Tennessee Governor Bill Haslem is considering granting clemency to convicted murderer Cyntoia Brown before he leaves office in January 2019.
On Thursday an appeals court ruled Brown, 30, must spend 51 years of her life sentence in prison before she can be eligible for release.
But Haslem called Brown’s life sentence “unjust” during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine at a higher education event at the Nashville Public Library on Monday.
“We’re reviewing a lot of cases, and while Cyntoia’s case has gotten a lot of publicity, I don’t think you want us to treat hers any different than a whole lot of cases that I think people want us to review,” Haslam told angry moderators at the event.
Brown was 16 when she ruthlessly shot 43-year-old Johnny Allen in his home in 2004. Brown claimed she shot Allen in self-defense after she saw him reach for a gun. But prosecutors say forensic evidence shows Allen was asleep at the time of death.
Prosecutors say Brown stole Allen’s wallet, several firearms and his pickup truck and drove to a Walmart parking lot where she had a friend pick her up. She later attempted to recruit a friend to return to the victim’s home to steal more of his possessions.
She was tried as an adult and sentenced to life in prison in 2006.
Brown initially filed an appeal in 2012, arguing that the mandatory life sentence was too harsh.
But last week the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled Brown must serve 51 years of her life sentence before she can be released.
During her appeal trial in 2012, Brown told a judge that her boyfriend, a 24-year-old man named “Kut-throat,” regularly choked, beat and sexually abused her.
Her lawyer said Brown only took money out of the dead man’s wallet because she feared what her Kut-throat would do if she returned to him empty handed.
Brown’s case drew national attention when celebrities such as Rihanna (pictured right), T.I. and Kim Kardashian used their social media platforms to rally public support for her.
Gov. Haslem’s assurance that he would consider clemency for Brown didn’t satisfy her supporters at the Public Library who want immediate action.
“What do we want? Clemency! When do we want it? Now!” the group chanted during a panel discussion at the event, according to Rolling Stone.
Haslem reiterated that his office is interviewing everyone involved in Brown’s case, and he will make a decision before he leaves office in 6 weeks.
But the group continued chanting and disrupting the event, shouting, “That’s not good enough!” and “No justice, no peace!”
