Cyntonia Brown, 31, was serving a life sentence for killing the man who paid her for sex when she was a teenage trafficking victim. On Wednesday, she walked free from the Tennessee Prison for Women, exactly 15 years after she was first arrested at the age of 16, back in 2004.
In the last several years, A-list celebrities had taken an acute interest in her case, including Kim Kardashian West, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg and LeBron James. In January 2019, Brown was granted clemency by outgoing Gov. Bill Haslam.
She will remain on supervised parole until August 7, 2029. According to The New York Times, 'The Department of Corrections said in a statement on Monday that she had prepared for her release by meeting with counselors to design a 're-entry' plan, which includes placement in a transition centre and continuing her studies.'
In 2004, a real estate broker picked up Brown, then just 16, from a restaurant and took her back to his house, where she agreed to have sex with him in exchange for money. According to The New York Times, she testified that while they were in the bedroom, he reached for a gun to kill her. She shot him with her own gun as he slept and fled with the money and two guns. She was tried as an adult on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery. Two years later, she was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, not eligible for parole until 2055.
Brown's story raised awareness of teenage sex trafficking in the U.S. While in prison, she earned an associate’s degree and a bachelor’s degree, and served as a mentor to fellow inmates, according to The Tennessean.
Her lawyer, Charles W. Bone, told The New York Times that he was 'honoured' to represent her for the past nine years. He said, 'When her story is told in much greater detail, the words which describe her success include redemption, education, rehabilitation, salvation, mercy and freedom.'
According to Atria Books, Brown is also working on a book called Free Cyntoia, due out in October. In the memoir, Brown will reflect, 'on the isolation, low self-esteem, and sense of alienation that drove her straight into the hands of a predator,' according to Atria Books.
Rose is a Senior Editor at ELLE overseeing features and projects about women's issues. She is an accomplished and compassionate storyteller and editor who excels in obtaining exclusive interviews and unearthing compelling features.
