For 15 years Cyntoia Brownish was in jail for murder, yet against all odds she still found dear during that time.

Cyntoia was xvi when she was jailed in 2004, later being tried equally an adult and given a life judgement - with a minimum term of 51 years - for the murder and robbery of a real estate agent who had met her for sex activity.

She admitted shooting Johnny Michael Allen but claimed information technology was cocky-defence force, proverb she feared he was going to impale her. If her example was heard today, she'd been seen as a victim of child trafficking, rather than a teenage prostitute.

Simply since 2017 things have changed for the better. Against all odds she has not but found beloved with a man she'd previously never met, she has also been granted clemency.

Last year her sentence was commuted to 15 years, plus 10 years of supervised parole, allowing her to gustatory modality freedom over again.

Now, her story is now existence told in Netflix's documentary, Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story.

How Cyntoia Brownish plant love

Cyntoia Brown in 2006 (

Image:

REUTERS)

In 2017 a rapper from Texas called Jamie Long was suffering from author'due south block at his studio when he flicked onto YouTube.

He became captivated by a 2011-documentary about Dark-brown, called Me Facing Life: Cyntoia'south Story.

"I felt God tell me, stop and write her," he said.

He did, and burned the edges of the paper in a bid to brand his letter unique.

His letter of the alphabet arrived only at the right time. Cyntoia was at a low ebb, having had all three appeals turned down.

Unsurprisingly she was receiving a lot of letters, merely her attorneys were warning her non to respond to people, fearing her letters would end up on the cyberspace and be used confronting her.

Called-for the paper worked.

"I wrote him back," Brown told The Breakfast  Society. "And I call back just feeling like, amazed at this man. His goodness really came through, he was just a good man, just a proficient person, so easy to talk to."

Cyntoia Brown had been in jail for more than than 12 years by the time Long got in touch (

Epitome:

ABC NEWS)

This lead to four months of letters and phone calls, exchanging personal details until they met in person for the starting time fourth dimension.

Recalling that meeting, Long told NBC'south Today programme: "As soon as I laid eyes on her, I was like, 'that'southward my married woman'." Those feelings were reciprocated by Brown, simply she didn't hold out much hope considering of her appeal setbacks.

After that kickoff meeting Long was banned from visiting the jail, claiming he was told drugs and an unopened canteen of booze were found in his car by cops. Information technology was 2 years until they saw each other again.

Who is Jamie Long

Jamie Long is a rapper from La Marque, Texas, better known as J. Long.

He has enjoyed solo careers and a stint with R&B/hip hop grouping Pretty Ricky, releasing songs such as Grind with Me and Your Body.

Jamie Long, also known as J. Long

Music runs through his family. His gramps, Curtis Long, was a guitarist who played with B.B. Male monarch and Bobby Blue Band while his uncle, Huey Long, was a singer and guitarist for The Ink Spots, an all-black vocal group that rose to fame in the 1930s.

In 2017 he told Emcee mag he felt destined to be in music.

"I can remember falling in love with the drums when I was about 2 years old."Anybody in our family played instruments or was a vocaliser. I loved everything that had something to exercise with music."

Cyntoia Brown, right, and Jamie Long started talking in 2017, while she was even so in prison

As well as music, Christianity means a lot to him. Recalling that first letter he sent to Chocolate-brown, Long said: "I put the letter of the alphabet in the envelope and felt information technology in my spirit once more, the Lord telling me to have it out and burn the edges.

"I told her basically, God told me to tell you y'all're getting out of prison house."

He has helped Brown become religious. She told Essence: "We prayed through information technology, and considering of him I started working on my relationship with God. And that's when my federal appeal opened support, which is unheard of."

His music has also pivoted towards Christianity, resulting in albums such as Redeemed & Blessed (R&B).

Long says he'southward now quit music, and is now the CEO of JFAM Music, Inc. and co-possessor of a Texas healthcare concern.

Previously he was married to R&B/hip hop singer Pamela Long from 2013 to 2016. Long says "he had the right intentions, but married the wrong woman".

In August 2019 she labelled him "diabolical" and a "manipulator", accusing him of being unfaithful and warning Brown of his intentions.

In response he described those comments as "very selfish" and trying to discredit Chocolate-brown's work.

Cyntoia Brown'southward wedding ceremony

Cyntoia Brown and Jamie Long married before her release from jail

Information technology was love at first sight for Dark-brown and Long. He didn't tell her he idea they would marry after that showtime meeting, just he says he knew.

He describes going those two years without seeing each other as "a examination" from God.

Chocolate-brown and Long wed in 2019, without Brown even being at that place in person.

The wedding was washed over the phone, with Tennessee Section of Corrections confirming that Brown was married by proxy, with someone else representing her at the ceremony.

Shortly afterwards, on August 7 2019, Dark-brown was released after serving 15 years in jail. She had been granted clemency by Tennessee Governor Beak Haslam and had her life sentence commuted to 15 years with another decade on parole.

When she was released, Long had the house and a wardrobe total of clothes ready for his new married woman, before they tucked into a ravioli together.

Since then both Chocolate-brown and Long have posted photos of themselves on their Instagram profiles.