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I’m not exactly sure what brought Cyntoia Brown’s name back to the forefront of our social consciousness. And while many of us are struggling with what to say about her situation, what could be of the most use, the fact that we know enough to talk about it, is at least encouraging. Perhaps something will be done about it. But since we’re going to be discussing Cyntoia, it’s important that we have the facts. Contrary to popular belief, her story is not a new one.
She was actually arrested in 2004 and sentenced to life in prison in 2006. So she’s been in prison for over a decade. She is 29 now. A Daniel H. Birman produced documentary about her life aired on PBS in 2011, after she’d spent five years in prison.
Throughout it, we learn the story of how a teenager ended up being tried as an adult and being sentenced to life in prison.
Her beginnings
Cyntoia was given up for adoption by her biological mother Gina Mitchell, who got pregnant when she was 16-years-old. By the time she was pregnant, Gina had already been raped. She hid her pregnancy, unable to cope with it as a teenager. Instead, she self-medicated by drinking, before, during and after her pregnancy. As a teenager, she knew Ellenette Brown and her family. When Cyntoia was two-years-old, she gave her daughter up for adoption to Brown. Later, Gina began using crack cocaine and turned to prostitution to support her habit.
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Her family
In the documentary, during the court proceedings, a forensic pathologist tried to illustrate family history of abuse. Cyntoia’s grandmother, her aunt and her mother all struggled with several mental health disorders, including bipolar disorder, suicidal thoughts, etc. In fact, Gina, Cyntoia’s mother has the word “suicide” tatttooed across her upper arm.
Her grandmother admitted that she was married as a teenager. She left her husband and he sent a local “thug” over to the house to “teach her a lesson.” The man raped her and she had a child as a result of the assault.
Later, Gina speaks to her mother and says that she was forced to give her daughter, Cyntoia up for adoption.
Her adoptive family
Cyntoia went to live with her adoptive mother, Ellenette Brown at the age of two-years-old. While it was a more stable environment than the one her teenage mother could have provided, it was not perfect. Her adoptive father would often hit her simply because, by his own admission, he could.
In the documentary, she also mentions asking about her biological mother and why she never came to visit her. The Browns never gave her an explanation but later they gave Cyntoia letters had mother had written and pictures she’d drawn from prison.
Cyntoia didn’t believe she could fully trust her mother and lived much of her life in a code of secrecy. Her decision to distance herself from her adoptive mother is one she said she still regrets today. And at 15, she ran away from home.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bbw1oj5jXdp/?tagged=cyntoiabrown
Cut Throat
Once Cyntoia was out of her adoptive home, she met up with a man named Cut Throat. 23-years-old, at the time, Cut Throat not only forced Cyntoia to have sex with him, threatening her if she expressed interest in leaving, he forced her into a life of prostitution to make money for him. Cyntoia was out looking a john to make money when she met John Kelly, the man she ultimately ended up murdering.
The Crime
Cyntoia had run away from home and was living with a pimp named Cut Throat for three weeks. He sent her out to get some money…for him. That’s when she ran into Johnny Mitchell Allen, a 43-year-old man who propositioned her, asking if she was looking for action.
Sentence
As you know, at sixteen years old, Cyntoia was sentenced to life in prison. As it stands now, she will not be eligible for parole until she’s served 59 years of her sentence. Today, if Cyntoia were arrested for the same crime, she would be recognized as a victim and would not be charged as an adult.
Petition
There is a petition asking that a presidential pardon be granted for Cyntoia. Unfortunately, her story didn’t make it to the public consciousness until Donald Trump was president. Either way, if you’re optimistic and would like to try, you can sign the petition here.
https://twitter.com/ItsBrittWaters/status/933059911277260802
Now
At the end of the documentary, Cyntoia said that her life was not over. And it seems while incarcerated, she’s stuck to that commitment to herself. Cyntoia has completed her associate’s degree, and is working on her bachelor’s. She also serves as an unpaid consultant at the Juvenile Justice System.
The Doc
You can watch the full documentary in the video above.
