Wisconsin woman who said she legally killed sex trafficker gets 11 years in prison

A Milwaukee woman who claimed she was justified in killing a man who was sexually trafficking her was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Monday after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of reckless homicide.

Chrystul Kizer, who was sentenced by a Kenosha County judge, will serve 11 years of initial confinement followed by 5 years of extended supervision for the 2018 killing of 34-year-old Randall Volar. Kizer was credited with 570 days (about 1 1/2 years) of time already served.

The judge ruled that Kizer would not be eligible for early release programs through the Department of Corrections, meaning she is expected to be released in 2033, according to the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s office.

Kizer, who had pleaded guilty in May to second-degree reckless homicide, avoided a trial and the possibility of a life sentence by accepting the reduced charge.

Prosecutors alleged that in 2018, when Kizer was 17, she shot Volar at his home in Kenosha, then set his house on fire and stole his BMW. She faced multiple charges, including first-degree intentional homicide, arson, car theft, and possession of a firearm as a felon.

Now 24, Kizer stated that she met Volar through a sex trafficking website and that he had been abusing her and selling her for sex in the year leading up to his death. She told detectives she shot Volar when he attempted to touch her.

Kizer’s defense attorneys argued that under a 2008 Wisconsin law, she could not be held criminally liable because the offense was a direct result of her being trafficked. This law, similar to those passed in many states over the past decade, provides sex trafficking victims with some level of criminal immunity.

However, prosecutors contended that Wisconsin lawmakers never intended for such protections to apply to homicide cases. Anti-violence groups rallied in support of Kizer, arguing in court briefs that trafficking victims often feel trapped and may resort to extreme measures for self-defense. In 2022, the state Supreme Court ruled that Kizer could raise the trafficking defense at trial.

By Kate Stephenson
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