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Wisconsin woman, 22, who fatally gunned down man who sex trafficked her as a minor, burned down his house and stole his BMW, allowed to plead ‘not guilty’ after court rules that victims of sex trafficking can argue ‘justified killing’

&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpcnt">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpa">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<span class&equals;"wpa-about">Advertisements<&sol;span>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"u top&lowbar;amp">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<amp-ad width&equals;"300" height&equals;"265"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; type&equals;"pubmine"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-siteid&equals;"109460728"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-section&equals;"1">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;amp-ad>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-small-font-size wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;473639"><strong>Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling in favor of a state law that absolves victims of criminal liability for any offenses committed as a result of trafficking<&sol;strong> <&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-small-font-size wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;473639"><strong>Ruling affects woman&comma; 22&comma; who fatally gunned down and robbed man who sex trafficked her as a minor<&sol;strong> <&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-small-font-size wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;473639"><strong>Chrystul Kizer has since been facing life in prison for killing the man who allegedly raped her and sold her for sex after a judge ruled that she cannot use a Wisconsin law that shields sex trafficking victims as a defense <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-small-font-size wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;473639"><strong>Setting aside an earlier ruling&comma; <strong>Kizer<&sol;strong><&sol;strong> <strong>will be allowed to plead not guilty after judge rules that victims of sex trafficking can argue a justified killing<&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-small-font-size wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;473639"><strong>On the night of June 5&comma; 2018&comma; 17-year-old Kizer shot and killed her abuser and torched his house&comma; before fleeing the scene in the man&&num;8217&semi;s luxury auto<&sol;strong> <&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-small-font-size wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;473639"><strong>Prosecutors say Kizer shot Randall Volar III twice in the head and set his body as well as his<strong> in Kenosha&comma; Wisconsin&comma;<&sol;strong> home on fire before stealing his BMW <&sol;strong> <&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-small-font-size wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;473639"><strong>She faces multiple charges&comma; including arson and first-degree intentional homicide&comma; which carries a mandatory life sentence<&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-small-font-size wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;473639"><strong>Kizer must first provide evidence that the killing of 33-year-old Volar III&comma; 33&comma; was in relation to sex trafficking before she can invoke immunity <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-small-font-size wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;473639"><strong>Kizer met Volar aged 16 through the <strong>sex trafficking website<&sol;strong><&sol;strong> <strong>Backpage&period;com <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color has-small-font-size wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;473639"><strong>Kizer and her defense say she fired the shots in self-defense after being pinned down&comma; drugged and &&num;8216&semi;nearly raped&&num;8217&semi; by the man <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;07&sol;Chystrul-Kizer-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-411922" width&equals;"842" height&equals;"702"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Wisconsin&&num;8217&semi;s Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Chystrul Kizer &lbrack;photo from 2020&rsqb;&comma; who is an alleged sex trafficking victim accused of homicide&comma; can argue at trial that she was justified in killing the man who trafficked her when she was 17-years-old&period; She is <strong>now 22<&sol;strong><&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>A woman accused of killing a man can argue at trial that she was justified because he was sexually trafficking her&comma; Wisconsin&&num;8217&semi;s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a decision that could help define the limits of legal immunity for trafficking victims nationwide&period; <br>The justices ruled 4-3 that a 2008 state law that absolves trafficking victims of criminal liability for any offenses committed as a direct result of being trafficked extends to first-degree intentional homicide&period; <br>However&comma; they said Chrystul Kizer must first provide evidence for a trial judge that her decision to kill Randall Volar&comma; 33&comma; was connected to being trafficked before she can invoke immunity&period;<br>&&num;8216&semi;Chrystul Kizer deserves a chance to present her defense and today&&num;8217&semi;s decision will allow her to do that&comma;&&num;8217&semi; Kizer&&num;8217&semi;s attorney&comma; Katie York&comma; said&period; &&num;8216&semi;While the legal process on this matter is far from over&comma; we&comma; along with Chrystul and her family&comma; believe the decision today affirms the legal rights provided by Wisconsin statute to victims of sex trafficking facing criminal charges&period;&&num;8217&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;07&sol;Randall-Volar-III-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-411924" width&equals;"839" height&equals;"1018"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Kizer faces multiple charges&comma; including arson and first-degree intentional homicide&comma; which carries a mandatory life sentence&comma; for the murder of Randall Volar III &&num;8211&semi; A man with a history of abusing children following his 2018 arrest for child enticement&comma; using a computer to facilitate child sex crime&comma; and second-degree sexual assault of a child <&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Chrystul Kizer met Randy Volar in 2016 when she was 16 and he was 33&period; Authorities say she was one of about a dozen victims Volar sexually abused and filmed without their consent&period;<br>On the night of June 5&comma; 2018&comma; Chrystul shot Volar in the head twice at his home in Kenosha&comma; Wisconsin&comma; before setting his body on fire and fleeing the scene in his BMW&period;<br>Police located the vehicle hours later in Milwaukee and linked it to Chrystul&comma; who confessed to killing him when questioned by police&period;<br>Four months earlier&comma; Volar had been arrested on charges of child enticement&comma; using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime&comma; and second-degree sexual assault of a child&period; Photo and video evidence found at his home indicated that Chrystul was one of his victims&period;  <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;07&sol;Remains-of-Randall-Volars-charred-home-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-411927" width&equals;"841" height&equals;"438"&sol;><figcaption> <strong>Chystrul Kizer traveled roughly 40-miles from Milwaukee&comma; Wisconsin&comma; to Volar&&num;8217&semi;s home in Kenosha and shot him in the head&comma; before burning down his house &lbrack;photo&rsqb;&comma; and stealing his BMW&comma; according to court docs<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Kizer faces multiple charges&comma; including arson and first-degree intentional homicide&comma; which carries a mandatory life sentence&comma; for the murder of Randall Volar III&period; However&comma; the victim already had a history of child sex abuse after he was arrested in February 2018 on charges of child enticement&comma; using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime&comma; and second-degree sexual assault of a child&period; <br><strong>Related Articles&colon;<&sol;strong> <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;2019&sol;12&sol;18&sol;self-defense-or-premeditated-murder-judge-rules-chrystul-kizer-cannot-use-law-that-shields-trafficking-victims-as-a-defense-for-killing-a-man-33-who-drugged-raped-her-and-sold-her-for-sex-age&sol;"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;i0&period;wp&period;com&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2019&sol;12&sol;Chrystul-Kizer-left-killed-Randy-Volar-right-3&period;jpg&quest;resize&equals;174&percnt;2C131&amp&semi;ssl&equals;1" alt&equals;""&sol;><&sol;a><figcaption><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;2019&sol;12&sol;18&sol;self-defense-or-premeditated-murder-judge-rules-chrystul-kizer-cannot-use-law-that-shields-trafficking-victims-as-a-defense-for-killing-a-man-33-who-drugged-raped-her-and-sold-her-for-sex-age&sol;">19-year-old Wisconsin woman is facing life in prison for killing a man nearly two years earlier&comma; who &OpenCurlyQuote;raped her and sold her for sex’ In a case eerily similar to &lbrack;&&num;8230&semi;&rsqb;<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Kizer&comma; 22&comma; contends she met Volar on a sex-trafficking website&comma; called Backpage&period;com when she was 16-years-old&period; She says he sexually assaulted her and sold her to others for sex&period; However&comma; she is facing life in prison for killing a man who allegedly raped her and sold her for sex after a judge ruled that she cannot use a Wisconsin law that shields sex trafficking victims as a defense&period;<br>According to court documents&comma; Kizer put a gun in her bookbag in June 2018 and told her boyfriend that she was going to shoot Volar because she was tired of him touching her&period; <br>She traveled 40 miles from Milwaukee to Volar&&num;8217&semi;s home in Kenosha&comma; Wisconsin&comma; <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;2019&sol;12&sol;18&sol;self-defense-or-premeditated-murder-judge-rules-chrystul-kizer-cannot-use-law-that-shields-trafficking-victims-as-a-defense-for-killing-a-man-33-who-drugged-raped-her-and-sold-her-for-sex-age&sol;">shot him in the head<&sol;a>&comma; burned down his house and stole his BMW&comma; according to court documents&period; Kizer was 17 at the time&comma; old enough to be considered an adult in Wisconsin&&num;8217&semi;s criminal justice system&period; <br>She faces multiple charges&comma; including arson and first-degree intentional homicide&comma; which carries a mandatory life sentence&period; <br>The victim maintains that on the day of the murder&comma; she was allegedly drugged and nearly raped&period; She added that she did not go to Volar&&num;8217&semi;s house armed with the intent to kill him&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p><object data&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;i&period;dailymail&period;co&period;uk&sol;i&sol;pdf&sol;2022&sol;07&sol;wicourts&lowbar;2020AP192-CR&period;pdf" type&equals;"application&sol;pdf" width&equals;"636" height&equals;"850"><&sol;object><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Nearly 40 states have passed laws that give trafficking victims at least some level of criminal immunity&comma; according to Legal Action of Wisconsin&comma; which provides legal help for low-income people&period; <br>Kizer&&num;8217&semi;s attorneys had planned to invoke Wisconsin&&num;8217&semi;s immunity law at her trial&comma; but Kenosha County Circuit Judge David Wilk refused to allow it&period; He ruled that immunity extends only to trafficking-related charges such as restraining someone&comma; extortion&comma; prostitution or slave labor&period; An appellate court ruled last year&comma; however&comma; that Kizer could argue that the law shields her from prosecution&period; &ast;&ast;&ast;<br>State attorneys asked the high court to reverse that decision&comma; maintaining that the immunity statutes can&&num;8217&semi;t possibly extend to homicide&period;  <br>Assistant Attorney General Timothy Barber argued in March that Kizer&&num;8217&semi;s interpretation would create an unprecedented expansion of the self-defense doctrine&comma; eliminating any questions about whether killing someone was reasonable or necessary&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;07&sol;Chystrul-Kizer-left-and-Randall-Volar-III-right-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-411931" width&equals;"838" height&equals;"603"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Kizer &lbrack;left&rsqb; was 17 years old in June 2018 when she admittedly murdered 33-year-old Randal Volar III &lbrack;right&rsqb;&comma; torched his home and stole his car&period; Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that if she can show connection between her actions and her claims of being trafficked&comma; prosecutors will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defense doesn&&num;8217&semi;t apply<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;07&sol;Devore-Taylor-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-411936" width&equals;"842" height&equals;"546"&sol;><figcaption><strong>The defendant&&num;8217&semi;s mother&comma; Devore Taylor&comma; 36&comma; is shocked and upset while reading an 88 page legal document containing the search warrant of home of the man her daughter killed&comma; and the police investigation file on his sex crimes in 2020<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The court found that the extent of trafficking victims&&num;8217&semi; immunity is ambiguous but doesn&&num;8217&semi;t include any limiting language and therefore applies to homicide&period; If Kizer can show a connection between her actions and being trafficked&comma; prosecutors will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defense doesn&&num;8217&semi;t apply&comma; the court said&period;<br>&&num;8216&semi;The defendant must produce some evidence on which a reasonable jury could find that the defense applies&comma;&&num;8217&semi; Justice Rebecca Dallet&comma; a liberal&comma; wrote for the majority&period; &&num;8216&semi;Thus our interpretation does not create the kind of blanket immunity for victims of human trafficking that the State fears&period;&&num;8217&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;07&sol;Chystrul-Kizer-6&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-411950" width&equals;"839" height&equals;"567"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Chrystul Kizer &lbrack;seen in court in 2018&rsqb;&comma; has maintained that she killed Volar&comma; the man who paid her for sex and also prostituted her&comma;  in self defense&comma; after he drugged her and tried to have sex with her<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;07&sol;Chystrul-Kizer-5&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-411943"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Kizer first met Volar through Backpage&period;com when she was 16&period; She has maintained that she killed Volar in self defense after he drugged her and tried to have sex with her<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Kenosha police had been investigating Volar at the time of his death for child trafficking and possession of child pornography&period;  <br>In February 2018&comma; Volar was arrested on charges of child enticement&comma; using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime&comma; and second-degree sexual assault of a child&period; <br>Photo and video evidence found at his home indicated that Kizer was one of his victims among others&period; Volar was inexplicably released from jail the day after his arrest&comma; without bail&comma; and remained free until his death&period; Meanwhile Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said Wednesday&&num;8217&semi;s decision &&num;8216&semi;brings needed clarity regarding the scope of the affirmative defense for survivors of the vile crime of human trafficking&period;&&num;8217&semi; <br>The Wisconsin Supreme Court decision isn&&num;8217&semi;t binding on other states but could inform attorney strategies in similar cases elsewhere in the country&comma; legal experts say&period;  <br>Anti-violence groups lined up to support Kizer&comma; filing briefs saying that trafficking victims often feel so trapped they believe they have to take matters into their own hands&period; <br>In June 2020&comma; Kizer was released from the Kenosha County Jail after several adocacy groups rooting for her joined forces and together helped raise her &dollar;400&comma;000 bail&period;  <br>If convicted of first-degree intentional homicide&comma; Kizer faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison&comma; but a judge could set a parole eligibility date&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;07&sol;Justice-for-Chystrul-Kizer-protest-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-411946" width&equals;"841" height&equals;"614"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Advocates who are part of the Free Chystrul Kizer group have welcomed the court&&num;8217&semi;s ruling and have been pushing for the charges to be dropped against Kizer for the last five years <&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;07&sol;Chystrul-Kizer-center-in-couert-with-her-attorneys-6&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-411948" width&equals;"840" height&equals;"541"&sol;><figcaption><strong>In June 2020&comma; Kizer&comma; who was 19-years-old at the time&comma; was freed from a Wisconsin jail after community groups helped raise her &dollar;400&comma;000 bail &&num;8211&semi; Judge David Wilk ruled on Dec&period; 9&comma; 2020 that Wisconsin’s affirmative defense did not apply to Chrystul Kizer’s case<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Ian Henderson&comma; policy and systems director for the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault&comma; one of the groups that signed onto the briefs&comma; praised the court&&num;8217&semi;s decision&period;  <br>He said trafficking victims often react out of a flight-or-fight mentality and the ruling &&num;8216&semi;avoids them being criminalized for defending themselves&period;&&num;8217&semi;<br>DailyMail&period;com does not typically identify people claiming to be victims of sexual assault&comma; but Kizer discussed her case in an interview with The Washington Post last year&period; <br>No trial date has been set for the case&comma; as of Thursday evening&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;

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