A judge sentenced a Milwaukee woman to 11 years in prison for the death of a man she said raped and sexually trafficked her as a teenager. The controversial case drew national attention for years.
Chrystul Kizer, now 24, pleaded guilty in May 2024 to reckless homicide in the 2018 killing of 34-year-old Randall Volar. At the time of the incident, Kizer was 17.
Kizer’s defense attorney stated that Volar contacted Kizer when she was 16 after she posted an online ad for prostitution. The attorney said Kizer turned to the site out of desperation to support her siblings.
When Kizer and Volar met, Volar was under investigation for sexual conduct with underage girls as young as 12. Police later discovered evidence of abuse involving multiple victims.
Volar was arrested in February 2018, charged and released without bail. In June 2018, Kizer shot and killed Volar, set his house on fire and fled the scene in Volar’s BMW.
Volar filmed himself abusing Kizer on multiple occasions, according to The Washington Post.
Kizer’s defense argued she should have immunity from prosecution under a 2008 Wisconsin sex trafficking law. However, going to trial would have risked a possible life sentence, so she pleaded guilty in May to a lesser second-degree reckless homicide charge.
At her sentencing hearing, the judge did not allow cameras in the courtroom.
“The court is well aware of your relationship with Mr. Volar,” Kenosha County Judge David Wilk said. “However, you are not permitted to be the instrument of his reckoning. To hold otherwise is to endorse a descent into lawlessness and chaos.”
Before her sentencing, Kizer quoted the Book of Genesis from the Bible, admitted to what she described as her sins and asked for mercy.
The judge ultimately sentenced her to 11 years in prison. However, some sex trafficking survivor advocates called the sentencing unfair. They also promised to continue fighting for Kizer’s freedom.
