A father who tried to kill his twin daughters by driving them off a cliff was seen crying in court after being sentenced to 31 years in prison.
Robert Brians, 51, pleaded guilty to two charges: attempted murder, kidnapping, child abuse, burglary and domestic violence.
On June 12, 2020, police encountered Brians at Sunset Cliffs, where they witnessed his truck rapidly accelerate and then plunge off a 30-foot cliff.
San Diego police officer Jonathan Wiese bravely rappelled down the cliff to rescue the victims. All three survived with injuries.
Jenna Brians, the twins’ mother, said she had been waiting for this day for four years, KNSD reported.
Robert Brians, 51, has been sentenced to 31 years in prison for the attempted murder of his twin daughters
On June 13, 2020, police found Brians at Sunset Cliffs, where they observed his truck rapidly accelerating before plunging off a 30-foot cliff
“It’s nice to finally have closure today, not just for me, but especially for my daughters. I know their father is taking responsibility for the terrible actions he committed that day and the choices he made.”
Brians kidnapped twins Hailey and Aubrey from his parents’ home during a planned visit and drove away with them on June 12, 2020.
Jenna called police around 4:30 a.m. on June 13 after receiving a series of texts and phone calls from Brians “clearly indicating she might never see her children again.”
“The girls are going to heaven and I’m going to hell to wait for you,” read one of the letters.
Brians previously posted a message on Facebook in which he wrote, “Tonight I’m sending my babies to heaven.”
His wife Jenna Brians called police around 4:30 a.m. on June 13 after receiving a series of text messages and phone calls from Brians “clearly indicating she might never see her children again.”
Jenna told the judge that the twin girls, Aubrey and Hailey, were healthy and moving on
Jenna thought her estranged husband was going to drive off the Coronado Bridge, but police spotted him driving near Sunset Cliffs around 5 a.m.
Brian’s pickup truck veered off the road and plunged over the cliff. Miraculously, Hailey and Aubrey, who were sitting on his lap, survived the crash.
K9 Officer Jonathan Wiese used a 100-foot line as a makeshift rope to rappel down the cliff, with five other officers holding the other end. He then dove into the ocean to rescue the victims and saw Brian holding the girls in his arms.
Aubrey clung to his neck, crying, while Hailey looked lifeless.
Brians spoke angrily about his estranged wife and said he would die with the girls. Other officers lowered a backpack to hoist the girls into an ambulance while Wiese pulled Brian to the side.
Both girls suffered minor injuries, but Hailey suffered a brain hemorrhage and compression fractures in her vertebrae and required respiratory support.
Brians and his daughters were all rescued by heroic police officer Jonathan Wiese, who rappelled down the cliff and swam to the sinking car to pull them from the water
They were admitted to intensive care, but within a few weeks they were happily playing on the beach again and put the ordeal behind them.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the twins’ future and has raised $18,260 of a goal of $25,000.
Prosecutor Francesca Balerio condemned Brian’s actions, calling them “the height of evil” as he wanted to harm his own children to get revenge on his ex-wife.
Brians’ public defender Manuel Avitia argued that he had already won the case, since he and the girls survived.
However, the judge imposed a restraining order, preventing Brians from communicating with his ex-wife or the girls, adding that the twins would be allowed to make their own decisions about their relationship with their father when they were older.
Brians briefly thanked the police and expressed his condolences and regret to the judge.
“I love my babies, and I’m sorry,” he said in court.