Verdict against Milwaukee woman who killed sex trafficker sparks outrage

A Milwaukee woman was sentenced to 11 years in prison for killing a man accused of sex trafficking her, drawing criticism from victim advocates and comparisons to similar cases.

Chrystul Kizer, 24, pleaded guilty in May to the involuntary manslaughter of 34-year-old Randall Volar in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in June 2018. Kizer was 17 at the time.

In sentencing Kizer on Monday, Kenosha County Judge David Wilk said, “The court is well aware of the circumstances of your relationship with Mr. Volar.”

“You are not permitted to be the instrument of his reckoning,” he said. “To hold any other view would be to advocate a descent into lawlessness and chaos.”

Before the verdict was announced, Kizer quoted the book of Genesis and the Psalms and asked for mercy.

“I don't know where to begin, but I ask for your generosity in my punishment today,” she said. “I understand that I have committed sins that have caused great suffering to the Volar family.”

Here's what you need to know about the case.

What was Chrystul Kizer found guilty of?

Kizer's defense attorney Jennifer Bias said Volar contacted Kizer when she was 16 after she posted an ad for prostitution on a forum. Kizer had turned to the site because Bias said she needed food to feed her siblings. When Kizer and Volar met, he was already under investigation by Kenosha police for sexual conduct with underage girls as young as 12.

Police found evidence that he had abused several underage black girls. In February 2018, he was arrested, charged, and released without bail. In June 2018, when Kizer was 17, she shot Volar, set fire to his Kenosha home, and fled in his BMW.

Kizer's case began this month and ended with a 2022 ruling that she could obtain immunity through a sex trafficking defense. A Wisconsin law passed in 2008 provides a defense for victims of human and child sex trafficking against “any crime committed as a direct result” of those crimes, even if no one has been prosecuted for the trafficking.

According to the Washington Post, Volar filmed himself sexually assaulting Kizer on multiple occasions, citing Kenosha County prosecutors and public defenders.

Ultimately, Kizer did not seek trial in the case. Had she done so, she could have faced a possible life sentence. Instead, she pleaded guilty to the less serious offense of second-degree manslaughter.

“As if history were repeating itself.”

Claudine O'Leary, an independent counselor for sex trafficking victims who worked with Kizer and attended the sentencing, said she was saddened by the judge's decision.

“What they get from the justice system is… 'My life doesn't matter, if I defend myself I have to be prepared to go to jail,'” O'Leary said. “There's just a profound lack of understanding of the kind of harm that people actually suffer.”

Kizer's case is reminiscent of that of Cyntoia Brown-Long, who was 16 when she killed 43-year-old Johnny Michael Allen in the parking lot of a Sonic Drive-In in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 6, 2004. Allen had been trafficking with Brown-Long, who was sentenced to life in prison for robbery and murder.

The verdict sparked sharp criticism from celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Rihanna, and in January 2019, a judge commuted Brown-Long's sentence to 15 years plus 10 years probation. She was released from prison on August 7, 2019.

In a 2020 interview with BuzzFeed News' “AM to DM,” Brown-Long explained the similarities between her case and Kizer's, saying it was “like history repeating itself.”

“Here was, once again, a situation where a young girl was caught up in unfortunate circumstances and reacted based on trauma,” Brown-Long told the outlet. “And the justice system wasn't necessarily trying to hear or see that.”