by Abbi Scott | Jun 13, 2018 | News Slider
Cyntoia Brown is a Lipscomb grad, a sex-trafficking victim and a prisoner serving a life-sentence. Brown was only 16 when the murder of Johnny Mitchell Allan took place. After running away from her adoptive family, Brown said she was forced into prostitution while she was living with a “pimp.” One day after, Brown was walking down the street when she was approached by Allan, who then offered her a ride near a fast food restaurant and then ended up driving her to his house. After bringing her to his home, Brown said Allan attempted to rape her. It was in this moment, Brown said, when she saw him reaching for something, which she thought was a gun. In self defense, she shot and killed Allan. Although she was only 16 at the time of the murder in 2004, she wasn’t tried as a child but as an adult. Through this trial, she received a life sentence. With this sentence, it doesn’t allow Brown to be eligible for parole until she is 69 years old. As she is presently serving this sentence, the guards at the Tennessee State Women’s Prison have described Brown as a “model inmate,” setting examples for the other prisoners. During her time in prison, Brown also achieved an associate of arts degree through Lipscomb University’s partnership with the Tennessee Prison for Women. Most recently, this past May, Brown had her first clemency hearing. “I am a changed person because I had no choice but to be,” Brown said in the hearing. As her case is publicly known due to social media advocates such as Kim Kardashian...
