Cynthia Brown has been granted clemency by Tennessee governor Bill Haslam after serving 15 years of a life sentence for killing a man who bought her for sex when she was 16 years old.
A statement from the governor’s office says Brown who is now 30, will be released and placed on parole supervision on August 7.
“This decision comes after careful consideration of what is a tragic and complex case. Cyntoia Brown committed, by her own admission, a horrific crime at the age of 16. Yet, imposing a life sentence on a juvenile that would require her to serve at least 51 years before even being eligible for parole consideration is too harsh, especially in light of the extraordinary steps Ms. Brown has taken to rebuild her life. Transformation should be accompanied by hope,” Haslam said.
Her clemency was advocate for by top celebrities like Amy Schumer, Kim Kardashian West, and Ashley Judd.
Brown killed Johnny Mitchell Allen who she said solicited her for sex and took her back to his house. Prosecutors say she shot Allen while he was asleep and the act wasn’t motivated by self-defense but robbery. She also stole his money, gun and truck before fleeing. She was 16 at the time.
According to her, she was scared of Allen’s behaviour and took the money because she didn’t want to return empty-handed to her pimp, nicknamed “Cut Throat.”
She was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment after a juvenile court found her worthy to be tried as an adult.
