Tamika Turks was seven years old when she was murdered in Gary, Indiana. On June 18, 1984, she and her nine-year-old aunt Annie were lured into a wooded area by Alton Coleman and Debra Brown while walking to a candy store. The two children were bound with strips torn from Tamika’s shirt; when Tamika cried she was stomped. Tamika’s body was found the next day, June 19, 1984, and her cause of death was listed as strangulation and blunt force trauma. Annie survived the assault.

Tamika’s murder was one of several crimes in a multi-state spree by Coleman and Brown. They were captured on July 20, 1984, in Evanston, Illinois. Coleman was convicted in Indiana for Tamika’s murder and received a death sentence; he was also sentenced to death in other states. Debra Brown was convicted for her role in Tamika’s killing and received a death sentence in Indiana that was later commuted to a lengthy prison term; she also had sentences in other states commuted in light of factors noted at trial.