A California man is facing three decades in prison after admitting that he drove off a cliff with his 2-year-old twins in an attempted murder-suicide.
Robert Brians, 51, pleaded guilty to several charges including attempted murder and kidnapping on Friday, Aug. 9, in connection with the June 2020 incident, the San-Diego Union-Tribune, FOX 5 and NBC 7 reported.
Early in the morning of June 13, 2020, Brians’ wife called the San Diego Sheriff’s Department claiming he had taken their kids away and was threatening to drive off a cliff with them, police said at the time, per NBC 7. His wife confirmed this account during a preliminary hearing in 2021, per the Union-Tribune and FOX 5.
Authorities were able to swiftly locate Brians and his truck off a cliff in San Diego, leading to a heroic rescue by an officer at the scene, per NBC and the Union-Tribune.
The children, then a pair of 2-year-old twins, survived the attempted murder but one of them suffered severe injuries, including to her brain, according to authorities who testified in court, per NBC 7.
“He had both girls. He was holding them and trying to tread water, but they were all going under,” officer Jonathan Wiese, who rescued the twins, told the outlet at the time. “One was awake and crying, the other one was pretty lifeless.”
In a GoFundMe set up for the girls soon after the incident, a family member said they were recovering well.
Father arraigned after being accused of driving off cliff with twin daughtersnone
During the investigation, authorities learned that after Brians kidnapped his children, he exchanged angry text messages with his wife, indicating his plans to drive off the cliff with them, per the San-Diego Union-Tribune, FOX 5 and NBC 7.
“The girls are going to Heaven and I’m going to Hell to wait for you,” he wrote in one message presented at the preliminary hearing, per the outlets.
He also wrote a post on Facebook just minutes before driving off the cliff: “Tonight, I’m sending my babies to Heaven.”
Following his arrest, he initially pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges, NBC 7 and FOX 5 reported.
On Friday, he entered guilty pleas for charges of attempted murder, kidnapping, burglary, child abuse and domestic violence in exchange for a lesser sentence and other charges being dropped, per FOX 5. The girls’ mother said, “Thank you for the closure” during the hearing.
Brians faces 31 years in prison, the San-Diego Union-Tribune and NBC 7 reported. He is scheduled to be sentenced in September, per the San Diego District Attorney’s Office.
