking again, visiting different bars throughout the night. Donohue followed her. Eventually, she ended up at the Babcock Grill, a bar owned by her mother. There, she met a new man, Michael Nichter.



When Donohue saw her talking to another man, his anger exploded. A bar fight broke out, which led to a dangerous car chase. Both men pulled out guns, making the situation even worse.

By 5 a.m., Nichter drove DeJac back to her house. She went inside to check on her children. He noticed her placing the family dog and a phone in Crystallynn’s room before closing the door. Then, she asked Nichter to take her back to his place.

A Shocking Discovery

Later that day, at around 2:30 p.m., the police were called to DeJac’s house after hearing screams. Inside, they found Crystallynn lying on her bed, naked and lifeless.

The medical examiner determined she had been strangled sometime between 11:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. Traces of cocaine were found in her system, but it was not enough to kill her.

Suspicion Falls on the Wrong Person

At first, the police suspected Donohue because of his violent history and jealous rage. However, after he passed a lie detector test, their interest in him faded.

A new suspect emerged when Wayne Hudson, a career criminal, came forward. Hudson, who was facing a life sentence for other crimes, claimed that DeJac had confessed to killing her daughter while they were drinking at a bar. He said she told him she “lost it” that night and strangled her child in a fit of rage fueled by alcohol and drugs.

This statement was enough to bring DeJac to trial in April 1994. Prosecutors focused on her troubled past, portraying her as a reckless woman who drank too much and did not take care of her children. She had become a mother at 16 and later married Raymond Girard, a man who was later convicted of sexually abusing Crystallynn. He was in prison when his stepdaughter died.

During the trial, DeJac’s lawyer, Andrew LoTempio, tried to create doubt. He suggested Donohue could have been the real killer. However, he did not try to make his client look innocent.

“Lynn DeJac is not going to win any awards for being the best mother,” he told the jury. “She drinks too much, and she has not always been a responsible parent. But she is not a murderer.”

Despite weak evidence and the fact that the key witness, Hudson, had struck a deal to avoid his own felony charges, DeJac was convicted. The judge sentenced her to 25 years to life.

At the time, DeJac was pregnant. She gave birth to twin boys in prison but was not allowed to see them because she refused to admit guilt.

New Evidence Reveals the Truth

Years later, doubts about the case began to grow. In 2007, Donohue was arrested for murdering a woman in 1993. He was also suspected of another killing in 1975.

Investigators decided to take another look at DeJac’s case. They found DNA evidence in Crystallynn’s room that matched Donohue. More importantly, the evidence showed that DeJac was not in the room when her daughter died.

However, there was a major legal problem. When Donohue had testified against DeJac years earlier, he had been granted immunity. This meant he could not be charged for the murder.

Then, another shocking discovery came to light. A forensic pathologist named Dr. Michael Baden reviewed the case and concluded that Crystallynn had not been strangled. Instead, he said she had died from a cocaine overdose. The original medical examiner had been wrong.
On November 28, 2007, all charges against DeJac were dropped. She became the first woman in U.S. history to have a murder conviction overturned because of DNA evidence.

A Hollow Victory

Even though DeJac was finally free, the damage was done. She had lost 13 years of her life and missed her children growing up. To make things worse, clearing her name also meant her daughter’s death was now ruled as an overdose. DeJac refused to accept this, saying Crystallynn was not a drug user. She believed Donohue was still the real killer.

DeJac tried to rebuild her life. She married Chuck Peters, the father of her twin boys. She also sued the state of New York for her wrongful conviction. In 2012, she settled for $2.7 million. But just one month after receiving the money, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She passed away in 2014 at the age of 50.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How long was Lynn DeJac Peters in prison?

She spent 13 years in prison before her conviction was overturned.

2. Who was the real killer?

Although new evidence pointed to Dennis Donohue, he was never charged because of a previous immunity deal. Officials later ruled that Crystallynn had died of a cocaine overdose, but her mother strongly disagreed.

3. How was Lynn DeJac proven innocent?

DNA evidence showed that Donohue was in Crystallynn’s room, while DeJac was not. Additionally, a forensic expert determined that the cause of death was a drug overdose, not strangulation.

4. Did Lynn DeJac receive compensation?

Yes, she received a $2.7 million settlement in 2012 for her wrongful conviction.

5. What happened to Dennis Donohue?

He was later convicted of another murder and sent to prison.

6. How did Lynn DeJac die?

She was diagnosed with terminal cancer and passed away in 2014.