A California babysitter used her service, specifically created to work with special needs children, to prey on small defenseless girls as young as three and allowed her boyfriend to molest them.
Brittney Mae Lyon wept as she was sentenced to a century in prison on Thursday for sexually assaulting at least four girls she was entrusted to watch, creating a demonic system of child abuse with 31-year-old Samuel Cabrera.
Lyon, also 31, had pleaded guilty in May to two felony counts of lewd act upon a child and two counts of forcible lewd act upon a child, according to the San Diego District Attorney.
Two of the girls were diagnosed with autism, one was nonverbal.
Lyon and Cabrera regularly communicated to plan access to the children as the babysitter either brought them to her boyfriend’s house or invited him into her home when the children were there.
Lyon, at times, joined Cabrera in the disgusting acts or assaulted them alone.
The babysitter from hell obtained drugs and other items to abuse the young girls.
The horrid scheme was only uncovered when the 7-year-old told her mother she didn’t want to go anywhere with the babysitter, who was a family friend, back in 2016.
The girl’s mother reported her fears to the police and Lyon was arrested.
Officials tracked down Cabrera after a short police chase.
Police discovered a double-locked box inside Cabrera’s car, which contained six computer hard drives with hundreds of videos depicting the duo sexually abusing the children, and at times, drugging or assaulting them, using extreme cruelty and brutality.
Dozens of videos recorded by Lyon captured women and girls in changing rooms at clothing stores, bathrooms and locker rooms across the North County area.
A search was launched for other victims, and the families of the 3-year-olds stepped forward, saying they hired Lyon through an online babysitting website.
Lyon was handed a 100 years-to-life sentence on Aug. 14.
Cabrera was convicted by a jury in 2019 and sentenced to eight life terms without parole in 2021.
California parole laws allow Lyon to petition for parole when she turns 50, meaning she could potentially serve 28 years in state lockup.
“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,” State Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones said after the sentencing.
“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.”
Politicians in the Golden State introduced Senate Bill 286 aimed at amending the current state law and excluding convicted sex offenders from applying for elderly parole.
A separate proposal, Assembly Bill 47, seeks to prevent sex offenders from qualifying for early parole under the elder parole law.
Both bills are in limbo, sitting in the “suspense file” with the respective chambers’ appropriations committee.
San Diego DA Summer Stephan is an advocate for the bills as a measure to protect the community from violent sex offenders and murderers.
“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. The age of 50 is hardly ’elderly,’ particularly is the realm of child molesters, who need only be in a position of trust and power to access and sexually abuse children.”
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