A Wisconsin judge is set to decide the fate of a 24-year-old child sex-trafficking victim who shot and killed her abuser.
Chrystul Kizer, now 24, was facing a possible life sentence for shooting and killing 34-year-old Randall Volar III when she was 17. Kizer took a guilty plea in May of this year to a reduced count of second-degree reckless homicide with use of a dangerous weapon.
Her plea deal means she will avoid a trial and a life sentence. Kizer is now facing up to 30 years in prison or be required to enroll into a counseling program.
Prior to her plea deal, a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that Kizer could use a law intended to protect trafficking victims. That law does not directly allow Kizer to argue that she is not guilty of homicide. However, it will allow her defense team to present evidence arguing that her actions were a result of sex trafficking.
Wisconsin Circuit Court judge David Wilk, who has overseen the case for six years, will hear the final arguments of both sides on Monday, per The Washington Post. Prosecutors and Volar's family are expected to assert that Volar was a victim of a heinous crime. On the other hand, Kizer's witnesses are expected to argue that she, too, was a victim.
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Sex-Trafficking Victim Shoot Her Abuser
When Kizer was 16, she signed up on Backpage.com, a website known for its sex trafficking activities. Kizer said that, at the time, she was hoping to find a way to earn money for her snacks and school supplies.
Volar responded to Kizer's ad and began giving her cash, gifts, and drugs in exchange for sex acts. Kizer also alleged that Volar would drive her to meet other men and then take their money.
In February 2018, four months before Volar's death, a 15-year-old girl called 911 from his house and told police that he had been paying her for sex since she was 14. A subsequent investigation uncovered "hundreds" of videos of child sexual abuse in Volar's home, some of which showed Kizer.
Volar was arrested and charged with child sexual assault and child enticement. However, he was released the same day.
In June 2018, Kizer was arrested for shooting Volar. While speaking to detectives, Kizer said Volar had been on top of her on the ground when she shot him. She also noted that she was tired of the abuse.
Kizer was imprisoned for two years until a bond fund paid for her release in 2020. She was imprisoned again in January of this year after she violated her release conditions.
