A Wisconsin woman was sentenced Monday to 11 years in prison for killing a man who sex trafficked her.
Chrystul Kizer, who has argued she was legally allowed to kill the man because he sexually trafficked her, was sentenced after pleading guilty to a reduced count of reckless homicide in connection with the 2018 death of 34-year-old Randall Volar.
A Kenosha County judge sentenced Kizer to 11 years of initial confinement followed by 5 years of extended supervision, The Associated Press reported. She was given credit for 570 days of time served.
The judge did not make Kizer eligible for any early release programs at the Department of Corrections. She is expected to be released in 2033, according to the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s office.
WISCONSIN WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY TO KILLING HER SEX TRAFFICKER AFTER ARGUING IT WAS LEGAL
Chrystul Kizer listens as she sits with her attorney Gregory Holdahl during a hearing Thursday, May 9, 2024, at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (AP)
In May, Kizer pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless homicide, which allowed her to avoid trial and a possible life sentence.
Kizer, now 24, shot Volar at his home in Kenosha, Wisconsin, before burning his house down and stealing his car in 2018, when she was 17 years old, according to prosecutors.
She was charged on multiple counts, including first-degree intentional homicide, arson, car theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The two met on a sex trafficking website, according to Kizer. She said he had been molesting her and selling her as a prostitute over the year leading up to his death.
Kizer told detectives that she shot Volar after he attempted to touch her.
Her attorneys argued that she could not be held criminally liable for what she did, citing a 2008 state law that absolves sex trafficking victims of “any offense committed as a direct result” of being trafficked. The state Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that Kizer could raise the defense during her trial.
Chrystul Kizer, right, and her attorney Larisa Benitez-Morgan sit together in the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis., Feb. 6, 2020. ((Paul Williams/The Kenosha News via AP, File))
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Most states have passed similar laws over the past decade to offer sex trafficking victims at least some level of criminal immunity.
Prosecutors, however, contend that Wisconsin legislators could not possibly have meant for protections to extend to homicide.
Anti-violence groups have defended Kizer, saying in court briefs that trafficking victims feel trapped and sometimes feel as if they have to take action themselves.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.