On September 29, 2021, Utah mother Ashley Lytton made a frightening discovery that forever altered her outlook on her decade-long marriage to her husband Jason and the family they’d formed together.
According to ABC News, the mother of three accidentally discovered a hidden folder containing child sexual assault evidence in her husband’s iCloud account. Earlier that day, Jason had asked Ashley to set up a Venmo account for him. But when he changed his mind shortly after, in what Ashley described as a panicked mood, Ashley got suspicious and proceeded to search his computer files.
Ashley eventually contacted the police, and they began investigating a series of disturbing charges against Jason.
Nursing Home Staff Arrested for ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULT OF PATIENT With Early-onset Dementia
This case is now the subject of the second season of Hulu’s Betrayal: A Father’s Secret, which debuted on July 30. ABC Studios’ three-part docuseries, based on the true-crime podcast series Betrayal, includes interviews with Ashley, her 15-year-old daughter Avaya (Jason’s stepdaughter), and others who recall the case.
According to ABC News, Ashley and Jason met while she was a single mother raising her two children from a previous relationship. They married four years later and had a small daughter together. The family quickly gained popularity in their hometown of Riverton, Utah.
In the series’ trailer, Ashley recalls the day she discovered the hidden folder — and she struggles to convey what she discovered.
“I don’t think I can say it, I’m sorry,” she tells herself. “I just need a break.”
Minnesota Man Convicted of MURDERING COWORKER AFTER REPEATED REJECTIONS; Faces Life Sentence
Ashley called Riverton City police and, with their assistance, enticed Jason to a Walmart parking lot in October 2021 under the guise of discussing problems, ABC News claimed. Instead, he was arrested.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by ABC 4 Utah, authorities discovered over 1,000 photographs and videos of child sexual abuse material during a search of Jason’s iCloud account and cell phone. The unidentified person who alerted the police stated that the images they found appeared to be of girls aged 8 to 15. According to the affidavit, Jason said he “had a problem.”
Jason faced 100 charges of sexual exploitation of a minor. However, after accepting a plea agreement, he was eventually convicted on lesser charges, according to ABC 4 Utah. He pleaded guilty to one sexual exploitation charge and two voyeurism offenses.
Jason was sentenced to 329 days in Salt Lake County Jail with credit for time already served, as well as two years of supervised probation, according to the outlet. In addition to his term, he was required to complete a cognitive behavioral program and a mental health evaluation. He was also sentenced to comply with the Group A Sex Offender requirements, according to the publication.
According to ABC News, Jason served only 10 months in prison before returning to the Riverton, Utah, neighborhood where Ashley and her family still live today.