Sara Kruzan

Last updated
Sara Kruzan
Born
Sara Jessimy Kruzan

(1978-01-08) January 8, 1978 (age 46)
Movement Criminal justice reform
Criminal charges First-degree murder (1995; pardoned in 2022)
Criminal penalty
  • Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole (1995)
  • Commuted to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years (2011; paroled in 2013)
Criminal statusPardoned
Children1 [1]

Sara Jessimy Kruzan (born January 8, 1978) is an American activist and survivor of child sex trafficking. In 1995, at the age of 17, she was convicted of the first-degree murder of her trafficker, George Gilbert Howard, who began to groom her for the sex industry at the age of 11. She was initially sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, but was later both paroled and pardoned. [1]

Contents

Early life

Sara Kruzan was born on January 8, 1978. She was raised by her mother in Riverside, California, where she was an honor roll student at school. During her childhood, she met her father only three times because he was serving prison terms. During her childhood, Kruzan experienced severe depression, resulting in numerous hospitalizations. [2] "Her mother admitted bashing Kruzan's head on the floor. Kruzan was placed in foster care for a time after bruises were discovered. Kruzan was molested for the first time at age 5 by her mom's boyfriend. Successive boyfriends did the same." [3]

Killing of George Gilbert Howard

Background

When Kruzan was 11 years old, she met George Gilbert "G. G." Howard. Twenty years her senior, Howard initially served as a surrogate father for Kruzan. [2] Kruzan stated in court records that upon their introduction, he began grooming her for child sex trafficking which she was forced into by age 13. [4]

Killing and arrest

When Kruzan was 16 years old, her mother lived in Rubidoux and Kruzan went to live with her grandmother in San Diego. She began dating a boy, Johnny Otis, whose ex-con uncle, James Earl Hampton, on learning about Kruzan's background, ordered her to murder Howard: “And this guy said to her, 'well I want you to get G.G.'s money and I want you to shoot him and if you don't do this, I'm going to kill your mother'". [3]

On March 9, 1994, Kruzan agreed to meet Howard for a date and to spend the night with him at the Dynasty Suites Motel. [5] On March 10, Kruzan shot Howard in the neck at close range. "Apparently when he started to pull out a sex toy, that is when she shot him. There was a fear that gripped her of all the abuse and that's when she shot him." [3] She then took $1,500 from his wallet, as well as the keys to his Jaguar XJS. She then went to meet her boyfriend and Hampton in a local supermarket.[ citation needed ]

Howard's body was discovered by a member of the motel's housekeeping staff. When law enforcement officials at the scene found Kruzan's identification card and purse left behind in the motel room, a warrant was issued for her arrest. On March 14, Kruzan was arrested at a home where Hampton was residing in Pomona. During questioning, Kruzan made a confession to the police. The District Attorney of Riverside County opted to ignore the pleas for extenuating circumstances surrounding Kruzan's actions, and he sought to have her tried in an adult court for first-degree murder. An evaluation by California Youth Authority concluded she was suitable for treatment in the juvenile justice system; however, a local judge, at the urging of the prosecutor, Tim Freer, transferred her to the adult court. [6]

Trial and sentencing

During her trial, Kruzan testified that she had killed Howard because Hampton had ordered it and had threatened to kill both her and her mother if she did not carry out his orders. As a result, defense attorney David Gunn told the court of information provided to the police by Hampton.[ further explanation needed ] The District Attorney brought forth motions to not bring charges against Hampton or Otis.

In his closing arguments at her trial, Prosecutor (now judge) Timothy Freer cautioned jurors not to be swayed by the appearance of an attractive, petite teenager who might not fit their image of a murderer. On May 11, 1995, a Riverside Superior Court jury of seven women and five men found her guilty of first-degree murder, affirming two special circumstances—that Howard was murdered during a robbery, and that Kruzan had been "lying in wait" to kill him—to justify a sentencing of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Judicial reform advocacy

As a result of her status as a juvenile convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole, Kruzan has been the focus of national petitions and judicial reform groups that are advocating for a retrial. Some[ who? ] campaigning groups have suggested that Kruzan was suffering from battered person syndrome, a physical and psychological condition that often results in victims of abuse murdering their abusers.[ citation needed ]

The National Center for Youth Law has spoken out against the U.S., for the frequency with which it sentences juveniles to life without parole, with Kruzan often mentioned as an example of the need for greater compassion.[ citation needed ]

During her trial, her abuse was not admitted into evidence, and she was not allowed to speak of it. Twelve years into her sentence, in 2009, she was interviewed by Human Rights Watch where she was finally able to speak about her abuse; as a result, she and her case received national attention from individuals and judicial reform groups, who advocated for a new trial and a ban on sentences of life without parole for juveniles in California.[ citation needed ]

Clemency and pardon

Senator Leland Yee had been fighting for her release for eleven years when on January 2, 2011, as a result of this and media attention, Kruzan was granted clemency by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who commuted her sentence to 25 years with the possibility of parole; she remained incarcerated at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla. Governor Schwarzenegger did not free her but did void her L.W.O.P. sentence. In January 2013, her sentence was reduced to second-degree manslaughter and 19 years, effectively time served, making her eligible for a parole hearing. She was found suitable for parole on June 12, 2013, and the decision was forwarded to Governor Jerry Brown. On October 25, 2013, Brown took no action on the parole board decision, thereby effectively confirming it, allowing the parole board to proceed with the parole of Kruzan. On October 31, 2013, she was paroled from Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla after serving 19 years. [7]

At the time of her parole, California State Senator Leland Yee stated:

"Life without parole means absolutely no opportunity for release.... It also means minors are often left without access to programs and rehabilitative services while in prison. This sentence was created for the worst of criminals that have no possibility of reform and it is not a humane way to handle children. While the crimes they committed caused undeniable suffering, these youth offenders are not the worst of the worst." [8]

Kruzan was pardoned by Governor Gavin Newsom in July 2022. [1] [9]

Bibliography

See also

Related Research Articles

Sara Jane Olson is an American far-left activist who was a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) in 1975. The group disbanded and she was a fugitive for decades before being arrested. In 2001, she pleaded guilty to attempted murder related to a failed bombing plot. In 2003 she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder related to the death of a customer during a botched bank robbery the SLA committed in California. Known then as Soliah, she was also accused of helping a group hide Patty Hearst, a kidnapped newspaper heiress, in 1974. After being federally indicted in 1976, Soliah was a wanted fugitive for several decades. She lived for periods in Zimbabwe and the U.S. states of Washington and Minnesota.

Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which the convicted criminal is to remain in prison for the rest of their natural life. Crimes that result in life imprisonment are considered extremely serious and usually violent. Examples of these crimes are murder, torture, terrorism, child abuse resulting in death, rape, espionage, treason, illegal drug trade, human trafficking, severe fraud and financial crimes, aggravated property damage, arson, hate crime, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, theft, piracy, aircraft hijacking, and genocide.

Lee Boyd Malvo, also known as John Lee Malvo, is a Jamaican convicted mass murderer who, along with John Allen Muhammad, committed a series of murders dubbed the D.C. sniper attacks over a three-week period in October 2002. Malvo was aged 17 during the span of the shootings. He is serving multiple life sentences at Keen Mountain Correctional Center in Virginia, a maximum security prison.

The Han twins murder plot was a case of attempted murder of Sunny Han by her identical twin sister Jeena "Jeen" Han, occurring on November 6, 1996 in Irvine, California. Both are Korean-born American citizens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central California Women's Facility</span> Female prison in Chowchilla, California

Central California Women's Facility (CCWF) is an American women's California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison located in Chowchilla, California. It is across the road from Valley State Prison. CCWF is the second largest female correctional facility in the United States, and houses the only State of California death row for women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valley State Prison</span> State prison in Chowchilla, California, US

Valley State Prison (VSP), previously the Valley State Prison for Women (VSPW), is an American state prison in Chowchilla, California. It is across the road from Central California Women's Facility. It was formerly a prison for women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana Women's Prison</span> Prison in Indiana

The Indiana Women's Prison was established in 1873 as the first adult female correctional facility in the country. The original location of the prison was one mile (1.6 km) east of downtown Indianapolis. It has since moved to 2596 Girls School Road, former location of the Indianapolis Juvenile Correctional Facility. As of 2005, it had an average daily population of 420 inmates, most of whom are members of special-needs populations, such as geriatric, mentally ill, pregnant, and juveniles sentenced as adults. By the end of 2015, the population increased to 599 inmates. Security levels range from medium to maximum. The prison holds Indiana's only death row for women; however, it currently has no death row inmates. The one woman under an Indiana death sentence, Debra Denise Brown, had her sentence commuted to 140 years imprisonment in 2018 and is being held in Ohio.

Kemba Smith Pradia is an American prison reform activist. She began a 24½ year sentence for drug-related charges in 1994, ultimately serving six years before being granted clemency by then-President Bill Clinton. Her advocacy work focuses on the intersection of mandatory minimum sentencing laws and race in America. She is the subject of a 2024 film titled "Kemba" which tells her story.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Edward Duncan</span> American serial killer (1963–2021)

Joseph Edward Duncan III was an American convicted serial killer and child molester who was on death row in federal prison following the 2005 kidnappings and murders of members of the Groene family of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He was also serving 11 consecutive sentences of life without parole for the 1997 murder of Anthony Martinez of Beaumont, California. Additionally, Duncan confessed to — but had not been charged with — the 1996 murder of two girls, Sammiejo White and Carmen Cubias, in Seattle, Washington. At the time of the attack on the Groene family, Duncan was on the run from a child molestation charge in Minnesota.

Troy Michael Kell is an inmate on death row in Utah. Kell was sentenced to life in prison by the State of Nevada for the 1986 murder of James "Cotton" Kelly. He was transferred to the Utah State Prison as part of a prisoner exchange program shortly after his conviction and on July 6, 1994, Kell attacked and killed inmate Lonnie Blackmon at the Utah Department of Corrections Gunnison facility. Kell stabbed Blackmon a total of 67 times while his associate, Eric Daniels, held Blackmon down. Kell was sentenced to death by firing squad for the murder.

In the United States, life imprisonment is the most severe punishment provided by law in states with no valid capital punishment statute, and second-most in those with a valid statute. According to a 2013 study, one of every 2,000 prison inhabitants of the U.S. were imprisoned for life as of 2012.

Scott Edgar Dyleski is an American murderer, convicted of murdering his neighbor, Pamela Vitale, the wife of prominent attorney Daniel Horowitz. He received the maximum penalty allowed by the law, life in prison without parole. As a juvenile at the time of the murder, he did not qualify for the death penalty. The murder was committed on October 15, 2005, when Dyleski was 16 years old. He is currently serving his sentence in California State Prison, Corcoran. In 2018, Dyleski's sentence was reduced to 25 years to life in prison, after the state of California passed Senate Bill 394, which gives juveniles tried as adults and sentenced to life without parole a chance for eventual freedom. He will be eligible for parole in 2030.

Crime in California refers to crime occurring within the U.S. state of California. The principal source of law for California criminal procedure is the California Penal Code.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyntoia Brown</span> American author and speaker (born 1988)

Cyntoia Brown Long is an American author and speaker who was convicted of robbing and murdering the person who bought her from sex trafficking. Brown, who was a victim of child sex trafficking at the time of the incident in 2004, claimed that Johnny Allen had paid her $150 to have sex with him, and that she feared for her life during their encounter, leading her to shoot him. Prosecutors argued that Brown killed Allen while he was sleeping. Brown was found guilty of robbing and murdering Allen and was sentenced to life imprisonment at 16.

The Chillicothe Correctional Center is a state prison for women in Chillicothe, Livingston County, Missouri, owned and operated by the Missouri Department of Corrections. The $120 million facility opened in late 2008, and with a capacity of 1740 inmates at a mix of security levels.

Murder in Florida law constitutes the intentional killing, under circumstances defined by law, of people within or under the jurisdiction of the U.S. state of Florida.

On the night of June 11, 2009, Joanne Witt was murdered by her teenage daughter Tylar and Tylar's boyfriend Steven "Boston" Colver, one or both of whom stabbed Witt 20 times on the upper half of her body. Witt was murdered because she had objected to their relationship as Tylar was only 14, while Colver was 19. When Witt missed two days of work without calling, her supervisor called both law enforcement and Witt's parents. Sheriff's deputies met the parents at Witt's home in El Dorado Hills, California, where they discovered the body. Tylar and Colver were arrested in San Bruno, California, several days later. Two years after the murder, Tylar pled guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. Colver was tried and convicted of first degree murder and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. On August 26, 2022, Tylar Witt was granted parole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Life imprisonment in Singapore</span>

Life imprisonment is a legal penalty in Singapore. This sentence is applicable for more than forty offences under Singapore law, such as culpable homicide not amounting to murder, attempted murder, kidnapping by ransom, criminal breach of trust by a public servant, voluntarily causing grievous hurt with dangerous weapons, and trafficking of firearms, in addition to caning or a fine for certain offences that warrant life imprisonment.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jany, Libor (2022-07-03). "Newsom pardons Sara Kruzan, imprisoned as a teen for killing man who trafficked her". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  2. 1 2 "16-Year Old Got Life Without Parole for Killing Her Abusive Pimp -- Should Teens be Condemned to die in Jail? | Civil Liberties | AlterNet". Archived from the original on 2010-02-06. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  3. 1 2 3 Sharma, Amita (April 17, 2012). "AG Reverses Decision On Woman Who Killed Her Pimp". KPBS-FM . Archived from the original on May 15, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Freed After 19 Years in Prison for Killing Her Pimp, Woman Tells Story". Juvenile Justice Information Exchange. January 8, 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-01-08.
  5. ↑ "federalcrime.us p. 54" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-11-29. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  6. ↑ Macallair, Daniel (2008-01-20). "U.S. among harshest for sentencing children – SFGate". SFGate. Archived from the original on 2012-07-07. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
  7. ↑ "Sara Kruzan Update: Calif. woman who killed pimp as teen released from prison under new juvenile-offender law". CBS News. October 31, 2013. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Senator Leland Yee, Ph.D. – New Life for Youth Sentencing Reform". dist08.casen.govoffice.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-14. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
  9. ↑ "Sarah Kruzan's clemency certificate" (PDF). gov.ca.gov. July 1, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.