Fifteen years ago (2004), a 16-year-old teen Cyntoia Brown was sentenced to life imprisonment by Tennessee court for murdering a 43-year-old Nashville real estate agent Johnny Allen.
Earlier this year, in January, former Gov. Bill Haslam commuted her life sentence to get her released.
The Nashville Murder Case:
The case is about the murder of a 43-year-old real estate agent Johnny Allen. An African American teen Cyntoia Brown shotted Allen. Brown had said that she was forced into prostitution by her then 24-year-old boyfriend who was also a pimp.
To make money, her pimp boyfriend sent Brown to a Nashville Sonic restaurant. There she met Johnny Allen, who bought her food and then took her to his home. Later she shot Allen, killing him.
Brown was convicted of first-degree murder and robbery and was tried as an adult. Then she was sentenced to life imprisonment, and the state law declared that she would not be eligible for the next 51 years.
Latest Development in Cyntoia’s Case:
This year former Gov. Bill Haslam intervened in the case and exercised his exclusive power to grant executive clemency to Brown.
In Tennessee, clemency is an act of mercy or leniency used to relieve certain convicts. He commuted Brown’s sentence, and finally, her life sentence was reduced from the initially mandated 51 years. Haslam stated three reasons for this mercy- state’s evolving approach to juvenile justice, Brown’s troubled background, and the transformation that she went through while in prison.
Cyntoia Brown’s Release:
Cyntoia has finally been released from the Tennessee prison, but she has to stay on parole for the next ten years. And the Tennessee Department of Correction has reported that Brown has also developed a re-entry plan with counselors.
In a statement given to her attorney, Brown has expressed her gratitude for God, her supporters, and her friends and family. Reports reveal that filmmakers have contacted her about their plans to make a Cyntoia Brown documentary for Netflix.