LIBERATION

Cyntoia Brown, Behind Bars Since She Was 16, Walks Free

Brown, now 31, shot and killed 43-year-old Johnny Mitchell Allen in 2004 after he allegedly paid her for sex.

Cyntoia Brown, who was imprisoned when she was 16 after she killed a man she said hired her for sex, has walked free from a Tennessee prison after her life sentence was commuted. Brown, now 31, shot and killed 43-year-old Johnny Mitchell Allen in 2004 after he allegedly paid her for sex. She said that she shot Allen in self-defense when she saw him reaching for what she thought was a gun. However, she was tried as an adult and sentenced to life in prison on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder, and aggravated robbery. Brown’s story inspired the 2011 documentary Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story and her case has been taken up by several celebrities, including Rihanna, Alyssa Milano, and Kim Kardashian West.