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Chrystul Kizer: Rittenhouse defense may be used to free Black teen who killed child sex trafficker

Chrystul Kizer was convicted of shooting a Kenosha man named Volar in 2018, who had been filming sex with underage girls, including Kizer

Social media lit up with calls for Chrystul Kizer's acquittal after Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty on Friday, November 19, of killing two men and injuring another at a BLM protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 

For those unfamiliar with the case, Kizer was 17 years old when she was charged with first-degree intentional homicide for the shooting death of a Kenosha man named, Volar in 2018, who had been filming sex with underage girls, including Kizer. After shooting Volar, Kizer set his Kenosha home on fire and fled to Milwaukee in his car. At the time, Volar, 34, had been under investigation by Kenosha Police for child sex trafficking. Had he not been killed, Volar would likely have been charged with child sex assault the week he died.

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How is Kizer's case similar to Rittenhouse's?

Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley had argued that Kizer’s motivation in allegedly shooting Volar was theft and was not related to trafficking. But Kizer, who initially denied killing Volar, later admitted to shooting him and said it was because “she had gotten upset and she was tired of him touching her.”

She was in jail for two years before her $400,000 bond was posted by an advocacy group in June 2020. Since her release, she has been living in. Her case gained national attention, with nearly 1.5 million people signing an online petition calling for charges against her to be dropped. Graveley said that they were willing to offer a possible plea agreement that would drop the first-degree intentional homicide charge against Kizer if she pleaded guilty to felony murder and bail jumping.

Earlier in June this year, Kizer appeared in court as prosecutors planned to appeal the ruling by the state District II Court of Appeals, which found that Kizer may be able to use a defense used by sex trafficking victims at her trial if she is able to produce evidence of her actions being a direct result of the trafficking she experienced. If that were the case, it would be similar to the defense used by Rittenhouse. 

'Chrystul Kizer better walk free as well'

As soon as Rittenhouse was declared a free man, people called for a similar outcome to be brought to the Kizer case as well. "Call for justice for Crystul Kizer of Kenosha. Kizer was 17, shot & killed her pedophile child sex trafficker to escape. She was wrongfully denied access to a self-defense law & her case is on appeal. It's more productive than attacking Kyle Rittenhouse," one of them said, while another wrote, "Chrystul Kizer—17-yr-old Black girl in Wisconsin who killed the man raping & trafficking her •Convicted & case is now in Appeals Kyle Rittenhouse—17-yr-old white boy in Wisconsin who took an AR-15 to a protest & killed 2 •Acquitted The system isnt broken—it was built this way"

A third noted, "Omg instantly thought of Chrystul Kizer, the Kenosha resident who at 17 years old killed her abuser. It’s still an on going case and she faces life in prison for protecting herself. If Kyle Rittenhouse can walk free, Chrystul Kizer better walk free as well." One more added, "Chrystul Kizer: 17-yr-old Black girl - killed man abusing & raping her - convicted Kyle Rittenhouse: 17-yr-old white boy - killed 2 Protesters & injured 1 - aquitted What does this say about the United States of America?"