Latest news with #SamuelCabrera
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
North County babysitter sentenced to life for sexually abusing autistic children
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A San Marcos woman who posed as a trusted babysitter to gain access to young special needs children—then provided them to her boyfriend for sexual abuse— has been sentenced to 100 years to life in prison, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced Thursday. Video above by Nexstar Media Wire explains resources for crime victims Brittney Lyon, 31, pleaded guilty in May to multiple counts of child sexual abuse, including two count of lewd acts upon a child and two counts of forcible lewd acts. She also admitted to allegations of kidnapping, residential burglary, and sexually assaulting multiple victims. According to prosecutors, Lyon and her boyfriend, Samuel Cabrera, targeted at least for young girls—two of whom were just 3 years old and two others that were 7. Two of the victims had autism, and one of them was non-verbal. FBI San Diego warns students that 'hoax threats are not a joke' Cabrera was convicted by a jury in 2019 and is currently serving eight life terms without the possibility of parole. 'Today's just sentence ends a despicable chapter that has destroyed innocence and devastated families in San Diego County,' said District Attorney Stephan. 'This defendant was ruthless in posing as a trustworthy babysitter and recruiting autistic children, only to commit the most atrocious acts upon them.' The abuse came to light in 2016 when one of the victims, a 7-year-old girl, told her mother she no longer wanted to be alone with Lyon. Her disclosure led to an investigation that uncovered hundreds of disturbing videos on computer hard drives found in Cabrera's possession after a police chase. According to the DA's Office, the footage documented brutal acts and abuse carried out by Lyon and Cabrera, with the children being drugged and assaulted. Law enforcement also discovered dozens of secretly recorded videos taken by Lyon in dressing rooms, bathrooms and locker rooms at various North County businesses, prompting investigators to seek help from the public to identify potential victims. Authorities say Lyon advertised her babysitting services on a website, specifically marketing herself as someone who wanted to work with special-needs children. Communications between her and Cabrera revealed that they regularly coordinated access to children, with Lyon either transporting them to Cabrera's home or allowing him access while babysitting in her own or the victims' homes. While Lyon was sentenced to more than a century in prison, under California's current elderly parole laws, she could be eligible to petition for release at age 50—after serving only 28 years. That possibility has sparked criticism from officials and lawmakers, who are now pushing legislation to close the so-called 'elder parole loophole' for violent sex offenders. Senate Bill 286, co-sponsored by DA Stephan and authored by Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R-Santee), would exclude individuals convicted of crimes like Lyon's from qualifying for elderly parole. The bill is currently stalled in the Senate Appropriations Committee, the DA's Office stating that it likely won't make it to a floor vote this legislative session. 'Now, it's time for the state to do its job and honor that sentence for the sake of the victims,' Sen. Jones said. 'Shamefully, a loophole in California law could allow Lyon to walk free after serving less than a third of her sentence. Senate Bill 286 would close that loophole and ensure violent child rapists serve their full sentences.' A companion bill in the Assembly, AB 47, authored by Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (D-Elk Grove), is also stuck in committee. 'Our goal in supporting these bills is to safeguard the just sentences that violent sex offenders and murderers are given by the courts after they committed some of the most heinous offenses and stop them from being released back into the community with plenty of opportunity to reoffend,' Stephan continued. 'The victims, their families and the safety of all children in California need to be the priority, not Ms. Lyon and other violent child molesters like her.' San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond plans to introduce a board letter supporting both bills at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Aug. 26, per the DA's Office. 'This is a critical step in protecting the safety of our communities, particularly our most vulnerable populations,' Desmond said. 'Allowing individuals convicted of violent sex offenses to be considered for early release undermines the trust and security of the public, and we cannot allow that to happen.' Editor's note: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Tearful babysitter who sent girls to her boyfriend to molest gets 100 years to life behind bars
A babysitter who delivered little girls to her pedophile boyfriend to molest has been sentenced to 100 years to life in prison. Brittney Mae Lyon, 31, of San Diego, broke down in tears on hearing the news in court after pleading guilty in May to two counts of a lewd act upon a child and two counts of a forcible lewd act upon a child. She admitted further counts of kidnapping, residential burglary and sexually assaulting multiple victims. Lyon advertised her babysitting services online - with a particular interest in working with special needs children - and earned the trust of parents who left their kids in her care. But in reality she was sexually abusing the little girls and providing them to her boyfriend Samuel Cabrera, 31, who would film himself molesting them. The victims were aged between three and seven and some were autistic and non-verbal. The abuse came to light in 2016 when a seven-year-old girl told her mother she no longer wanted to be near Lyon, a long-time friend of the family who had acted as a sitter. The girl told her mom about the abuse who went to the police, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. An investigation led Carlsbad police to Cabrera, then 22, and both he and Lyon were arrested. A search of Cabrera's car uncovered a double-locked box containing six computer hard drives with hundreds of videos of him abusing victims. Some of the victims in the videos were drugged and the clips were often filmed with multiple cameras to capture different angles, prosecutors said. The horrifying tapes featured multiple unknown victims, prompting an investigation to track down other families who had hired Lyon as a babysitter. Parents of three of the victims had met Lyon through a babysitting website where she had 'touted her interest in working with special needs children,' according to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office. One mother saw a news story about Lyon and Cabrera's awful crimes and reached out to police, only to learn her own three-year-old was among the victims filmed being abused by the twisted couple. Another victim was a developmentally delayed seven-year-old with autism, who could not dress or bathe herself or speak. Lyon and Cabrera met in high school and he initially convinced her to secretly record women getting changed in dressing rooms and gym locker rooms, prosecutors said. Then, the pedophile asked Lyon to bring children in her care to his home - where she participated in some of the abuse, according to prosecutors. Cabrera went on trial in 2019 charged with 35 felonies, including multiple counts involving child molestation, kidnapping, burglary and conspiracy. It took a North County jury just two hours to convict him on all charges. He was sentenced to eight terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole and 300 additional years. Lyon's case was stalled by Covid courtroom closures and by changes of attorneys. She has been represented by three different defense attorneys over the past nine years: a public defender, then private counsel and then another public defender. At her sentencing inside the Vista Courthouse in San Diego Thursday, the babysitter's defense attorney read a statement on her behalf. 'For nine years, I've thought about what I would say today. I've come to the conclusion that there are no words that would make any of the harm and trauma I've caused any better,' the statement read. 'The words "I'm sorry" are far too simple for the amount of trauma I've caused and the amount of regret that I feel.' Parents of the victims also spoke in court on Thursday. One mother said Lyon 'used her credentials' - such as studying child development - 'to lull us into a state of comfort so we didn't feel like we had to ask a lot of questions about what Brittany did with our daughter when they were together.' What the mother thought was a special trip for their daughter to play places she later learned were 'molestation sessions,' she said. Cabrera is not eligible for parole, but Lyon - who was sentenced to 100 years to life - is. This means it is possible she could be released after serving just a third of her sentence. Some of the victims' parents slammed the possibility that she could be freed in future. 'It's a slap in the face to drag us through this field of broken glass for 10 years only to give Brittney a break,' one mother said. A California law change now allows for 'elder parole' in which inmates who have served at least 20 years of their sentence can petition for a parole hearing when they turn 50. While legislative efforts to exclude sex offenders from this rule have stalled, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office has continued to push for the change. 'The age of 50 is hardly "elderly," particularly in the realm of child molesters, who need only be in a position of trust and power to access and sexually abuse children,' District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a news release in reference to Lyon's sentencing.
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Moment evil babysitter weeps as she's jailed for delivering disabled children to paedophile lover so he could rape them
THIS is the moment a depraved babysitter weeps during her sentencing as she is jailed for delivering disabled children to her sick lover so he could rape them. Brittney Mae Lyon, 31, advertised babysitting services online, with a so-called speciality in working with special needs children. 6 6 6 The twisted carer earned the trust of parents who left their kids under her supervision by boasting she had studied child development. But the San Diego woman was actually sexually abusing the girls - providing them to her boyfriend Samuel Cabrera, 31, so he could molest them. In some cases, he filmed the horrific abuse on victimss as young as three years old and as old as seven. The disabled children were autistic and non-verbal. Lyon pleaded guilty to two counts of a lewd act upon a child and two counts of a forcible lewd act upon a child in May. She also admitted additional allegations of kidnapping, residential burglary and sexually assaulting multiple victims. The chilling abuse came to light in 2016 when a seven-year-old girl told her mum she didn't want to go anywhere with Lyon. The babysitter was even a long term friend of the family and babysat her on multiple occasions. The child then told her mum about the abuse, who then immediately alerted cops, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. A police probe resulted in the arrest of Cabrera, then 22 years old, and Lyon. Watch 'perv' teacher Christina Formella arrive at court with husband by her side…as she's accused of molesting teen boy Cabrera's car contained a double-locked box containing six computer hard drives with hundreds of videos of him abusing victims. Some of the children in the videos were drugged and the clips were often filmed with multiple cameras to capture different angles, prosecutors said. The sickening footage featured multiple unknown victims, sparking an investigation to track down other families who had hired Lyon as a babysitter. Parents of three of the victims said they met Lyon through a babysitting website. They claimed she had "touted her interest in working with special needs children," the San Diego County District Attorney's Office said. One mum even saw a news story about Lyon and Cabrera's heinous crimes, before reaching out to cops. The horrified parent then learned that her own three-year-old was among the victims filmed being abused by the twisted couple. Another one of the pair's victims was a seven-year-old with autism - who could not dress or bathe herself or speak. 6 6 Lyon and Cabrera met in high school, and he initially convinced her to secretly record women getting changed in dressing rooms and gym locker rooms, prosecutors said. The pedophile then asked Lyon to bring children in her care to his home. Lyon participated in some of the abuse herself, according to prosecutors. Cabrera went on trial in 2019 charged with 35 felonies, including multiple counts involving child molestation, kidnapping, burglary and conspiracy. He was convicted on all charges, with the jury taking just two hours to deliberate. The sick abuser was sentenced to eight life sentences without the possibility of parole and 300 additional years. The babysitter's defence attorney read a statement on her behalf. It read: "For nine years, I've thought about what I would say today. "I've come to the conclusion that there are no words that would make any of the harm and trauma I've caused any better. "The words 'I'm sorry' are far too simple for the amount of trauma I've caused and the amount of regret that I feel." A mum of one of the victims said Lyon "used her credentials to lull us into a state of comfort so we didn't feel like we had to ask a lot of questions about what Brittany did with our daughter when they were together". Although Cabrera is not eligible for parole, Lyon is. She was sentenced to 100 years behind bars, but it is possible she could be released after serving just a third of her sentence. 6
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Babysitter weeps as she's given enormous sentence for delivering disabled children to pedophile boyfriend so he could rape them
A San Diego babysitter broke down in tears in court as she was sentenced to 100 years to life in prison for delivering little girls to her pedophile boyfriend to molest. Brittney Mae Lyon, 31, advertised her babysitting services online - with a particular interest in working with special needs children - and earned the trust of parents who left their kids in her care. But, in reality, she was sexually abusing the little girls and providing them to her boyfriend Samuel Cabrera, 31, who would film himself molesting them. The victims were aged between three and seven years old and some were autistic and non-verbal. Lyon pleaded guilty to two counts of a lewd act upon a child and two counts of a forcible lewd act upon a child in May. She also admitted additional allegations of kidnapping, residential burglary and sexually assaulting multiple victims. The sick abuse came to light in 2016 when a seven-year-old girl told her mother she didn't want to go anywhere with Lyon - a long-term friend of the family who also babysat her - anymore. The little girl then told her mom about the abuse who went to the police, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. An investigation led Carlsbad police to Cabrera, then 22, and both he and Lyon were arrested. A search of Cabrera's car uncovered a double-locked box containing six computer hard drives with hundreds of videos of him abusing victims. Some of the victims in the videos were drugged and the clips were often filmed with multiple cameras to capture different angles, prosecutors said. The horrifying tapes featured multiple unknown victims, prompting an investigation to track down other families who had hired Lyon as a babysitter. Parents of three of the victims had met Lyon through a babysitting website where she had 'touted her interest in working with special needs children,' according to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office. One mother saw a news story about Lyon and Cabrera's awful crimes and reached out to police, only to learn that her own three-year-old was among the victims filmed being abused by the twisted couple. Another victim was a developmentally-delayed seven-year-old with autism, who could not dress or bathe herself or speak. Lyon and Cabrera met in high school and he initially convinced her to secretly record women getting changed in dressing rooms and gym locker rooms, prosecutors said. Then, the pedophile asked Lyon to bring children in her care to his home - where she participated in some of the abuse, according to prosecutors. Cabrera went on trial in 2019 charged with 35 felonies, including multiple counts involving child molestation, kidnapping, burglary and conspiracy. It took a North County jury just two hours to convict him on all charges. He was sentenced to eight terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole and 300 additional years. Lyon's case was stalled by Covid courtroom closures and by changes of attorneys. She has been represented by three different defense attorneys over the past nine years: a public defender, then private counsel and then another public defender. At her sentencing inside the Vista Courthouse in San Diego Thursday, the babysitter's defense attorney read a statement on her behalf. 'For nine years, I've thought about what I would say today. I've come to the conclusion that there are no words that would make any of the harm and trauma I've caused any better,' the statement read. 'The words "I'm sorry" are far too simple for the amount of trauma I've caused and the amount of regret that I feel.' Parents of the victims also spoke in court on Thursday. One mother said Lyon 'used her credentials' - such as studying child development - 'to lull us into a state of comfort so we didn't feel like we had to ask a lot of questions about what Brittany did with our daughter when they were together'. What the mother thought was a special trip for their daughter to play places she later learned were 'molestation sessions,' she said. Cabrera is not eligible for parole, but Lyon - who was sentenced to 100 years to life - is. This means it is possible she could be released after serving just a third of her sentence. Some of the victims' parents slammed the possibility that she could be freed in future. 'It's a slap in the face to drag us through this field of broken glass for 10 years only to give Brittney a break,' one mother said. A California law change now allows for 'elder parole,' where inmates who have served at least 20 years of their sentence can petition for a parole hearing when they turn 50. While legislative efforts to exclude sex offenders from this rule have stalled, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office has continued to push for the change. 'The age of 50 is hardly "elderly," particularly in the realm of child molesters, who need only be in a position of trust and power to access and sexually abuse children,' District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a news release in reference to Lyon's sentencing.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Female babysitter asked to care for disabled children because her pedophile boyfriend liked sexually abusing them
A babysitter who wanted to gain access to young special needs children so that her pedophile boyfriend could abuse them has been sentenced to 100 years in prison. Brittney Lyon, 31, procured at least four young girls, two aged three and two aged seven, for her partner Samuel Cabrera, 31, to molest while she participated in 2016. San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan released a statement about the horrific case on Thursday, saying Lyon had been sentenced to 100 years or life in jail. Stephan said that two of the girls had an autism diagnosis, and one was non-verbal. She slammed Lyon's abuse as 'despicable' and 'ruthless'. Lyon, of San Marcos, California, pleaded guilty in May to two felony counts of lewd act upon a child and two counts of forcible lewd act upon a child. She also admitted to several counts of kidnapping, residential burglary and sexually assaulting multiple victims. Meanwhile, her pedophile boyfriend Cabrera was previously convicted by a jury in 2019 and sentenced to eight life terms without parole in 2021. Officials became aware of the abuse one of the seven-year-old girls told her mother in 2016 that she no longer wanted to go anywhere with Lyon, who was a family friend. Police investigated Lyon and Cabrera, and found a double-locked box in his car containing six computer hard drives containing hundreds of videos of the abuse. They showed the couple sexually abusing the children and even drugging them, while 'using extreme cruelty and brutality', according to the attorney's office. 'In addition to the videos of the young victims, there were dozens of videos that Lyon had taken surreptitiously of women and girls in changing rooms at clothing stores, bathrooms and locker rooms at various North County businesses,' Stephan said. After the first child came forward, police tracked down parents who had hired Lyon, who had posted her babysitting services online. The other three victims had responded to Lyon's ad saying she wanted to work with special needs children specifically. Police also seized phones belonging to Lyon and Cabrera, and found messages showing them regularly coordinating access to the children at their houses. 'Today's just sentence ends a despicable chapter that has destroyed innocence and devastated families in San Diego County,' DA Stephan said on Thursday. 'This defendant was ruthless in posing as a trustworthy babysitter and recruiting autistic children, only to commit the most atrocious acts upon them.' Though Stephan sentenced Lyon to 100 years in jail, under current laws she will be eligible for parole at age 50, meaning she will only have served 28 years. Stephan is pushing legislation to exclude convicted sex offenders from the elderly parole laws under the proposed Senate Bill 286. The bill was tabled by State Senator Brian Jones, but it is currently in the suspense file of the Senate Appropriations Committee meaning it won't be debated for a while. Jones has cited Lyon's case to argue for his proposed legislation to be expedited. 'After the horrific sexual crimes Brittney Lyon committed against children, District Attorney Summer Stephan did her job in securing a just sentence of 100 years-to-life,' he said. 'Now, it's time for the state to do its job and honor that sentence for the sake of the victims. 'Shamefully, a loophole in California law could allow Lyon to walk free after serving less than a third of her sentence. 'Senate Bill 286 would close that loophole and ensure violent child rapists serve their full sentences. 'I'm calling on my Democrat colleagues to stop protecting predators, move this important bill forward, and deliver justice for victims.'
