Sex-trafficking victim Cyntoia Brown tied the knot with Christian hip-hop artist J. Long (born Jamie Long) while she was in prison serving 15 years of a life sentence.
How the couple met remains unclear but we do know they have at least one thing in common, Long has also experienced life inside prison, as he was reportedly jailed in 2004 for assaulting a public servant in Texas.
Brown was not able to have conjugal visits with her husband as it was prohibited in Tennessee state prisons.
Long is a native of La Marque, Texas, and comes from a long line of musicians.
via Daily Mail:
His uncle, Huey Long, was a vocalist and guitarist for The Ink Spots, one of America’s most influential all-black vocal groups that rose to international fame in the 1930s.
His grandfather, Curtis Long, was a famous guitarist who played with the likes of B.B. King and Bobby Blue Bland.
As we previously reported, Brown’s new life as a free woman comes with a book deal, according to Yahoo.
“Free Cyntoia: My Search for Redemption in the American Prison System,” hits shelves on October 15. The book is described as a “coming-of-age memoir set against the shocking backdrop of a life behind bars.”
Brown was released from the Tennessee Prison for Women early Wednesday morning after serving 15 years of a life sentence for the 2004 murder of a Nashville real estate agent who bought her for sex when she was 16 years old.
Her crime garnered national attention and inspired a public campaign for her freedom. She was granted clemency by former Tennessee Gov Bill Haslam after celebrities including Kim Kardashian and Rihanna who called for her release.
Next year, Netflix will release a feature documentary about Brown.
Filmmaker Dan Birman told said in a statement: “We are pleased to be working with Netflix on a feature documentary about Cyntoia Brown. The new film builds on what we learned over the past 15 years during her fight for freedom and the events leading to her receiving clemency. We expect to complete it by the end of this year, and for it to appear on Netflix during the early part of 2020.”
Following her release from prison, Brown said she wants to help other women and girls who are victims of abuse and exploitation.
“I thank Governor and First Lady Haslam for their vote of confidence in me and with the Lord’s help I will make them as well as the rest of my supporters proud,” she said in a statement.
Brown will remain on parole supervision for 10 years on the condition she holds a job and does not violate any laws, per Daily Mail.
