Cyntoia Brown's Lawyers Officially File For Clemency

NASHVILLE, TN -- Lawyers representing Cyntoia Brown, the now-29-year-old woman who was convicted of first-degree murder when she was 16 for killing a john who'd picked her up for sex, have formally filed a request for clemency.

Brown, at the time 16, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2004 for shooting and killing a 43-year-old man, though she claimed self-defense. She claimed self-defense. Brown had been living with man who she said forced her into prostitution to earn money for drugs.

Currently, Brown is not eligible for parole until 2055.

The request asks Gov. Bill Haslam, whose office has been studying the case, to reduce the conviction to second-degree murder, which will allow for her immediate release.

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 nearly a half- million signatures.

Haslam hasn't yet freed any prisoners since taking office. Traditionally, Tennessee governors don't issue clemency or pardons until late in their second terms.

Among those who wrote in support Brown's petition for clemency is Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, who cites a review by a Vanderbilt University psychiatrist who said that 13 years in prison have benefited Brown; the mayor said she would like Brown to join her Youth Violence Summit on her release, pointing to a recent project Brown completed in pursuit of her bachelor's degree "in which she used her own personal experience to develop an innovative program to help young girls avoid becoming victims of exploitation in their own lives," the mayor wrote.

Others who sent letters of support include Republican State Rep. Jeremy Faison and Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway.

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