Cyntoia Brown Clemency Hearing Set

NASHVILLE, TN -- Cyntoia Brown, convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison when she was 16, will have a clemency hearing May 23 at the Tennessee Prison for Women, the state parole board announced Thursday.

After the hearing, the board will make a recommendation to Gov. Bill Haslam, who is empowered to grant clemency and pardon. In December, the governor's office confirmed that Haslam, a Republican, was preparing to review a plea for clemency or pardon. Haslam hasn't yet freed any prisoners since taking office and traditionally, Tennessee governors don't issue clemency or pardons until late in their second terms. Haslam will leave office in early 2019.

Brown, now 29, was convicted of murdering a john who solicited sex from her when she was 16 and sentenced to life in prison. The case has drawn increased attention as celebrities have expressed support for her release. She is not eligible for parole until she is 67.

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On Aug. 6, 2004, Brown, who was then 16 and was forced into prostitution by her drug-dealer boyfriend known as "Kutthroat," was picked up by a 43-year-old man outside a Murfreesboro Pike Sonic. She went back to his home, they got into bed and she shot him in the head. Brown claimed self-defense but was convicted.

Her case has been a latent cause celebre for years among criminal justice reform advocates, but has grown a much higher profile in recent months as celebrities including LeBron James, Kim Kardashian West and Rhianna have tweeted their support and added their backing to a petition that has drawn more than a quarter million signatures.

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