Tenn. governor grants clemency to Cyntoia Brown
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced Monday he is commuting Cyntoia Brown’s sentence of life in prison to supervised parole.
Brown was convicted in 2006 in Davidson County of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery in the 2004 murder of Nashville real estate agent Johnny Allen after then-16-year-old Brown was picked up by Allen and taken to his home.
Her original sentence was life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving a minimum of 51 years in prison, which means she would not have been eligible for parole until 2055 at the earliest.
“This decision comes after careful consideration of what is a tragic and complex case,” Haslam said. “Cyntoia Brown committed, by her own admission, a horrific crime at the age of 16. Yet, imposing a life sentence on a juvenile that would require her to serve at least 51 years before even being eligible for parole consideration is too harsh, especially in light of the extraordinary steps Ms. Brown has taken to rebuild her life. Transformation should be accompanied by hope. So, I am commuting Ms. Brown’s sentence, subject to certain conditions.”
Brown will be released from prison on August 7, 2019, and will remain on supervised parole for 10 years. Her parole conditions will require that she not violate any state or federal laws and she must meet certain other conditions including employment, education, counseling and community engagement.