Teenager Chrystul Kizer faces life in prison for killing her sexual abuse

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

The story of Chrystul Kizer mirrors that of recently freed Cyntoia Brown. Both women were victims of sex trafficking and abuse. Both women killed the men who abused them. Both were vigorously prosecuted by the state for protecting themselves.

Chrystul has not yet been convicted of killing her abuser, a white man named Randy Volar, back in May of 2018. According to The Washington Post, the 33-year-old Volar met Chrystul when she was only 16-years and would go on to sexually abuse her multiple times. He filmed all their encounters. In fact, he filmed and sexually assaulted almost a DOZEN different Black girls.

in February of 2018 police arrested Volar on numerous charges, child enticement, using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime and second-degree sexual assault of a child. He was facing 40 years in prison and should have been hit with a BIG cash bail. Somehow, he was released without bail and would be free for three months until Chrystul Kizer shot him in the head, set his body and house on fire, and drove off in his BMW. Days later she confessed to the crime and the same D.A., Michael Graveley, who let Volar walk immediately charged Chrystul with arson and first-degree intentional homicide and set a $1 million bail. She’s now facing life in prison while arguing that she killed Volar defending herself after he had pinned her down for denying him sex. She also alleges that Volar sold her to multiple men as a trafficker.

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

Above is a heart-wrenching photo of Chrystul’s mother, Devore Taylor, reading the police investigation on the most disgusting details of Valor’s sex crimes for the very first time. Can you imagine that pain?

Wisconsin is an “affirmative defense” state in which sex trafficking victims can be exonerated for certain crimes if they can prove that they were being trafficked. However, that defense has never been used to defend a murder or violent crime according to the WaPo report.

The judge was set to rule on whether he would allow this defense to be used for the very first time in a murder case, but couldn’t bring himself to decide after an emotional hearing day and stated that all parties will reconvene in 30 days.

This story is infuriating, tragic, sad, and any number of heart-breaking adjectives. Chyrstul Kizer was a talented violinist and a wildly creative artist. There is much more to her life beyond being a victim of sex trafficking but as a victim, she deserves the full protection of the law. We highly suggest you read the entire story HERE and do what you can to support this sista against a system that doesn’t give a damn about people who look like her.