A woman who fatally shot a man who had picked her up for sex when she was 16 was unconstitutionally sentenced to life in prison, her lawyers say.
Cyntoia Brown, now 29, has been at the Tennessee Prison for Women since 2004, when she was convicted of killing the 43-year-old man.
The Tennessean reports Brown’s advocates say she was a sex trafficking victim fearing for her life and wronged by the legal system. Prosecutors say Brown killed the man to rob him.
Brown’s lawyers filed a federal appeal, after celebrities including Rihanna and Kim Kardashian West called for her release. Brown won’t be eligible for parole until her late 60s, and her lawyers argue she may not live that long.
