Evaluating the Role of Trauma: Case of Cyntoia Brown
In recent news celebrities such as Rihanna and Kim Kardashian have reignited a case that was sentenced on August 25, 2006. This is the case of Cyntoia Brown. 16-year-old Cyntoia was tried as an adult and found guilty of first-degree murder, felony murder, and especially aggravated robbery and was subsequently sentenced to life. But does this case warrant it’s newfound attention and outrage? In 2004, she murdered 43-year-old Johnny Allen in his home after he had solicited her for sex. She described his narcissistic attitude and the jump from how one moment she felt comfortable and in the next innate fear. Throughout the night he bragged about being a sharpshooter in the army and showed her his gun collection. She states he went to grab something, she perceived it to be a gun and she preemptively shot him. It is undeniable that she committed this offense but there’s something about this case that is unsettling, to say the least. The following analysis is based on the documentary, “Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story” produced, filmed and directed by Daniel H. Birman; adapted and produced for BBC by Tony Lazzerini.
Dr. William Bennet, a forensic psychiatrist from Villanova University, conducted an evaluation that assessed Cyntoia from pre-birth to age 16. His evaluation uncovered a severe history of sexual trauma coupled with early development issues as well fetal alcohol syndrome disorder, induced by her mother drinking “a fifth” every day while she was pregnant. In her earliest years between the ages of 6 months and 3, she lived with reportedly seven or eight caretakers and was kidnapped by a family member. Attachment theory seemingly applies here. She was never able to form a healthy attachment to any mother form, even her adopted mother. She was adopted at the age of two as her mother was unable to successfully care for her attempting to balance working, attending beauty school and caring for an infant. She is quoted in the documentary as stating that she “didn’t even know how to make a bottle.” Her adopted mother had children of her own who Cyntoia reports being compared to. Her husband was apparently abusive towards Cyntoia where she states, “That’s what he’d say when he hit me because I like it.” In terms of familial history, her biological grandmother became pregnant with her mother after being raped by a man hired by her husband in retaliation for leaving him. Cyntoia’s mother testified in court that she suffers from bipolar personality disorder, suicidal manic depressive disorder as well homicidal thoughts after she was raped. She has attempted suicide several times and reported her biological mother shot herself in front of her when she was young as well as the inclusion that her aunt and grandfather had also shot themselves. Prior to Cyntoia meeting Johnny Allen, she describes a man named Garion, with whom she engaged in some sort of relationship. He kept her with him bouncing from hotel to motel and sexually and physically abused her, threatening her with a gun if she left. He eventually graduated to selling her on the street and forcing her to engage in prostitution. During her evaluation, she shows the psychiatrist her “sex list”. this list contains 36 men that the 16-year-old has had sexual encounters with. She describes a list of 36 men where: 21 were forced and counters, 22 she did not know, 3 were relatives, 28 were associated with the bad experience, 4 were for prostitution and finally only 9 of the 36 encounters used protection.
The culmination of all of these repeated and exacerbated traumas led to a manipulative, possessive, paranoid, unstable 16-year-old girl. Dr. Bennet describes that the effect these traumas had on her caused her paranoia and an “affect of instability” wherein she was unable to process the situation where she perceived intense fear and acted on it. Cumulative risk model would define this level of trauma with the limited protective features as severely debilitating to a healthy or normative developmental trajectory. Her abandonment and trust issues along with her mistrust with men and relationships are defined by a personality disorder according to Dr. Bennet. He never defines which disorder, but her traumas affected her view of the world, how it relates to her and how she relates to her world. She discussed her view of men in the documentary stating she believes they’re “selfish and justify their behavior because they’re men.. no they just want to be admired and accepted, and whys that my problem that is my problem, for 18 years I’ve wanted to be accepted.”
Based on her history and her genetic, environmental and psychological traumas, Cyntoia seemingly never had a chance. All of this in conjunction with the way her case was handled is infuriating. Detectives Mirandized her and questioned her while she was under the influence and her confession was admissible in court after she stated she didn’t know she had the right to remain silent or against self-incrimination. (Which also brings up the question of her competency.)
Even barring these traumas, children are incapable of making decisions the way we normally expect an adult would. Trying her as an adult further this young woman’s trauma and victimization, ensuring she will never be rehabilitated. this case a pitta mise is so many sexual trauma victims that go unnoticed by society until it’s too late. There needs to be some other way to protect children that get exposed to this level of risk. It isn’t their fault and treating them as though it creates more problems and adds to the existing issues. Until our justice initiative evolves to rehabilitative focuses, there will be many more disenfranchised children that fall victim to a broken and cruel system.
So, does this case warrant it’s newfound attention and outrage?
Birman, D. H. (Producer, Director)(2010) Me facing life: Cyntoia’s story [Documentary]. United States: Daniel H. Birman Productions, Inc.