28 Facts About Cyntoia Brown

Prosecutors argued that Cyntoia Brown killed Allen while he was sleeping.

Cyntoia Brown was found guilty of robbing and murdering Allen and was sentenced to life imprisonment at 16.

Cyntoia Brown would have been eligible for parole at the age of 67.

Cyntoia Brown's story is detailed in the 2011 documentary Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story and in her memoir, Free Cyntoia: My Search for Redemption in the American Prison System.

Cyntoia Brown's fight for freedom from prison is documented in the Netflix special Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story.

Cyntoia Denise Brown was born at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on January 29,1988.

Cyntoia Brown spent time with the state's Department of Children's Services between April 2001 and September 2003 after committing "crimes against a person, and crimes against property," according to spokeswoman Carla Aaron.

Cyntoia Brown fled these facilities several times, eventually ending up as a runaway on the streets of Nashville in August 2004.

Cyntoia Brown was a youth pastor and a Sunday school teacher and had started a homeless ministry at a local Baptist church.

At some point during the encounter, Cyntoia Brown shot Allen in the back of the head using her.

Cyntoia Brown then stole $172 from Allen's wallet and two of his firearms and fled the scene in Allen's truck.

Cyntoia Brown left Allen's truck at a Walmart parking lot and flagged down an SUV for a ride home.

The detective says that Cyntoia Brown asked the neighbor to drive her back to Allen's house so that she could steal more items but he refused.

Cyntoia Brown was arrested and charged with homicide, aggravated robbery, handgun possession, and criminal impersonation.

Cyntoia Brown never denied shooting Allen; rather, she argued that the act was committed in self defense.

Cyntoia Brown stated that Allen had intimidated her by repeatedly standing over her and touching her while she lay in his bed, and that she believed Allen was reaching for a firearm as the two lay in bed.

Prosecutors took the stance that Cyntoia Brown had not been in danger and that she had murdered Allen as he slept naked in bed in order to rob him.

The nurse claimed that Cyntoia Brown jumped over her desk, grabbed her hair and face, and hit her, giving her several bruises and abrasions.

The cellmate whom Cyntoia Brown had given the note to and spoken with testified at trial.

Cyntoia Brown was found guilty of first-degree murder, felony murder and aggravated robbery and sentenced to life in prison.

In prison, Cyntoia Brown earned her GED with a score of 656 in March 2005, an associate degree in Liberal Arts with a 4.0 GPA in December 2015 from Lipscomb University, and a Bachelors of Professional Studies in Organizational Leadership with a 4.0 GPA in May 2019 from Lipscomb University.

Cyntoia Brown was referenced as a model prisoner in testimony presented at her clemency hearing before the Tennessee Board of Parole.

Cyntoia Brown's story was featured in the 2011 documentary, Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story.

Cyntoia Brown is referred to as Cyntoia Brown Long.

On November 21,2017, Cyntoia Brown's case went viral following several high-profile celebrity social media posts expressing outrage over her sentence.

Cyntoia Brown told the board that he did not believe there was any evidence to support the claim that Brown had been trafficked since she was 12 and that Allen's killing was unjustified.

Since her release from prison, Cyntoia Brown Long has conducted numerous interviews sharing her insight and critique of the criminal justice system.

Cyntoia Brown has been commonly referenced as an advocate and activist.