Photo credit – Kevin Mazur/Getty Images For Roc Nation/Getty Images
When Cyntoia Brown was a teen, she experienced some things that no adolescent should go through. She was forced into sex trafficking and the legal system failed her.
According to Cyntoia, in August 2004, when she was 16-years-old, she was solicited for sex by a 43-year-old man,Johnny Allen. Cyntoia went with Johnny but when she got to his home, she was fearful for her life after seeing all of his guns. She acted in self-defense when she killed him because she felt he was going to kill her, according to a report.
In August 2006, a jury convicted Cyntoia of first-degree murder and robbery. She was sentenced to life and state officials said she must serve at least 51 years before becoming eligible for parole.
When news broke of her story, many celebrities like Rihanna and T.I begged the government to give her clemency but on December 6th, a the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled, “Cyntoia Brown, a sex-trafficking victim who was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery when she was 16 years old, must serve 51 years in prison before she is eligible for parole.”
Many celebrities are still angry that her horrific story received so much attention but nothing is being done. Check out what they have to say:
Shaun King:
T.I:
Mysonne:
Jada Pinkett-Smith
www.instagram.com/p/BrRnD-Kj7SJ/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=12dhjw…
Kim Kardashian
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
Rihanna