Sentenced to life in prison at 16, Cyntoia Brown will be released next week
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Cyntoia Brown will leave the Tennessee Prison for Women next week after serving 15 years of a life sentence for the murder of a Nashville real estate agent when she was 16.
Earlier this year, then-Gov. Bill Haslam took the rare step of commuting her sentence, paving the way for her Aug. 7 release.
Brown is now a 31-year-old woman was arrested and charged with murdering Johnny Michael Allen, a 43-year-old man who paid Brown to have sex with her. Brown was tried as an adult and sentenced to life in prison in 2004 .
Brown’s story has served to rally celebrities and lawmakers, juvenile justice reformers and critics of Tennessee’s harsh life sentences for teens, those working to expose child sex trafficking and others highlighting racial inequities in the justice system.
Her case made national news and prompted pleas from several celebrities, most notably Rihanna, Kim Kardashian West and Ashley Judd before a clemency hearing.
Netflix has acquired the rights to the Cyntoia Brown’s story, the company announced on last month.
The feature will draw from Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story, the Daniel H. Birman documentary, and Birman will serve as director of the Netflix film, according to Rolling Out.
In 2017, Kardashian-West tweeted: “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. #FreeCyntoiaBrown.
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