After serving 15 years of her life sentence for a murder she committed when she was 16, Cyntoia Brown has been living the good life with her new husband and enjoying the release of her memoir ever since her August 2019 release from prison.
Netflix just dropped the first look at its upcoming documentary about Cyntoia and seems like a deep dive into her infamous case that the public has yet to see.
The documentary “Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story” by Netflix will premiere on on April 29th—which details her harrowing journey in prison following being convicted of murder when she was only 16 years old. In the trailer, Cyntoia can be heard saying, “When I was 16 I did a horrible thing. I do pray that you show me mercy and that you give me a second chance.”
The documentary is set to trace Cyntoia’s early life, including running away from home and suffering sexual and physical abuse and her journey through the prison system after killing Johnny Allen. The film will also highlight her redemption and feature the outpouring of support she received, including from celebrities like Rihanna and Lana Del Rey.
The film was directed and produced by Daniel H. Birman, who previously released another film about Brown in 2011, “Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story.”
Meanwhile, as the trailer for the documentary began making the rounds, Cyntoia took to social media to let everyone know that she was not involved in the project at all:
“While I was still incarcerated, a producer who has old footage of me made a deal with Netflix for an UNAUTHORIZED documentary, set to be released soon. My husband and I were as surprised as everyone else when we first heard the news because we did not participate in any way. However, I am currently in the process of sharing my story, in the right way, in full detail, and in a way that depicts and respects the woman I am today. While I pray that this film highlights things wrong in our justice system, I had nothing to do with this documentary.”
In case you forgot, Cyntoia was convicted of killing a 43-year-old real estate agent, Johnny Allen, who solicited the then-16-year-old sex worker at a Nashville Sonic restaurant in 2004. According to her, during their encounter, she believed he was going to kill her and shot Allen in self-defense.
