Chrystul Kizer, 19, had been jailed for nearly two years since being charged in connection with the June 2018 death of Randall P. Volar III, according to the Chicago Community Bond Fund.
“We are elated to know Chrystul will no longer be locked in a cage simply for wanting to live,” the bond fund said in a statement. “No one should be incarcerated for surviving violence against them.”
Kizer, who is Black, was allegedly trafficked by Volar, who was White, beginning when she was 16 years old, the bond fund said.
Kizer maintains that Volar’s death was the result of self-defense, the fund said.
“Far too often, survivors of violence — especially Black women and girls — are punished for defending themselves,” the statement said. “Chrystul’s case highlights the urgent need for the criminal legal system to stop prosecuting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.”
Kizer is facing first-degree intentional homicide and four other felony charges, according to Kenosha County court records.
Her original $1 million bond was reduced to $400,000 in February, according to court records. Her bond was signed Monday and posted Tuesday.
When Kizer’s case ends, the bond money will be used to establish a national fund for survivors of domestic and sexual violence facing charges, the statement said.
Last year, Cyntoia Brown was granted clemency while serving a life sentence for killing a man who bought her for sex when she was 16 years old.
Brown was 30 years old when she was granted clemency and had served 15 years in prison.
Brown’s case drew the attention of several high-profile advocates including a US congressman, several Tennessee lawmakers and a number of A-List celebrities. Comedian Amy Schumer, reality star Kim Kardashian West and actress Ashley Judd were among those who called for Brown’s clemency.
Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_topstories/~3/HANlY2_bIyc/index.html
