Wisconsin woman sentenced to 11 years in prison for killing sex trafficker – she claims she was allowed to commit the murder legally

A Wisconsin woman was sentenced to 11 years in prison Monday for killing a man who sexually trafficked her.

Chrystul Kizer argued that she legally should have killed the man because he sexually trafficked her. She was convicted after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges in connection with the 2018 death of 34-year-old Randall Volar.

A Kenosha County judge sentenced Kizer to an initial 11 years in prison, followed by five years of extended probation, The Associated Press reported. She was given credit for 570 days of time already served.

The judge did not grant Kizer any of the Department of Corrections' early release programs. According to the Wisconsin State Public Defender's Office, she is expected to be released in 2033.

Wisconsin woman pleads guilty to killing her sex trafficker after arguing it was legal

Chrystul Kizer listens as she sits next to her attorney Gregory Holdahl during a hearing at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP)

In May, Kizer pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, avoiding a trial and a possible life sentence.

According to prosecutors, Kizer, now 24, shot Volar in his home in Kenosha, Wisconsin, before burning down his house and stealing his car in 2018, when she was 17.

She was charged with several counts, including first-degree premeditated murder, arson, auto theft and illegal possession of a firearm.

The two met on a sex trafficking website, according to Kizer. She said he abused her and sold her as a prostitute in the year before his death.

Kizer told investigators that she shot Volar after he tried to touch her.

Her lawyers argued that she could not be held criminally responsible for her actions, citing a 2008 state law that exonerates sex trafficking victims of “any crime committed as a direct result” of trafficking. The state Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that Kizer could take over the defense during her trial.

CHRYSTUL KIZER, ACCUSED OF KILLING HER ALLEGED ASSASSIN, WAS ARRESTED IN LOUISIANA AFTER TWO WEEKS ON THE RUN

Chrystul Kizer (right) and her attorney Larisa Benitez-Morgan sit together in the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin on February 6, 2020. ((Paul Williams/The Kenosha News via AP, File))

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Most states have passed similar laws over the past decade to provide at least some degree of criminal immunity to victims of sex trafficking.

Prosecutors, however, argue that Wisconsin lawmakers could not have intended to extend protections to homicides.

Anti-violence groups defended Kizer, saying in court documents that victims of trafficking feel trapped and sometimes feel they must take action themselves.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.