Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday pardoned Sara Kruzan, whose murder conviction at the age of 17 for killing a man who sexually trafficked her became a symbol of a flawed justice system.

Tried as an adult for a crime she committed when she was 16, Kruzan was sentenced in 1995 to life in prison for the murder of George Howard in a Riverside motel room. Her prison term was later commuted by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to 25 years with the possibility of parole. By the time she was released two years later, in 2013, she’d already served nearly two decades behind bars

Kruzan, when reached by The Times on Saturday, recalled being swept up by a sense of relief when she heard of the governor’s decision, “releasing these invisible chains that I didn’t realize were still taloned in (me).”

Kruzan hopes the pardon will help her heal from her traumatic past as she focuses on being a mother to her young daughter. But she also hopes her case will “have a ripple effect for others who identify with different elements of what I experienced.”

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