A 36-year-old Kent man pleaded guilty April 9 in Seattle to 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.
Brian Keith Beston entered the plea at King County Superior Court in Seattle, according to the King County Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutors will recommend that Benson be sentenced to a minimum of 26 years. He potentially could face up to life in prison. Because Beston committed a Class A felony, the Washington Indeterminate Sentence Review Board will determine whether he gets released after he serves his 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.
Beston is scheduled to be sentenced 1 p.m. May 14 before King County Superior Court Judge Regina Cahan in Seattle. Beston remains in custody at the county jail in Seattle in lieu of $500,000 bail. Meanwhile, Hollie Beston, his estranged wife, faces the same charges for abuse of the girl. Hollie Beston is scheduled to return to court April 20 for a hearing when a trial date could be set or attorneys from either side could ask for more time to prepare the case.
Hollie Beston, 31, of Burien, remains in the county jail in Seattle with bail at $500,000. Hollie and Brian Beston each pleaded not guilty Nov. 10 to the rape and other charges.
The prosecutor’s office alleges Hollie Beston filmed Brian Beston sexually assaulting the girl, and the images reportedly were sent over the Internet to a man in San Diego. Seattle Police arrested the couple Oct. 23 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.
Detectives served search warrants on the homes of the couple last fall and removed computers, cameras, flash drives, cell phones and other items.
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