MEMPHIS, Tenn. (localmemphis.com) – Cyntoia Brown-Long shared her story of sex trafficking and abuse with Pastor Stacy Spencer and visitors of New Direction Christian Church Sunday night.
Her message is that everyone deserves another chance and to never give up hope.
“We are all capable of second chances, third chances, fourth chances,” Brown-Long said. “We’re all capable of change.”
Brown-Long said it was her faith in God that helped her find hope in one day being free. She said she trusted in “what God had planned for her.”
“I’m sitting here with nothing left, and I said why don’t I try Jesus,” Brown-Long said.
Brown-Long was sentenced to life in prison for killing a man she claimed picked her up for sex and was going to kill her. She was convicted at 16 years old and would not have been eligible for parole for 51 years.
However, she said it wasn’t an easy journey with her faiths after many of her appeals were denied.
“I just can’t believe that I spent all this time praying and nothing happened,” Brown-Long said.
She had a glimmer of hope when former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam granted her clemency earlier this year and she was freed in August.
“When they told me I would be 67 years old before I sat in front of that parole board and I was sitting in front of that parole board all I could think is this is God,” Brown-Long said.
After man wrote to her while she was in prison and showed he believed in her, she said it gave her strength to find redemption. That man, Jamie Long, is now her husband of a year.
“I begged to not do life in prison and he’s here and he’s like ‘well who told you you were going to do life in prison,’” Brown-Long said.
She said she promised God that she would share his message and help young women who have a similar story to hers.
“I just want to share everything I’ve learned and that nobody is behind salvation. Nobody.” Brown-Long said.