Cyntoia Brown has been released from prison after serving 15 years for killing a man who had solicited her as a sex worker, an act she has maintained was self defense
In 2006, Brown was convicted of killing a 43-year-old real estate agent, Johnny Allen, who solicited her for sex at a Nashville Sonic restaurant. During her trial, Brown testified that she saw him reaching under the bed and assumed that he planned to kill her, so she reached for a gun she kept in her purse and shot him in self-defense. Brown also testified that at the time of Allen’s death, she was being trafficked against her will by a pimp named Kutthroat, who beat and sexually abused her.
Although she was only 16 at the time of the murder, Brown was tried as an adult and sentenced to life in prison. Although Tennessee does not grant life sentences to underage offenders, the court made an exception by stipulating that she would be up for parole after serving 51 years of her sentence. The decision to sentence Brown to life imprisonment drew ire from many activists in the Nashville community, particularly those in the sex workers’ rights community, who have worked tirelessly for years for her release. Aabout Brown’s arrest and incarceration also drew attention to her story.
But it wasn’t until her case drew the attention of celebrities like Rihanna, Kim Kardashian West, and Snoop Dogg that her case drew national attention, with many using the hashtag #FreeCyntoiaBrown to draw attention to her case. Many shared a photo of Brown at her sentencing to underscore how young she was at the time of her conviction. In 2017, aclamoring for the president to pardon Brown also widely circulated, garnering more than 675,000 signatures.
The system has failed. It’s heart breaking to see a young girl sex trafficked then when she has the courage to fight back is jailed for life! We have to do better & do what’s right. I’ve called my attorneys yesterday to see what can be done to fix this.
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