Cyntonia Brown's Wrongful Conviction Story

Cyntoia’s life changed forever when 43-year-old real estate agent Johnny Allen picked the then-16-year-old up for a night of “fun.” Via First To Know:

Allen had picked her up in front of a Nashville, Tennessee, Sonic drive-in for sex. After negotiating on a price of $150, he then brought her back to his home, even though she suggested they check-in at a local hotel. When they arrived, she testified that they sat and ate their dinner and talked for a while. He allegedly told her that he had previously trained in the Army and was an expert marksman. That’s when she was shown a few of his firearms — a double-barrel shotgun, a .22 caliber rifle, and a chrome pistol.

The more they chatted, the more Brown claims she began fearing for her life, that something wasn’t quite right.

Throughout the night, Cyntoia refused Allen’s advances, up until the point that they were lying in bed together. After a final rejection, Allen allegedly turned away from Brown and reached on the side of the bed. Fearing that he was reaching for a gun to threaten or kill her with, she grabbed a .40 cal pistol that Cut-Throat had given her for protection and shot him in the back of the head. She grabbed a few of his guns and cash and took off in his car, only pausing to call police and notify them that there had been a homicide.

Cyntoia was tried as an adult, and sentenced to 51 years in prison for killing the adult man seeking paid sex with a child in what she believed was self-defense.

With the conversation of excessive sentencing coming to the forefront recently, many a public face has taken up her cause. Hit the flip…