Cyntoia Brown Story “Murder to Mercy”

Cyntoia Brown is a 16-year-old girl who was convicted of Murder. Her childhood history is very
traumatic as she is suffering from a severe neurodevelopmental disorder. The cause of her
disorder is her mother is an alcoholic. Throughout her pregnancy, she keeps on drinking alcohol.
As a result, Cyntoia is on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder which can result in “poor impulse
control and a disconnect between thought and action”. When Cyntoia was 8 months old, she
entered the foster care system became a runaway in her early teens and she experienced
numerous rapes and assaults during this time.

There was a report that the body of a 43-year-old Johnny Allen was found. Allen was shot at the
back of the head. He is nude and lying down in his bed. Allen’s pick-up truck was found and
arrested Cyntoia. She was charged with first degree murder. She was put inside the Juvenile jail.
However, the court has decided that she will be transferred to another Jail because of the
sentence that was imposed on her and that she is guilty from the crime charged.

Cyntoia stayed for a long time in jail. She was again sentence ‘guilty’. It was traced on her call
with her foster mom and narrated that she killed the man named Johnny. However, these 2
lawyers upon knowing the story of Cyntoia, they got interested to take the case and try for a trial
again. The lawyers alleged that cyntoia’s previous lawyer are not competent enough to examine
her case and the disorder that she is suffering and the history of her family. And now they are
presenting it in court why Cyntoia deserves a second chance considering she was a minor at the
time the alleged crime happened. But judges and juries are not convinced on their statement and
still she was deprived of liberty.

Cyntoia Brown’s case gained publicity. It was shared over the media by celebrities with a
hashtag #freecyntoiabrown. The two laywers however, did not give up the case of Cyntoia and
still they look for another resort. Knowing that the US governor has only one year in his position,
they try to convince for the clemency hearing, but the board was split on their decision
with two voting for clemency, two against it, and two to make her eligible for
parole after 25 years. Brown’s lawyers have continued to argue her case saying
her sentence is unconstitutional based on a 2012 Supreme Court ruling that
found that life imprisonment sentences for minors violate the Eighth
Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Bill Haslam, then governor of Tennessee, granted clemency to Cyntoia Brown. In

a statement regarding his decision in Cyntoia’s case, Mr. Haslam argued,
“Transformation should be accompanied by hope.”

In Ms. Brown’s statement, she thanked Mr. Haslam and others who have assisted
her. She stated: “I will do everything I can to justify your faith in me. I want to
thank those at the Tennessee Department of Corrections who saw something in me
worth salvaging.”“We truly serve a God of second chances and new beginnings,”
Ms. Brown said.