Sara Kruzan was 11 years old and living in Riverside County, California, when George Howard, a local pimp, molested her and prostituted her at age 13.
In 1995, after years of child abuse, at age 16, Kruzan fatally shot her abuser. However, far from getting rid of her, a year after her, a jury found her guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced her to life in prison.
According to reports from New York Times, the judge in charge of the case did not allow Kruzan’s defense to present evidence of the abuse she suffered as a child. In addition, it was considered that the young woman should be tried as an adult, for which she was sentenced without the right to parole.
Her case quickly became a symbol of a flawed legal system in the United States and reignited debate about how the courts should treat victims of sexual abuse. Furthermore, her story became a topic of conversation and celebrities such as Demi Moore and Mira Sorvino lobbied for her release.
In 2011, on his last day in office, then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger commuted Kruzan’s sentence. Later, in 2013, after 18 years behind bars, by decision of then Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, she was released on parole.
Since then, Kruzan has worked to readjust and build a life in the outside world, a process that culminated in his memoir, I Cried to Dream Again.
Almost ten years after her release, on July 5, the current Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, officially pardoned Sara Kruzan, who is now 44 years old.
He transformed his life and dedicated himself to community service. This act of clemency for Ms. Kruzan does not minimize or condone her conduct or the harm she caused. She does recognize the work she has done since then to transform herself.
–Gavin Newsom
After being pardoned, Kruzan testified in an interview for Los Angeles Times that she felt “relieved” by the president’s decision.
It’s releasing these invisible chains that you didn’t know were still nailed to [mí].
In addition, she said that the pardon will help her move on, heal and focus on being a mother to her daughter. Finally, she added that she hopes her situation will have a ripple effect for others who identify with different elements of what she experienced.
Since her release, Sara Kruzan has worked alongside international law attorneys to reform the US criminal justice system and raise awareness of child sex trafficking.