Wisconsin teen Chrystul Kizer is facing life behind bars after she admitted to killing an accused pedophile who allegedly trafficked her and other underage black girls.
According to the Washington Post, Kizer confessed to murdering 34-year-old Randy Volar in 2018 about two years after she had met him. The now-19-year-old claims she connected with Volar through the now-defunct Backpage.com, which was shut down last year for its involvement in human trafficking. Kizer reportedly told Volar she was 19 at the time, but she was actually 16 when he allegedly began paying her for sex and eventually selling her to other men.
Per the Post:
She needed money for snacks and school notebooks, she said, and a girl she knew showed her how to use the site ...
Though she admits to initially lying about her age, Kizer said she believed Volar knew she was a minor because they had celebrated her 17th birthday together.
The teen said she eventually tried to distance herself from Volar, because she wanted to get more serious with her boyfriend, Delane Nelson, who is three years older than her. Volar allegedly threatened to kill Kizer when she told Volar about her decision. Volar didn't report the threats to police, as she was convinced they would not help her.
In June 2018, Kizer said she had reached out to Volar after getting into a fight with Nelson. The teen claims she was afraid her boyfriend would hurt her, so she asked Volar if she could come to his house until things cooled down.
"I had went into the house.… He had ordered some pizza. We were smoking, and he asked me if I wanted to drink any liquor," she said in Milwaukee court. "And then he had gave me this drug. I don’t know what it’s called. And after that, we started to watch movies.… And then, the drug, it made me feel weird or whatever."
Kizer said the man then began touching her leg, prompting her to jump up in objection. Kizer claimed he then pinned her to the ground and tried to take off her pants; however, she was able to get away from the man and grab a pistol she had allegedly received from Nelson. Kizer then fired two fatal shots at Volar's head.
Authorities say Kizer then set Volar's body on fire before taking off in his BMW. She confessed to police several days later and was charged with arson and first-degree intentional homicide, which carries a mandatory life sentence.
But Kizer wasn't Volar's only victim. Months before his death, Volar was arrested for charges that included child sexual assault. He was taken into custody shortly after a 15-year-old girl called the police from his house, claiming Volar had given her drugs and was going to kill her. Although police found evidence Volar was abusing dozens underage girls, he was released without bail.
Per the Post:
Volar spent $20,000 to hire a criminal defense attorney, but three months passed before police sent the case to the district attorney’s office. The file showed what was found in Volar’s house: “hundreds” of child pornography videos, featuring girls who appear to be as young as 12, and more than 20 “home videos” of Volar with underage black girls.
Kizer's attorneys tried to apply "affirmative defense," which could be used to acquit sex trafficking victims if they can prove they committed the crime because they were being trafficked. The Post reports that under federal law, all children who are bought/sold for sex are trafficking victims.
However, on Dec. 9, a Wisconsin judge determined the "affirmative defense" law was inapplicable in Kizer's case because prosecutors believe the murder was premeditated. State attorneys pointed to Kizer's communications with her boyfriend and others, with whom she allegedly discussed how to hide evidence.
Kizer is being held on $1 million bail. Her case is set to go to trial in February.
