At 16, Sara Kruzan Was Sentenced to Life Without Parole. Now She’s Ready to Take Back Her Story

Vogue, May 18, 2022: At 16, Sara Kruzan Was Sentenced to Life Without Parole. Now She’s Ready to Take Back Her Story

“Sara Kruzan was 11 years old and living in California’s Riverside County when she was first trafficked into sexual slavery by a local pimp. She suffered years of childhood abuse until—at 16 years old—she fatally shot her pimp, on the orders of a local gangster who had set her up to rob him. In 1995, when Kruzan was 17, a jury found her guilty of first-degree murder, handing her a life sentence with no possibility of parole.

“Sixteen years later, on his final day in office, then California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger commuted Kruzan’s sentence, and in 2013 she was released on parole. Ever since, she’s worked to readjust and build a life in the outside world—a process that has culminated in a new memoir, I Cried to Dream Again. Written with author and screenwriter Cori Thomas, the memoir tells the often painful yet ultimately empowering story of Kruzan’s childhood, arrest, time in prison, and plans for her freedom. Vogue recently spoke to Kruzan about coping with traumatic memories, having legislation possibly passed in her name, and what she hopes people will take away from her story.”

Additional reading:

I Cried to Dream Again: Trafficking, Murder, and Deliverance — A Memoir by Sara Kruzan on bookshop.org

Lit Hub, May 11, 2022: The Inspiration Behind Sara’s Law Tells Her Story

The Hill, April 16, 2019: Congress needs to pass Sara’s Law so the next Sara Kruzan is met with empathy, fairness

Ear Hustle, March 28, 2018: Episode 13: Dirty Water