‘Strongest Person I Know’: How This Mother Modeled Strength and Compassion Despite Decades of Wrongful Incarceration

More than two decades after a jury verdict upended his family’s life, Rinaldo Moss can still recall the day his mother Renay Lynch was sentenced for a crime she did not commit. 

“She is the strongest person I know,” he said. “She was like, ‘I’m not gonna let them see me cry. I’m not about to break down.’ It’s like she knew she was coming home.” 

Wrongly convicted of the 1995 murder and robbery of her 82-year landlord in Amherst, New York, based on a false confession, police misconduct, and unreliable jailhouse informant testimony, Ms. Lynch was sentenced in 1998 to 25 years to life for murder and 10 to 20 years for robbery. 

For the next 24 years, Ms. Lynch stayed hopeful that justice would prevail. She leaned into her Christian faith and encouraged her children to continue to live their lives.

“I told both of my children, that they had to go ahead and to live their lives for their children,” Ms. Lynch recalled. “And to not stop living because their mom was wrongfully imprisoned, because that would kill me before anything else. That would truly break my heart.”

Mr. Moss, a father of four, went to college, served in the military, and is now a mortician. Her daughter Kito Hill, who had moved to Atlanta for college prior to Ms. Lynch’s wrongful incarceration, worked in corporate banking and later for the Buffalo chapter of the National Urban League, a civil rights organization advocating for racial and economic justice for African Americans. She has two sons.

Renay Lynch with grandson LeMoyne Hill and daughter Kito Hill. (Photo: Courtesy of Kito Hill)

Both made every effort to visit and communicate with their mother as she fought for her freedom. Ms. Hill relocated her family from Atlanta to Buffalo, New York, to be closer for visits with her mother. It was through those visits that Ms. Lynch was able to foster relationships with all six of her grandchildren.

“My son is a lawyer because of her, because of those visits on the state bus and her encouraging him,” said Ms. Hill. “She was able to steer the ship from where she was at.” 

Ms. Lynch’s nurturing instincts manifested  in other ways too. She became a source of strength and guidance for other women in prison, with some even calling her “Mama Lynch.”

“She mentored me. She made sure I stayed out of trouble. And she knew how to calm me down,” recounted Carmen Wells, who was incarcerated with Ms. Lynch. “I was stressed out a lot when I was locked up. She told me that if I just wait on the Lord and have faith, then one day I’d get out. And that’s what happened.” 

When Ms. Lynch noticed women like Ms. Wells experiencing anguish and hardship in prison, she often told them, “When you come to the end of your rope, just tie a knot and hold on to it.” 

“It felt good to be a mother figure to the younger women because I knew that I had people who were being mother figures for my children when I couldn’t be present,” Ms. Lynch said, reflecting on those times.

That strength, resilience, and her willingness to still help others during her incarceration, is a source of enormous pride for Mr. Moss and Ms. Hill. 

Although Ms. Lynch was released in 2022, it wasn’t until this past January that she was exonerated. She is committed to advocating for incarcerated women — a majority of whom are mothers themselves — and ensuring that they have access to education and programs that promote their safety and well-being. 

“Through trials and tribulations, my mother has demonstrated that she can come out on the other end, beautifully,” said Ms. Hill. “Her heart is so pure. She’s taught me that if we are operating in an image of God, we have to move with love. And that’s what she does with family and friends, she gives them such a genuine part of her.” 

Renay Lynch was exonerated in January 2024, becoming the 250th person freed by the Innocence Project. Ms Lynch is also a member of the Innocence Project’s Speakers Bureau. Book her to speak at your next event.