Wisconsin’s Supreme Court is set to decide whether Chrystul Kizer, a sex trafficking victim accused of homicide, can argue at trial that she was justified in killing the man who trafficked her, reports the Associated Press. Kizer’s attorneys have argued that she’s immune from prosecution under a 2008 state law that absolves sex trafficking victims of any offenses resulting from being trafficked.
Kenosha County Circuit Judge David Wilk originally refused to allow the argument, ruling that immunity extends only to trafficking-related charges committed by the victim such as restraint, extortion, prostitution or slave labor. Assistant Attorney General Timothy Barber said during oral arguments in March that Kizer’s interpretation would create an unprecedented expansion of the self-defense doctrine, eliminating any questions about whether killing someone was reasonable or necessary. While the court’s decision on whether Kizer can argue immunity won’t be binding on other states, it could inform attorney strategies in similar cases.