Twitter

Netflix released the trailer for its upcoming true crime documentary, Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story, but the woman at the center of it all says she has “nothing to do with it.” Brown released a statement today criticizing Netflix for producing an “unauthorized” documentary about her life in prison, which is set to debut on the streaming service April 29.

Brown wrote on Instagram that a producer filmed footage of her while she was still in jail and that the footage is now being used to tell her story on Netflix. “While I was still incarcerated, a producer who has old footage of me made a deal with Netflix for an UNAUTHORIZED documentary, set to be released soon,” she wrote. “My husband and I were as surprised as everyone else when we first heard the news because we did not participate in any way. However, I am currently in the process of sharing my story, in the right way, in full detail, and in a way that depicts and respects the woman I am today. While I pray that this film highlights things wrong in our justice system, I had nothing to do with this documentary.”

Brown did not directly name the film in her post. Decider has reached out to Netflix for comment about Brown’s statement.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_AvG61JA1g/

Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story documents Brown’s arrest and prison time, following her through the years leading up to her release in 2019. Brown was arrested in 2004 at 16-years-old for the murder of 43-year-old Johnny Allen, who had solicited her for sex as a minor. “I shot him because I thought he was gonna shoot me,” she says in the trailer. Prosecutors in her case argued that Brown shot Allen as part of a robbery, not for self-defense as she claimed.

Despite being a minor and a victim of sex trafficking, Brown was tried and found guilty for first-degree murder and aggravated robbery, which landed her in jail to serve two life sentences. “When I was 16, I did a horrible thing,” Brown says in the trailer. “I do pray that you show me mercy and that you give me a second chance.” Years after her imprisonment, Brown’s case caught the attention of celebrities like Kim Kardashian, who in 2017 tweeted her support for Brown and called for her release from prison.

After Brown spent 15 years behind bars, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam granted her clemency last year, and she was released from prison in August 2019. Murder to Mercy documents Brown’s experiences in the prison system and her fight for eventual release. The documentary comes to Netflix April 29.