Chrystul Kizer, a Milwaukee woman, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for the killing of Randall Volar, a man she claims sex trafficked her as a teenager. The sentencing was handed down on Monday.
Kizer, now 24, was just 17 years old when she shot Volar, 34, in 2018. The case has been widely followed, with Kizer arguing that she should be immune from prosecution under the “affirmative defense” provisions meant to protect sex trafficking victims. Despite this, Kizer accepted a plea deal earlier this year to avoid the possibility of a life sentence.
The deadly incident unfolded in June 2018 when Kizer traveled from Milwaukee to Volar’s home in Kenosha armed with a gun. She shot him twice in the head, set his house on fire, and fled the scene in his car. Prosecutors argued that the killing was premeditated, alleging it was part of a plan to steal Volar’s vehicle. Kizer’s defense team countered that she acted in self-defense.
Volar had a disturbing history of sexual abuse, having filmed his assaults on Kizer for over a year before his death. Kizer recounted meeting Volar when she was 16, at which point he began sexually assaulting her, offering cash and gifts in return. According to Kizer, Volar also made money by trafficking her to other men.
A 2018 investigation by the Washington Post revealed that authorities had gathered significant evidence, including video footage, showing Volar abusing about a dozen underage Black girls, including Kizer. Despite being arrested on sexual assault charges four months before his death, Volar was released the same day.
Kizer’s case became a focal point for discussions around the legal protections for victims of sex trafficking. While some states have implemented laws to shield victims from certain charges like prostitution or theft if those actions were the result of being trafficked, Kizer’s case was groundbreaking in testing whether these protections could extend to homicide.
In 2022, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in Kizer’s favor, allowing her to present evidence of her abuse at trial. The ruling marked a significant moment in the legal treatment of sex trafficking survivors and garnered widespread support from activists in the #MeToo movement.
Despite the landmark ruling, Kizer chose to accept a plea deal rather than risk a life sentence at trial. In an interview from jail earlier this year, she expressed her desire to move forward, saying, “I get to try to move on.”
Kizer has already served over a year and a half of her sentence and will face five years of extended supervision following her release.
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