Sex Trafficking Survivor Chrystul Kizer Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Killing Her Abuser

Chrystul Kizer, who admitted to the killing of Randall Volar III, a man she claimed had trafficked her as a teenager, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Kizer, now 24, was handed her sentence on Monday in addition to five years of supervised release, according to court records reviewed by NBC News.

The woman reportedly met Volar, 34, when she was 16 years old and alleged that she had been sexually abused by him multiple times. Kizer admitted to fatally shooting Volar in 2018 and setting his body on fire. Prosecutors also say she stole his BMW after.

NBC News reports that she was initially charged with first-degree intentional homicide but she argued self-defense in 2022 under a Wisconsin law that allows trafficking victims to claim “an affirmative defense for any offense committed as a direct result” of being trafficked.

She avoided a potential life sentence by pleading guilty to a lesser charge in May, which also avoided a trial. According to the Associated Press, Kizer was given credit for 570 days, or roughly one and a half years, of time served. A judge declined to allow her to participate in any early release programs from the Department of Corrections and is scheduled for release in 2023.

Kizer was originally released from prison in 2020 on a $400,000 bond, which was raised by supporters who followed her case.

However, she found herself in hot water when she was charged with disorderly conduct after an incident at her Milwaukee home in January, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. She was arrested in Louisiana the following month by U.S. Marshals after being on the run for nearly two weeks and was hit with five felony bail-jumping charges.