Alexis Martin was a teenager charged with murder. She hadn't pulled the trigger, but she

had been in the house when a robbery turned into a murder, and now a man was dead. At

just 15 years old, Alexis was caught in the criminal justice system. Prosecutors said

she helped plot the 2013 robbery with three adults. But Alexis was also a victim herself.

36-year-old Angelo Kerney, the man killed in the shooting, had been sex trafficking her.

Alexis's story was chronicled in a recent Washington Post story with the headline,

This State of Ohio vs. A Sex Traffic Teenager. Joining us today in this episode is Washington

Post reporter Jessica Contrera, who wrote the long-form piece that explores what happens

if a child who is being sexually trafficked commits a violent crime. Is the child punished

or protected? Jessica would write in her story, quote,

Across the country courts are grappling with whether to punish or protect children who

are both perpetrators of serious crimes and victims of sex trafficking. In Alexis's

case, the abuse was disregarded, and she would always live with the consequences.

In some states there are safeguards in place. In Ohio, where Alexis is from, they have

a safe harbor law that's supposed to make sure sex trafficked children receive services,

including a guardian ad lightem to advocate for them before they face court proceedings.

The law was meant to help keep sex trafficked minors out of adult criminal court. But what

if those protections fail? What if prosecutors and judges and someone's own defense attorney

mishandles the case? Even Alexis's own attorney didn't know the law that could have given

his client resources and possibly even her freedom. This is Jillian and in partnership with

law and crime. You are listening to Court Junkie, episode 166.

To begin, let's get to know Alexis Martin. You'll hear Jessica Contrara throughout this

...