SENTENCE. WE’RE GOING TO TALK TO CYNTOIA
IN A MOMENT, BUT FIRST, HOW SHE
GOT HERE.
GOT HERE. >> WE HAVE CYNTOIA BROWN WITH
US.
US. >> CYNTOIA BROWN-LONG, A FREE
WOMAN, READY TO TELL HER STORY.
>> I WANTED TO SAY THAT I’M SO
MUCH MORE THAN THE WORST THING
THAT I HAVE DONE.
>> CYNTOIA WAS 16 WHEN SHE SHOT
AND KILLED 43-YEAR-OLD JOHNNY
MITCHELL ALLEN IN 2004 AFTER HE
SOLICITED HER FOR SEX.
PROSECUTORS CALLING HER A
COLD-BLOODED KILLER, HER
DEFENDERS ARGUING SHE WAS A
TEENAGE VICTIM OF SEX
TRAFFICKING.
TRAFFICKING. BROWN WAS TRIED AS AN ADULT AND
SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON WITH
PAROLE POSSIBLE IN 50 YEARS.
HER CASE SPARKING DEMAND FOR
JUSTICE BY CELEBRITIES LIKE KIM
CAR DASH
CAR DASH CAR
CAR KARDASHIAN, RIHANNA, LeBRON
JAMES.
JAMES. >> I’M ASKING FOR MERCY.
>> IN JANUARY AFTER A DECADE AND
A HALF IN PRISON, CYNTOIA GOT
THE CALL SHE HAD BEEN WAITED
FOR, TENNESSEE GOVERNOR BILL
COMMUTING HER SENTENCE,
HIGHLIGHTING THE STEPS SHE TOOK
TO REBUILD HER LIFE, EARNING A
HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND COLLEGE
DEGREE WHILE MENTORING OTHER
YOUNG OFFENDER.
YOUNG OFFENDER. BROWN-LONG IS SHARING HER STORY.
>> I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT THAT
ALL OF YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED
WITH ME, SO YOU CAN PREVENT IT
FROM HAPPENING TO YOURSELVES.
>> SHE’S MAKING THE MOST OF HER
FREEDOM WHILE ENJOYING TIME WITH
HER FAMILY AND HUSBAND,
RECORDING ARTIST J LONG.
>> CYNTOIA, GRATEFUL FOR HER
SECOND CHANCE.
SECOND CHANCE. >> IT’S AN HONOR TO ACTUALLY BE
A PICTURE OF WHAT REHABILITATION
LOOKS LIKE.
LOOKS LIKE. OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN WE DO
GIVE PEOPLE A SECOND CHANCE.
>> AND CYNTOIA IS WITH US THIS
MORNING.
MORNING. SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> THANK YOU, IT’S GOOD TO BE
HERE.
HERE. >> THE BOOK, LET’S START THERE
BECAUSE IT IS GRIPPING.
AND IT’S VERY DETAILED.
IT’S GRAPHIC.
IT’S GRAPHIC. IT’S RAW.
IT’S RAW. PHYSICAL ABUSE, SEXUAL ABUSE,
MULTIPLE RAPES.
MULTIPLE RAPES. I’M THUMBING THROUGH THE BOOK,
AND I’M WONDERING, HOW DID SHE
EVEN SURVIVE.
EVEN SURVIVE. FORGET SURVIVING PRISON, HOW DID
YOU SURVIVE BEFORE THAT?
>> YEAH, YOU KNOW, I OFTEN SAY
THAT IF YOU TAKE AWAY NOTHING
FROM HEARING MY STORY, IS JUST
TAKE AWAY THAT I’M HERE BY THE
GRACE OF GOD BECAUSE LOOKING
BACK OVER EVERYTHING THAT I CAME
THROUGH, LIKE, I MEAN, I
SHOULDN’T BE HERE RIGHT NOW.
I SHOULDN’T BE HERE.
I SHOULDN’T EVEN BE ALIVE, YOU
KNOW.
KNOW. >> YOU STARTED WRITING THE BOOK
IN PRISON.
IN PRISON. DID YOU FIND THE PROCESS
CATHARTIC AS YOU RETOLD YOUR
STORY ON THOSE PAGES.
DID YOU FIND THAT THE PROCESS
ITSELF WAS HELPFUL OR WAS IT
MORE PAINFUL?
MORE PAINFUL? >> IT WAS HELPFUL BECAUSE, YOU
KNOW, EVERYTHING THAT’S HAPPENED
OVER THE COURSE OF 15 YEARS, AND
SO I HAD COME TO A PLACE WHERE I
WAS LIKE, OKAY, SO I’VE HEALED
FROM THIS, I’VE COME TO A POINT
WHERE I UNDERSTAND THINGS
DIFFERENTLY.
DIFFERENTLY. I REALLY DUG INTO IT, AND THEN
WHEN I PUT IT ON PAPER, IT HAD
TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE ME BACK TO
THOSE MOMENTS, WOW, I REALLY
DIDN’T KNOW I WAS STILL DEALING
WITH THIS, AND HAVING TO WORK
WITH A WRITER, AND YOU KNOW, HER
DIGGING IN DEEPER.
SHE’S AN INCREDIBLE WRITER,
BETHANY, ASKING THOSE QUESTIONS
I HADN’T ASKED MYSELF.
IT WAS PRETTY DIFFICULT.
>> QUESTIONS LIKE.
>> SOME OF THE FEELINGS, LIKE
WHY DID I DO THOSE THINGS, YOU
KNOW, WHAT WAS I THINKING, AND
YOU KNOW, IT REALLY HELPS YOU TO
PEEL BACK THE LAYERS AND I GO
INTO THE DEPTH IN THE BOOK ABOUT
MY INNER THOUGHTS AT THE TIME
THAT I WAS GOING THROUGH THINGS,
SOME OF THE MOTIVATIONS, SOME OF
THE THINGS THAT WERE BIG
FACTORS.
FACTORS. AND SHE REALLY HELPED TO BRING
SOME OF THAT OUT.
>> YOU’RE 16, TRIAL IS OVER, YOU
HAVE BEEN CONVICTED, YOUR LAWYER
COMES TO YOU AND SAYS CYNTOIA,
YOU CAN TAKE THE RIGHT PATH IN
PRISON, YOU CAN TAKE THE WRONG
PATH.
PATH. IT TAKES YOU A WHILE, BUT YOU
TOOK THE RIGHT PATH.
THERE ARE A FEW BUMPS ALONG THE
WAY.
WAY. WHAT DID THAT PATH LOOK LIKE IN
PRISON?
PRISON? >> SO PRISON ISN’T A PLACE
THAT’S CONDUCIVE TO
REHABILITATION, SO IT WAS REALLY
DIFFICULT, ALTHOUGH I HAD SAID,
YOU KNOW, I WANT TO DO THE RIGHT
THING, I WANT TO STAY ON THIS
PATH, AS YOU SAID, THERE WERE
SEVERAL BUMPS ALONG THE WAY, SO
I REALLY HAD TO FIND IT IN
MYSELF THAT I WANTED TO CHANGE.
I HAD TO REALIZE THAT MY ACTIONS
WERE AFFECTING OTHER PEOPLE, AND
I HAD TO REALLY REALLY WANT THAT
CHANGE.
CHANGE. SO IT WASN’T ENOUGH TO JUST BE
IN A CLASS OR BE IN A PROGRAM.
>> PART OF THE STORY IS ALSO
ABOUT YOUR FAITH JOURNEY IN THIS
BOOK, AND YOU WRITE THAT YOU’RE
WAITING FOR THE VERDICT AND YOU
BASICALLY TRY TO BARGAIN REQUEST
GOD
GOD -- WITH GOD, GOD, IF YOU GET ME
OUT OF THIS, I WILL TELL THE
WORLD ABOUT YOU, AND YOU WERE
SENTENCED TO PRISON, IN THAT
MOMENT YOU FOUND OUT THAT’S NOT
HOW GOD WORKS.
>> YOU KNOW, IN THAT MOMENT, I
STARTED TO THINK, WELL, MAYBE I
WENT ABOUT THIS THE WRONG WAY.
MAYBE THIS ISN’T TRUE, AND IT
TOOK YEARS FOR ME TO ACTUALLY,
YOU KNOW, DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP
WITH JESUS, AND WHEN I STARTED
THAT PROCESS, THAT’S WHEN I
STARTED TO SEE GOD DOESN’T WORK
ON MY TIME.
HIS WILL IS NOT MY WILL, AND SO
I STARTED LOOKING BACK OVER
EVERYTHING AND HOW IT PLAYED
OUT, AND IT WAS LIKE, WOW,
NUMBER ONE HE SAVED MY LIFE BY
PUTTING ME WHERE I AM, AND HE’S
GIVEN ME A TESTIMONY THAT CAN
HELP OTHER GIRLS AVOID BEING
WHERE I AM.
IT CAN HELP FREE OTHER PEOPLE
THROUGH MY FREEDOM, AND SO IN A
WAY HE DID ANSWER THAT PRAYER.
>> WE HAVE A STATEMENT ABOUT
YOUR RELEASE FROM JOHNNY ALLEN’S
FAMILY.
FAMILY. I WANT TO READ IT, IT READS IN
PART, QUOTE, WE ARE AT A LOSS
FOR WORDS, I KNOW WE FEEL LIKE
THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM HAS FAILED
AGAIN FOR VICTIMS EVERYWHERE, IF
THE FAMILY, FRIENDS OF JOHNNY
ALLEN, THE MAN THAT YOU SHOT AND
KILLED, IF THEY’RE WATCHING THIS
MORNING, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO
THEM?
THEM? >> YOU KNOW, I WOULD JUST LET
THEM KNOW THAT NUMBER ONE, THE
WAY THEY FEEL IS COMPLETELY
UNDERSTANDABLE.
UNDERSTANDABLE. I DON’T THINK THAT WE CAN TELL
SOMEONE HOW TO FEEL WHEN THEY’VE
BEEN THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE
THAT, AND I COMPLETELY
UNDERSTAND.
UNDERSTAND. LIKE THEY HAVE LOST A LOVED ONE.
I TOOK THAT PERSON FROM THEM.
AND YOU KNOW, OF COURSE I WOULD
TELL THEM THAT I APOLOGIZE.
IF THEY WOULD EVER WANT AN
OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH ME, I
WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY.
>> YOU WOULD TALK TO THEM.
>> I WOULD.
>> YOU WRITE TOWARD THE END OF
THE BOOK ABOUT LIFE ON THE
OUTSIDE, WHAT YOU THINK LIFE
WHEN YOU GET OUT OF PRISON IS
GOING TO BE LIKE.
HAS IT BEEN LIKE WHAT YOU
THOUGHT IT WOULD BE LIKE?
>> IT’S BEEN BETTER.
>> REALLY?
>> REALLY? >> YES, IT’S BEEN AMAZING.
>> WHAT’S BEEN THE BEST PART.
>> JUST FREEDOM, YOU KNOW, I GET
TO WAKE UP EVERY DAY, DECIDE
WHAT I WANT TO DO WITH MY DAY,
GET TO BE WITH MY HUSBAND, GET
TO BE WITH MY FAMILY.
IT’S JUST BEING FREE.
>> I MET THAT FELLOW OF YOURS A
LITTLE WHILE AGO, HE SEEMS LIKE
QUITE THE CHARACTER.
>> HE IS.
>> HE IS. >> YOU GUYS ARE NEWLYWEDS.