A 51-year-old man in California faces decades in prison after admitting to abducting his twin 2-year-old daughters and purposefully driving his pickup truck down a cliff and into the sea below following an argument with the girl’s mother. Robert Brians formally pled guilty on Friday to two counts of attempted murder and kidnapping, as well as one count of child abuse, burglary, and domestic violence.
Brian and the two infants somehow escaped the accident with major injuries, despite the pickup truck tipping over and striking the water upside down.
The plea came after Brian’s defense attorney and prosecutors reached an agreement to drop many lesser counts.
According to City News Service, officers from the San Diego Police Department began hunting for Brian at 4:30 a.m. on June 13, 2020, after his ex-wife contacted 911 to say that he had gone to his parents’ house and stolen their twin babies without permission.
After taking his daughters, Brian sent his ex-wife a series of scary text messages threatening to kill them.
One letter read, “The girls are going to Heaven, and I’m going to Hell to wait for you,” according to City News.
According to San Diego NBC affiliate KNSD, Brian’s ex-wife testified against him in court, claiming that he also sent her many texts that morning threatening to drive himself and their children off a cliff.
Brian was then videotaped on a traffic camera at 5:09 a.m., traveling up to 70 mph before speeding off the Sunset Cliffs in San Diego’s Point Loma neighborhood.
Brian was out on bond for a second felony charge when the incident occurred.
Detective Aletha Lennier of the San Diego Police Department also testified, indicating that Brian had posted on Facebook a few hours prior, “Tonight, I’m sending my babies to Heaven.”
Police were reportedly able to trace Brian down to the Sunset Cliffs area using his cell phone when patrol officers noticed his vehicle just before he fell over the cliff. A seasoned canine officer who arrived on the site used a 100-foot dog leash to rappel down the side of the cliff and into the ocean, where he discovered Brian and the girls. According to KNSD, Brian was in the water ranting about his ex-wife while the police assisted in safely returning all three to shore.
Jonathan Wiese, the canine officer, got the Carnegie Medal for his bravery. Brian’s plea agreement reportedly involves a 31-year sentence in a state correctional prison. He is scheduled to appear at his sentencing hearing on September 20.