'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMI/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAyzIP/8QAGhABAAIDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgMSARARUf/aAAgBAQABPwAOPA4orL22v//EABQRAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/2gAIAQIBAT8Af//EABQRAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/2gAIAQMBAT8Af//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story is a Netflix documentary released on April 29, 2020. Directed by Daniel H. Birman, this true-crime documentary is about Cyntoia Brown, who was charged with the murder of Johnny Allen at the age of 16.
In 2004, Johnny Allen, a real-estate agent, had allegedly picked up Brown in his car and driven them to his house for s*x. Later, Brown claimed that she had felt threatened by him and thus shot him while they were lying in bed together. A report by The Tennessean in August 2019 stated that she had faced a challenging life and was living with her boyfriend at the time, who had coerced her into pr*stitution.
Trending
In 2004, Brown was tried as an adult and found guilty on several charges. She was imprisoned without any chance of release for the next 50 years. Brown was granted clemency in January 2019 and released in August 2019 after serving 15 years in prison.
Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story on Netflix outlines Brown's trial and eventual release. During her trial, friends and family of Johnny Allen spoke out to the media, claiming his innocence and accusing Brown of having killed the only person who could have saved her. Brown has since understood the family's reaction to her release and formally apologized to them on NBC's Today in October 2020.
What happened to Johnny Allen: Details explored
Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story follows the story of Johnny Michael Allen's murder, who was shot dead at the age of 43. He was a divorced real-estate agent and a former sharpshooter in the military who possessed several guns. As reported by the Nashville Scene, Allen was also a youth pastor at a Sunday school and had started a homeless ministry in the Lakewood Baptist Church in Donelson, Tennessee.
According to court documents, Allen had picked up Brown near a Sonic restaurant in East Nashville, Tennessee, on August 6, 2004, and solicited her for s*x for $150. The two drove to his home, where Brown felt threatened by him, especially after seeing his gun collection.
Brown then extracted her handgun from her purse and killed him with a shot to the head. His final resting place is his hometown in Stanly County, North Carolina.
Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story: What happened after Allen's death
Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story outlines the entire tale between Brown and Allen. In court, both the defense and prosecution agreed that Allen had propositioned Brown. However, his friends and family believed that he had been trying to save Brown from a life of pr*stitution.
His innocence, however, could not be justified when two young witnesses, Jessica Snyder and Sandra Liggett, came forward and testified against him, as per Oxygen True Crime. According to their testimony, Allen made Snyder feel uncomfortable and scared Liggett into having s*x with him.
The Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story outlines how, despite Allen's questionable motives, prosecutors claimed that Brown did kill him and flee with his money, vehicle, and guns. She was found guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, handgun possession, and criminal impersonation.
In 2019, however, celebrities including Kim Kardashian and Rihanna brought Brown's case to the limelight. The documentary shows how lawyers claimed that Brown had been a teenager at the time of the murder. According to The Tennessean, attorneys argued that she was also a victim of abuse and child trafficking who suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome.
In 2019, Brown was granted full clemency by then-Governor of Tennessee Bill Haslam. He believed that she did not deserve lifetime imprisonment for decisions she made as a teen, especially in light of her attempts to rebuild her life from prison.
She got her GED from Lipscomb University as an inmate. Since being granted clemency, Brown has been an advocate for criminal justice reform and victims of sex trafficking, as per a 2020 report by Entertainment Weekly.
The details of the trial can be viewed on Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story, which is streaming on Netflix.
