In 2004, 16-year-old Cyntoia Brown was sentenced to life in prison for murder. In self-defense, she shot a 43-year-old man who solicited her for sex, and was tried as an adult. It was clearly a major miscarriage of justice but, thankfully, that wasn’t the end of the story for Brown. An upcoming Netflix documentary traces her case, imprisonment, and her fight for clemency. A new trailer for “Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story” has dropped.

“This young woman didn’t get a fair shake,” an interviewee says of Brown in the spot. In courtroom footage, we see Brown explaining, “I shot him because I thought he was gonna shoot me.” She was also sexually abused, “beaten, pimped, and raped.” She had suffered terribly, but apparently not enough to warrant the judge’s lenience.

However, a lot has changed since Brown’s sentencing — including the cultural conversations surrounding sexual assault and the criminal justice system’s unfair treatment of people of color. “In 2004, she was considered a prostitute. Today, she would be considered a victim of sexual predators,” a commentator observes. “She’s a perfect person to be considered for clemency,” adds another. Public figures such as Viola Davis, Rihanna, Amy Schumer, and Ashley Judd agree — they have all been vocal supporters of Brown’s fight for freedom.

“Murder to Mercy” is directed by Daniel H. Birman, who previously chronicled Brown’s case in “Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story,” an installment of PBS’ “Independent Lens.”

“Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story” hits Netflix April 29. Brown has spoken out about the project, emphasizing that it is “unauthorized.” She explained, “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.”