Kim Kardashian has reportedly directed a key member of her family’s powerful legal team to assist in the case of Cyntoia Brown, the sex trafficking survivor who was sentenced to decades behind bars at the age of 16 for killing a 43-year-old man who solicited her for sex.
Brown, now 29, was forced into sex work by an abusive 24-year-old boyfriend named ‘Cut-throat’. She admitted to shooting the man in his home, saying she felt threatened, and that she believed he was also reaching for a gun.
The prosecution argued that Brown did not act in self-defence, as she left the scene with the man’s wallet. That argument lead to her being convicted of first degree murder, first degree felony murder, and aggravated robbery. She was handed a life sentence.
Brown’s case has recently come back into the spotlight largely thanks to celebrities like Kardashian, Rihanna, and Cara Delevingne. Taking to social media, they have railed against the result of Brown’s court proceedings, which saw her tried as an adult instead of as an abused minor.
On Wednesday, Kardashian tweeted a message supporting Brown, saying “the system has failed” the 29-year-old. She also said she’d contact her attorneys to assist in her case.
The system has failed. It’s heart breaking to see a young girl sex trafficked then when she has the courage to fight back is jailed for life! We have to do better & do what’s right. I’ve called my attorneys yesterday to see what can be done to fix this. #FreeCyntoiaBrown pic.twitter.com/73y26mLp7u
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) November 21, 2017
That last statement appears to have come to fruition, in addition to legal aid to Alice Johnson, the 62-year-old grandmother currently serving 21 years behind bars for a first-time, non-violent drug charge.
Shawn Holley, who also served as a member of O.J. Simpson‘s defence team, told The Blast that Kardashian “asked me to help her find a way to help these women.
“We have already contacted Alice Johnson and her team of lawyers who are now actively trying to find ways to facilitate her release.”
While no strategies have been finalised regarding Brown’s case, Holley said that she had set a conference call to run through potential legal avenues.
This isn’t the first time Brown’s case has been the subject of media scrutiny. In 2011, she was the subject of a 2011 PBS documentary entitled Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story.
If Holley can help make a breakthrough in the case, there may yet be more to the story.
