Chrystul Kizer, a Wisconsin teenager accused of killing her alleged sex trafficker, was released from jail on Monday after an unnamed organization paid for her $400, 000 bond.
The 19-year-old who was 17 at the time of her imprisonment shot Randall Volar, 34, in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2018. Her case received widespread attention from supporters and activists while she waited for trial.
“It was incredible to see that we were able to bond Chrystul out,” said Santera Matthews, an organizer with the Chrystul Kizer Defense Committee, which has been working with other organizations to raise awareness about the case.
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“People believe that she is a survivor, and that she was punished for surviving,” Ms. Mattew said.
According to CNN, 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 as a result of self-defense, the fund said.
With her initial bond fixed at $1 million, it was reduced to $400, 000 in February, according to court records. The records also stated that she is facing first-degree intentional homicide and four other felony charges.
According to the news release, when Kizer’s case ends, a majority of the returned bail money will be used to establish a national bail fund for criminalized survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The fund will be under the direction of Survived & Punished and housed at the National Bail Fund Network.
Prior to her release, Kizer was facing life imprisonment for admitting to killing Volar, who abused her and sold her to other men for sex. According to her, she was fed up of him sexually assaulting her.
Kizer met Volar after he responded to an advert on Backpage.com, a site well known for prostitution, according to the Washington Post. Kizer said she started having sex for money to pay for school materials and snacks.
Volar soon started giving her money and other gifts while grooming her. But he allegedly started selling her to other abusers online and taking the money she had earned from her.
