California Gov. Gavin Newsom has granted a pardon to Sara Kruzan who spent 18 years in prison for murdering the man who trafficked her for sex as a teen.
In 1995, when she was 16, Kruzan was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder. She had fatally shot the man who she said had sex trafficked her since she was 13.
In 2010, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger commuted Kruzan’s sentence to 25 years to life with the possibility of parole. A few years later, in 2013, she was resentenced to 19 years to life and released after serving 18 years in prison.
Newsom’s pardon noted that Kruzan had transformed her life since being released from prison 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,” Newsom, a Democrat, said in his pardon. “It does recognize the work she has done since to transform herself.”
The governor’s office said the pardon does not expunge or erase a conviction, but “may remove counterproductive barriers to employment and public service, restore civic rights and responsibilities, and prevent unjust collateral consequences of conviction, such as deportation and permanent family separation.”
“The Governor weighs numerous factors in his review of clemency applications, including an applicant’s self-development and conduct since the offense, whether the grant is consistent with public safety and in the interest of justice, and the impact of a grant on the community, including crime victims and survivors,” the governor’s office said.
Kruzan’s pardon was one of 17 pardons, 15 commutations, and one medical reprieve announced by Newsom on July 1. While being in office, Newsom has granted a total of 129 pardons, 123 commutations, and 35 reprieves.
