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Sara Kruzan, who killed a man for abusing and trafficking her, was found guilty of murder when she was a teenager. However, she was pardoned by California Governor Gavin Newsom on July 1, 27 years later.
Kruzan was only 16 years old when she murdered George Gilbert Howard in a Riverside, California, hotel room in 1994. She was found guilty of murder the following year and sentenced to life in prison. Kruzan was tried as an adult at 16.
She testified throughout her trial that Howard started trafficking and abusing her when she was just 13 years old.
The pardon is the last phase of an official redemption that has lasted more than 10 years and three governors from both parties.
Sara Kruzan’s sentence was reduced in 2011 by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor at the time, to life in prison with the possibility of release. In 2013, she was granted parole and let out of jail by Jerry Brown, Newsom's predecessor, but the conviction remained in effect.
Newsom stated in his pardon of Kruzan that she:
"provided evidence that she is living an upright life and has demonstrated her fitness for restoration of civic rights and responsibilities,"
Newsom further added:
"Since then, Ms. Kruzan has transformed her life and dedicated herself to community service. 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."
Sara Kruzan’s pardon inspires hope for juvenile offenders
Sara Kruzan earned recognition among reform groups and state lawmakers who are working to reduce the severity of life sentences for juvenile offenders.
At the time, Leland Yee, a Democratic state legislator who eventually found himself in jail for corruption, termed her story a "perfect example of adults who failed her, of society failing her."
Yee said:
"You had a predator who stalked her, r*ped her, forced her into pr*stitution, and there was no one around."
Last week, on Friday, 17 pardons were announced, including Kruzan's.
A governor's pardon relieves a person of some of the consequences of a criminal conviction but does not overturn a conviction. Sara Kruzan remains a convicted felon in the state of California despite the pardon.
Additionally, Newsom commuted the sentences of 15 current convicts and granted a medically fragile offender a reprieve.
The commutations for the prisoners provide them the opportunity to appear before a parole board who will determine whether they are eligible for release.
As of now, Newsom has granted 129 pardons, 123 commutations, and 35 reprieves.
New hope for Sara Kruzan
The Riverside County District Attorney's office has received a formal request from Sara Kruzan's legal team requesting that they investigate the incident and ask the court to reverse the conviction. Kruzan will not have a criminal history if the conviction is overturned.
Kruzan said that the decision released "invisible chains" that she did not realize "were still taloned" to her.
Speaking to the LA Times, Kruzan said:
"Do I wanna move forward with love? Or do I wanna move forward with fear, anger, and pain? I wanna move forward in love. And that takes a lot of courage to do that."
In a positive turn of events, Kruzan has since become a national advocate for prison reform.
