A woman sentenced to life in prison for killing a man she said hired her for sex has been released on parole after serving 15 years, correction officials said.
Cyntoia Denise Brown, 31, was released from the Tennessee Prison for Women on Wednesday after the state’s former governor, Bill Haslam, granted her clemency in January, saying her sentence was too harsh. She will remain on parole for 10 years after being initially sentenced to life in prison in 2004 for killing Nashville real estate agent Johnny Allen.
In 2004, Brown was a 16-year-old runaway when, she said, she was forced into prostitution by her 24-year-old boyfriend — a pimp named “Cut Throat” — who physically and sexually assaulted her, court documents show.
After being sold to Allen, Brown said, she was drugged and raped, testifying that she fatally shot the real estate agent out of fear that he was going to kill her. But prosecutors insisted that Brown did not shoot Allen in self-defense, but to rob him, stealing his pants, wallet and gun after the slaying.
Brown, who was tried as an adult, was later sentenced to 51 years to life after being convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated robbery and prostitution. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian West, Rihanna and Snoop Dogg started to rally around Brown in late 2017, claiming she was the victim of a criminal justice system that enabled sex traffickers while discarding their victims.
While in prison, Brown earned an associate’s degree in 2015 and a bachelor’s degree in May. She also served as a mentor for other female inmates, urging them to attend college classes, according to the Tennessean.
As part of the conditions of her parole, Brown must take part in regular counseling sessions and get a job or continue her education, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction.
During her time behind bars, Brown also worked on a book, “Free Cyntoia,” that will be published in October. The memoir will detail how she changed her life for the better in prison after overcoming a difficult childhood rife with “drug addiction, rape and sex trafficking,” Atria Books announced on Tuesday.
With Post wires