When it comes to the story of Cyntoia Brown the myth seems to be more powerful than the reality. I first found out about her due to some meme that was circulating.
There was a strong movement to free Brown, but there were several facts that they seem to have missed out on. The story that Brown's supporters give doesn't pass the smell test. It just seems off. It seems like one of those stories where there has to be more to it, and in her case there is plenty more to it.
Let's get to the big thing, the shooting. She killed John Allen. Allen was a 43 year old john, and Brown was 16, (she lied to him about her age). She claims that she shot him in self defense, but evidence suggest that she shot him in the back of the head while he was sleeping. She also stole his car, 172 dollars, and several guns. The prosecution claimed that the motive for the shooting was robbery. Outside of what she stole after the killing, there is also the fact that she shot him with a gun that she brought into his home. When she was interviewed after the murder she lied to police about her name and age. She gave a birthdate that would've made her 19.
Another point is dispute is why was she a prostitute. Was she forced into it as she claims, or did she chose to be one. She had a 24 year old boyfriend nicknamed Kut-Throat (real name Garion McGlothen), that some believe forced her into prostitution. From what I read though, the two of them were close. Brown also had a history of drug use, and a prior criminal history.
The Cyntoia Brown story fits the SJW narrative in so many ways. She was a 16 year old biracial girl, her victim was white, and the story got big not long after Brock Turner got just three years for sexual assault. It seemed like one of those perfect comparison stories to show just how racist the system is. So many of them just ran along with it. There is a pattern of them running with stories, and getting shit wrong. The narrative is what they love. The problem is when you get past that and to the facts, it's doesn't paint Brown as some innocent victim who fought back.
https://cases.justia.com/tennessee/court-of-criminal-appeals/BrownCyntoiaDeniseOPN.pdf?ts=1396144260
