Woman Pardoned 27 Years After She Killed Her Abuser As A Teen

At age 17, Sara Kruzan was convicted of murdering a man she alleged had abused her since she was 11 and had trafficked her for s*x at 13. But fortunately, Sara has been granted a pardon by Gov. Gavin Newsom of California over fatally shooting the man, George Howard, in 1994. 

Gov. Gavin has alleged Sara had provided evidence she’s living an upright life and has demonstrated her fitness for restoration of civic rights and responsibilities.

In the pardon, Gov. Gavin, a Democrat, also said that Sara has transformed her life and dedicated herself to community service since the killing. “This act of clemency for Ms. Kruzan does not minimize or forgive her conduct or the harm it caused. It does recognize the work she has done since to transform herself.” Notably, Sara’s case reignited criticism of how the court treats abuse survivors. 

And in response, Criminal justice reform advocates have said the judge in Sara’s case didn’t treat her with enough compassion. 

The Los Angeles Times reported that Sara, though 16 at the time of the crime, was tried as an adult, and the judge didn’t permit evidence about the abuse to be presented during her trial. Gov. Gavin noted the pardon didn’t expunge or erase her conviction, but it would remove counterproductive barriers to employment and public service. 

According to Gov. Gavin’s office, Sara’s pardon was one of 17 that Gov. Gavin announced, along with 15 communications and one medical reprieve. 

Sara described feelings of surprise and relief after her release in a statement shared with the New York Times. She had written: “I will never forget what happened that night and fully acknowledge what did, but I am immensely grateful to feel some relief from the burden of shame and social stigma.”

Sara added that she “felt an overwhelming influx of emotions: primarily awe and elation but also shock and grief as I thought about everything that led to this moment.”

She has since worked to broaden awareness and correct misinformation about s*x trafficking. In May, Sara, now aged 44, published a memoir titled I Cried to Dream Again: Trafficking, Murder, and Deliverance. In it, she chronicled how she was abused, groomed, and trafficked for s*x from age 11 to age 16. She also wrote about her suicide attempts, her criminal case, and her fight for freedom. 

Sara, via the memoir, also noted she was the recipient of a Stoneleigh Fellowship, which fund efforts to change systems affecting youth, at the nonprofit organization Human Rights for Kids.

However, amid a growing public outcry over the treatment of abuse survivors, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, a Republican, commuted Sara’s sentence in 2011. But Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, then allowed her release from prison in 2013 after successfully serving eighteen years. On the other hand, since attaining office in January 2019, Gov. Gavin has granted a total of 129 pardons, 123 commutations, and 35 reprieves.