Sentenced to life in prison at 16, Cyntoia Brown will be released next week

Cyntoia Brown will leave the Tennessee Prison for Women next week after serving 15 years of a life sentence for the 2004 murder of a Nashville real estate agent when she was 16.

Earlier this year, then-Gov. Bill Haslam took the rare step of commuting her sentence, paving the way for her Aug. 7 release.

Brown is now a 31-year-old woman who shot a man who picked her up reportedly for sex.

Brown’s story has served to rally celebrities and lawmakers, juvenile justice reformers and critics of Tennessee’s harsh life sentences for teens, those working to expose child sex trafficking and others highlighting racial inequities in the justice system.

Netflix has acquired the rights to the Cyntoia Brown’s story, the company announced on last month.

The feature will draw from Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story, the Daniel H. Birmandocumentary, and Birman will serve as director of the Netflix film, according to Rolling Out.

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