Cyntoia Brown Biography – Cyntoia Brown Wiki
Cyntoia Brown full name Cyntoia Denise Brown, is an American woman sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of real estate agent, Johnny Allen. She was born on January 29, 1988.
Brown says she was forced into prostitution after a difficult childhood. At her trial, she said her victim, Johnny Mitchell Allen, solicited her for sex and drove her to his house. There, Brown saw a gun cabinet in Allen’s room, she said during her trial. She resisted him until he appeared to reach under the bed, at which point she believed he was going to kill her. Brown took a gun out of her purse and shot Allen, killing him. Prosecutors at that hearing said Brown killed Allen to rob him, not to defend herself.
In a clemency hearing in May, the Tennessee Board of Parole was split on its recommendation to Gov. Bill Haslam. Two of the six member voted to grant clemency, two to deny it, and two to make her eligible for parole after 25 years.
On Thursday, December 6, 2018 the Tennessee Supreme Court said defendants like Cyntoia Brown, who are convicted of first-degree murder committed after July 1, 1995, and sentenced to life imprisonment, can’t become eligible for release from prison before serving more than five decades.
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruling came in response to a lawsuit in which Brown argues her sentence is unconstitutional, citing a 2012 opinion by the US Supreme Court that said mandatory life sentences without parole for juvenile offenders violate the US Constitution.
In a statement, the Tennessee Supreme Court explained that “under state law, a life sentence is a determinate sentence of 60 years. However, the sixty-year sentence can be reduced by up to 15 percent, or 9 years, by earning various sentence credits.” According to the Tennessee code, those credits include recognition for good behavior or participation in educational or vocational training programs.
Cyntoia Brown Clemency Hearing
In a clemency hearing in May, the Tennessee Board of Parole was split on its recommendation to Gov. Bill Haslam. Two of the six member voted to grant clemency, two to deny it, and two to make her eligible for parole after 25 years.
Cyntoia Brown Granted Clemency
On January 7, 2019, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced he was commuting Cyntoia Brown’s sentence of life in prison to 10 years of supervised parole.
Gov. Bill Haslam said in a statement, “This decision comes after careful consideration of what is a tragic and complex case,” Haslam said.
“Cyntoia Brown committed, by her own admission, a horrific crime at the age of 16. Yet, imposing a life sentence on a juvenile that would require her to serve at least 51 years before even being eligible for parole consideration is too harsh, especially in light of the extraordinary steps Ms. Brown has taken to rebuild her life. Transformation should be accompanied by hope.”
She was released from prison on August 7, 2019, after serving 15 years.
Cyntoia Brown Age
She was born on January 29, 1988.
Cyntoia Brown Parents
cyntoia Brown’s parents: Her biological mother is Georgina Mitchell who gave her up for adoption when she was two years old. She was given up to Ellenette Brown.
Cyntoia Brown Mother
Her biological mother, Georgina Mitchell gave her up for adoption when she was two years old. When Georgina became pregnant with Cyntoia, she continued consuming alcohol which may have resulted in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Georgina began using crack cocaine when Cyntoia was eight months old, and Cyntoia was given up to Ellenette Brown.
Cyntoia Brown Nationality
She is of American nationality.
Cyntoia Brown Ethnicity
She is of African-American ethnicity.
Cyntoia Brown Documentary – Cyntoia Brown Story Documentary
Cyntoia Brown documentary, Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story, details Cyntoia’s arrest and subsequent conviction. The documentary film was produced by Daniel H. Birman and premiered on PBS’s Independent Lens series on March 1, 2011. The documentary shown on PBS, and later picked up by BBC.