Photo Courtesy of Twitter/@creekee_iman

Cyntoia Brown must serve at least 51 years in prison before she’s eligible for release for killing a Nashville man, who sought her out for sex when she was 16, says the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Supreme Court of TN decides in a certified question from the 6th Cir in the #CyntoiaBrown case that a life sentence requires service of a minimum of 51 years. Now sets up the question of whether that violates Miller v Alabama for juvenile sentences pic.twitter.com/E8LKOeBtYN

— Angie Bergman (@AngieLBergman) December 6, 2018

The five justices, who were unanimous in their decision, said on Thursday that defendants who were convicted of first-degree murder committed after July 1, 1995 and sentenced to life in prison, won’t be eligible for parole before serving more than 50 years, according to CNN.

Brown was convicted of murdering a 43-year-old man in 2004 who took her into his house for sex. She claims that she killed him because she feared for her life, according to The Root.

Brown had filed suit saying that her sentence violated the constitution, citing a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision that stated that mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole for juvenile offenders were unconstitutional.

Brown’s case gained national attention in 2017 after celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Rihanna called for Brown’s release.

https://youtu.be/PWIgcHR6eDU

According to CNN, Brown recounted during her trial that she retrieved a gun from a cabinet in the man’s room and shot and killed him when he reportedly reached underneath his bed. Brown said she thought he was going to kill her

Prosecutors alleged at a clemency hearing in May that Brown killed the Tennessee man to rob him.

Cyntoia Brown Parole Board Video: