By Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has granted clemency to a woman serving a life sentence for murder who says she was a victim of sex trafficking.
Haslam said Monday that he would show mercy to the now 30-year-old Cyntoia Brown by releasing her Aug. 7. She will remain on parole for 10 years.
Brown said in a statement that she will do everything to justify Haslam’s faith in her and thanked her family for their support.
Kim Kardashian West, Rihanna, and other celebrities rallied for Brown as she fought her life sentence for the 2004 murder of a man who had picked her up for sex. She was 16 years old at the time. Her lawyers say she was a sex-trafficking victim and feared for her life.