A 32-year-old Burien woman was sentenced Friday to a minimum of 26 years in prison for first-degree rape of a child, first-degree child molestation, sexual exploitation of a minor and dealing in child pornography in connection with the rape of a 4-year-old girl as well as sending videos of the abuse to a pedophile in California.
Hollie Beston received the same sentence that her ex-husband Brian K. Beston, 36, of Kent, received in June on the same charges in connection with the girl.
King County Superior Court Judge Mariane Spearman sentenced Hollie Beston in Seattle to 26 years up to a maximum of life in prison, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Because Brian and Hollie Beston each committed a Class A felony, the Washington Indeterminate Sentence Review Board will determine whether either gets released after serving their sentence. The board evaluates the offender’s risk of reoffending and compliance with treatment programs in prison to determine whether to allow the release of the inmate.
Hollie Beston pleaded guilty to the charges in December. Brian Beston pleaded guilty to the charges in April.
The prosecutor’s office reported that Hollie Beston filmed Brian Beston sexually assaulting the girl, and the images were sent over the Internet to a man in San Diego, according to charging papers.
Seattle Police arrested the couple in October 2009 after the FBI forwarded information to the officers about a case involving Richard Hockaday, a 38-year-old man facing child-molestation charges in San Diego.
Hockaday told federal investigators that he met the couple over the Internet through a Craigslist advertisement when he posed as a single mother who wanted to meet other single parents in Seattle or San Diego.
According to charging papers, Brian Beston responded to the ad through e-mail and introduced Hollie Beston to Hockaday through e-mail and instant messaging.
The couple started to exchange child pornography with Hockaday, including images of the 4-year-old girl engaging in sexual acts. During one incident, Brian Beston turned on his computer Web cam and performed sexual acts with the girl that Hockaday watched.
Brian Beston admitted to police that he had ongoing sexual abuse of the girl approximately once or twice per week from June through early October of 2009. He also admitted to taking photos and video of the sexual abuse and sending them over the Internet.
Hollie Beston told police she assisted her ex-husband with the sexual abuse of the girl and took photos and video of the sexual abuse.
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