Iowa Nazi out on bail, but feds will be there to surveil
After spending nearly half her life behind bars for killing a man when she was a teen, Cyntoia Brown is a free woman.
Brown, whose case drew the attention of celebrities such as Rihanna and Kim Kardashian and was the basis of a documentary, walked free from a Tennessee prison early Wednesday after serving 15 years for fatally shooting a man she testified paid her for sex when she was a teenager.
“Early this morning offender Cyntoia Brown was released from the Tennessee Prison for Women,” the Tennessee Department of Correction said in a statement around 3:30 a.m. local time.
Brown was a 16-year-old runaway and living with a pimp called “Kut Throat” when she killed Johnny Mitchell Allen, of Nashville, in 2004. She testified during her trial that she was forced into prostitution and feared for her life when she saw Allen reach under his bed during their encounter on Aug. 6 of that year.
Brown said she pulled a gun from her purse and shot Allen in self-defense.
The 43-year-old real estate agent was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.
Brown also lifted two guns and some money from the residence, prompting prosecutors to argue that the murder occurred as part of a robbery. Brown’s lawyers contended that she was a victim of sex trafficking who acted out of fear. They also argued she was impaired by her mother’s alcohol use while she was in the womb.
Two years after the shooting, Brown was tried as an adult and convicted on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder and aggravated robbery. Her sentence demanded that she serve at least 51 years behind bars before becoming eligible for parole — but Brown was granted clemency in January by thenTennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.
In a statement released by her attorney before her release on Wednesday, Brown thanked everyone for their support and vowed to help abused women and girls by embracing her past.
“While first giving honor to God who made all of this possible, I would also like to thank my many supporters who have spoken on my behalf and prayed for me,” she said.
“I’m blessed to have a very supportive family and friends to support me in the days to come. I look forward to using my experience to help other women and girls suffering abuse and exploitation.”
Haslam’s decision came after Brown’s case was championed by celebrities as well as other high-profile lawmakers, attorneys and criminal justice reform advocates. It also inspired a documentary called “Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story.”
“Imagine at the age of 16 being sex-trafficked by a pimp named ‘cutthroat.’ After days of being repeatedly drugged and raped by different men you were purchased by a 43-year-old child predator who took you to his home to use you for sex. You end up finding enough courage to fight back and shoot and kill him,” Rihanna wrote in a 2017 Instagram post. A neo-Nazi accused of threatening a Jewish organization in the city wasn’t in a talkative mood Wednesday after a judge ordered his computer use monitored once he returned to Iowa.
Garrett Kelsey (inset), 31, was released from Manhattan Federal Court on $50,000 bond for a threat allegedly made over the phone on May 23. The hatemonger with an affinity for Nordic culture faces home detention, GPS monitoring, drug tests and a mental health evaluation. Authorities in Iowa will keep an eye on his computer use. He declined to comment after appearing before a magistrate judge.
“My people have f— king slaughtered your f— king people before and we will do it again. And right now, you are giving us incentive to do that … . Filthy f—king Jews,” Kelsey allegedly told the Jewish group, which was not identified in court papers.
The anti-Semite identified himself as Garrett Odinschild and allegedly sent an email with more threats to the Jewish group, according to the complaint. In Scandinavian mythology, Odin is the god of war.
Prosecutors say the hateful loser was incensed over a video the Jewish group posted about Nordic neo-Nazis.
The feds linked Kelsey to a Facebook account with the Garrett Odinschild name featuring white supremacist propaganda and an image of Jews being transferred to a Nazi concentration camp.