A sex trafficking survivor serving a life sentence in prison in connection to the murder of her captor has been granted clemency amid the coronavirus pandemic by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, DeWine said Friday afternoon that 22-year-old Alexis Martin is among several incarcerated individuals who will receive pardons on their sentences as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a greater threat to prison populations.

"She is a child sex trafficking survivor," DeWine said at the Friday press conference. "She will be sent to a group home and she will be under supervision for an extensive period of time."

Martin was forced into prostitution at 15 years old and hoped to be freed while her captor was being robbed in Akron, Ohio, per the Enquirer. The robbery went south and the situation became violent when a rival broke into the captor’s home and shot him dead while Martin was being raped by the trafficker’s brother.

At 17 years old, Martin was charged in the murder and sentenced to a minimum of 21 years in prison. According to the Enquirer, prosecutors argued she helped plot the robbery and was responsible for the murder although she wasn’t the one to shoot him.

In her initial appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court, the court did not rule in her favor. Her legal representation said “legal nuances” prevented them from securing a victory. The state court wrote that Martin had been engaging in "adult sexual enterprises" as a 15-year-old in their response to the appeal.

The Safe Harbor law allows victims charged with a crime in relation to sex trafficking to enroll in diversion programs such as health and trauma education, which could lead to expungement if completed. If the law was applied to Martin’s case, she would have been tried as a juvenile and could have been granted release by 21 years old, according to her lawyers.

Lawyers also sought clemency for Martin from former Gov. John Kasich last year, but he refused to take any action at the time, the Enquirer reported.

Sasha Naiman, a lawyer for the nonprofit Ohio Justice & Policy Center working on Martin’s behalf, said further details of Martin's clemency have yet to be released to her but noted that Martin will likely be placed under some form of supervision. She said Martin will likely be placed in a residential program for survivors of human trafficking.

In a phone call with Martin, Naiman said that the 22-year-old was optimistic and hopeful.

"Alexis should not have been caged at all," Naiman said. "She should have received services."

Martin's clemency comes just a matter of weeks after the April 5 premiere of the Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project documentary series in which Martin was featured.

Cyntoia Brown, who also endured a tireless legal battle for her freedom after being sex trafficked, was granted clemency in August 2019 after killing her trafficker at the age of 16. Brown has since married and released a book this past fall titled Free Cyntoia.

Gov.-Mike-DeWine

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