Dwayne McLemore The State file photo (Columbia, S.C.)
Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, shown at a 2019 South Carolina football game in Columbia, South Carolina, also was a lawyer who helped at least two men regain their freedom. Kryst died Sunday by suicide at her New York apartment building Sunday, police said. She was 30 years old.
Cheslie Kryst gained nationwide recognition when she won the Miss USA pageant in 2019, but she also will be remembered for her commitment to social reform and helping incarcerated individuals get a second chance at life.
Kryst died Sunday by suicide at her New York apartment building Sunday, police said. She was 30 years old.
In December, Kryst, her stepfather David Simpkins and attorney MiAngel Cody helped a North Carolina man regain his freedom after 25 years in prison, according to the LEPR Agency.
Edward Watson, 58, was sentenced in 1996 to life imprisonment plus 45 years for crack trafficking and weapons charges, according to records obtained by the Observer. His first appeal was filed in 1997, but his case didn’t gain momentum until last March.
The First Step Act in 2018 opened the doors for Watson’s release. The bill, signed into law by President Donald Trump, focuses on reforming federal prisons and sentencing laws to reduce recidivism and lower the federal inmate population.
Watson’s case was the first pro bono project Kryst worked on after her graduation from Wake Forest University School of Law in 2017. During the case, Kryst was working as a civil litigation attorney with Poyner Spruill in Charlotte.
On July 30, a U.S. District Court judge reduced Watson’s sentence to 25 years. Watson was released from the federal prison in Hampton, S.C., on Aug. 3, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons records.
“It was an honor to do this truly life-changing and impactful work,” Kryst, who also was a correspondent with Extra TV at the time, said in the release. “Mr. Watson deserves freedom and I’m glad that was possible with this incredible team. David and MiAngel’s unrelenting work, compassion, and intellect brought him home.
“I am truly grateful for this legal team who never gave up,” Watson said in the release. “Having another shot at freedom meant spending time with my family and friends and having an opportunity to recapture what was lost when I was sentenced.”
Rivera was Kryst, who attended high school and college in South Carolina, helped free another man when she worked with Brittany Barnett from the Buried Alive Project, a nonprofit that wants to dismantle life without parole sentences handed down under federal drug laws. The two women won freedom for Alfred Rivera, who served 18 years of a life sentence for a low-level drug offense.
In a Facebook post Monday, Barnett called her friend a “beloved soul, cherished human, brightest light and vibrant force.”
“I’m heartbroken and still trying to find the words,” Barnett wrote. “Cheslie, you touched lives all over the world. An inspiration to so many. So talented, brilliant, caring, compassionate…..GENUINE. Your legacy is secure. We celebrate your life. Rest in paradise, Queen. I love you forever.”
Staff writer Michael Gordon contributed to this story.
Jonathan Limehouse: (704) 218-9278, @jon_limehouse