For Millennials. By Millennials.
Cyntoia Brown is a 31-Year old American woman who was convicted of murder and robbery at the age of 16. She was treated as an adult at a very young age and sentenced to 51 Years to life after she was found guilty. Brown gained fame after the 2011 documentary titled Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story. She was still in jail when her story stirred the women around the world and they started a petition in her favor. Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, and Cara Delevigne joined the #FreeCyntoiaBrown army and she is finally free now. After spending 15 years in jail, Cyntoia Brown is married to rapper Jaime Long and her supporters are hopeful she will finally find peace in her life. The journey from being a sex trafficking victim, to a wife, is long and heartbreaking.
Cyntoia Brown | Early Years And Sex Trafficking Victim
Cyntoia Brown was born in 1988 as Cyntoia Mitchell and her father is still unknown. Her mother Georgia Mitchell, however, was an alcohol and cocaine addict. Later, Brown’s defense attorneys claimed she was born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Brown’s mother could not take care of her due to her addictions and finally gave her up for adoption. Her surname Brown comes from her new family. During her teenage, she was an escaper and she fled many facilities. A homeless Brown was found by Kut-Throat (Street name) who forced her into sex trafficking. She supported Kut-Throat and herself through involuntary prostitution but he was still cruel to her. Kut-Throat raped and beat her multiple times. All of this happened in 2004 and one of her clients marked the year 2004 as living hell for her.
Age-16 | From A Victim To A Convict
Cyntoia Brown never had a normal childhood. Her teenage led her to Kut-Throat and prostitution for food and money. Due to the same reason, she agreed to have sex with Johnny Allen, a 43-Year old real estate broker and an ex-US Army Veteran. The rate finalized was $150 for sex, however, they never had sexual intercourse as confirmed by Brown herself. Allen owned many guns which scared Brown and triggered her adrenalin. Cyntoia Brown shot Allen in the back of his head using her own gun (a safety measure provided by Kut-Throat). She took Allen’s car, his wallet and two of his firearms. Cyntoia Brown and Kut-Throat were later found by police and she was taken into custody.
During her trial, she was tried as an adult. Brown never denied killing Allen, however, she pleaded self-defense but prosecutors argued that Brown murdered Allen in order to steal from him. The autopsy report and her recorded phonecalls from jail were also used against her and she was found guilty for first-degree murder. Cyntoia Brown was sentenced to 51 years-to-life in prison at the age of 16 in 2004.
Cyntoia Brown spent 15 years in prison.
Here's a look back at the effort to #FreeCyntoiaBrown. pic.twitter.com/Xyvj9MN9z5
— AJ+ (@ajplus) January 7, 2019
Free Cyntoia Brown Campaign
Cyntoia Brown was kept in a maximum-security detention facility for women. She completed her high school diploma with good grades. The documentary “Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story” revolved around the theme of sentencing children for crimes at a young age. Rihanna joined the “Free Cyntoia Brown” campaign on November 21, 2017.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bbwi26PjHf7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Kim Kardashian also joined the force the same day and announced she was discussing the case with her lawyers.
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 (@KimKardashian) November 21, 2017
More celebrities joined the campaign which ultimately changed Tennessee Governor’s heart. After careful consideration of the case, he finally announced Cyntoia Brown would be released from jail on August 7, 2019, plus 10 years of supervised parole.
Cyntoia Brown’s Marriage And Future Plans
Brown married rapper Jaime Long by proxy while she was still in prison. However, the news was announced later. Cyntoia Brown is released now and she is starting a new life of freedom with her husband. Her memoir titled “Free Cyntoia: My Search for Redemption in the American Prison System” is also set to release on October 15, 2019.
In her own words, Cyntoia Brown shares the riveting and redemptive story of how she changed her life for the better while in prison, finding hope through faith after a traumatic adolescence of drug addiction, rape, and sex trafficking led to a murder conviction.
In the brief description of the book, it is also disclosed that Cyntoia Brown’s birth-mother was also a victim of sex trafficking. Now referred as Cyntoia Brown-Long, she will voice for justice and victims of sexual violence. Her memoir is up for Pre-order at Amazon.