Celebrities are calling for the release of Cyntoia Brown, the 29-year-old Tennessee woman who was sentenced to life in prison for killing a man who hired her for sex when she was 16-years-old.
Stars including Kim Kardashian West, Rihanna and Cara Delevingne all took to social media using the viral hashtag #FreeCyntoiaBrown after Brown’s 2004 case once again gained attention.
Kardashian has even asked that her own legal team see if there can be anything done for Brown.
“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,” Kardashian West tweeted on Tuesday.
Kardashian West and Rihanna both shared the same photo on social media that contained the statement: “Imagine at the age of 16 being sex-trafficked by a pimp named ‘cut-throat.’ After days of being repeatedly drugged and raped by different men, you were purchased by a 43-year-old child predator who took you to his home to use you for sex. You end up finding enough courage to fight back and shoot and kill him.”
In 2004, Brown was just 16 when she was hired to have sex with 43-year-old Nashville real-estate agent Johnny Mitchell Allen, whom she later shot in the back of the head with a .40-caliber handgun, according to court documents and multiple local reports.
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 pic.twitter.com/73y26mLp7u
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) November 21, 2017
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#imagine and what the actual fuck kind of justice is this? I wonder if that 43 year old would've been caught if he'd face his life in prison. But alas, he would not. We need to stop punishing and shaming victims, telling them it is their fault is untrue. #FreeCyntoiaBrown NOW. pic.twitter.com/KGFzImQ014
— Lauren Jauregui (@LaurenJauregui) November 21, 2017
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During her trial, Brown waived her Miranda rights and gave statements to Nashville police in which she described the incident in detail. Brown claimed she did not know who Allen was before he solicited her for sex. After driving to his home, she alleged he showed her his guns before they got into his bed together during which she claimed he reached underneath his bed for what she thought was a gun so she pulled a .40 caliber handgun out of her purse and shot him. Brown said she took money from Allen’s wallet and took two guns before driving his truck to a nearby Walmart parking lot.
The jury rejected her claim of self-defense and found her guilty of first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree felony murder and especially aggravated robbery. The trial court merged the murder convictions and sentenced Brown to life in prison at Tennessee Prison for Women. She would only be eligible for parole after serving 51-years, when she is 67-years-old.