A tense courtroom in San Diego erupted in emotion Thursday as victims’ families confronted 31-year-old babysitter Brittney Mae Lyon, calling her a “monster” before she was sentenced to 100 years to life in prison. Lyon, who admitted in May 2025, has been convicted of sexually abusing several girls between the ages of three and seven, including autistic and nonverbal children, and of handing them over to her boyfriend, Samuel Cabrera Jr., to be subjected to other forms of victimization.
Judge Daniel Link, in San Diego County courthouse, heard the sentencing. Families gave raw, emotional statements, describing the lasting impact of Lyon’s abuse.
“She broke our trust, our kids, our lives,”
one parent said. The judge described the crimes as “despicable,” and he talked of the deliberate, long-term nature of the mistreatment.
Prosecutors underscored Lyon’s active participation, saying she was not coerced but voluntarily engaged in the crimes. Deputy District Attorney Jodi Breton noted that Lyon even “bartered” access to children in exchange for attention from Cabrera. Lyon’s pleas to the court reportedly included brief displays of remorse, but families remained unsparing in their condemnation.
Between 2014 and 2016, Lyon and Cabrera orchestrated a disturbing pattern of sexual abuse. They targeted children through online babysitting platforms such as Care.com, offering services that gave them access to victims’ homes. Lyon was described by prosecutors as cultivating trust with parents, particularly of special-needs children, to facilitate the assaults.
Cabrera, who met Lyon in high school, had previously persuaded her to secretly film women in locker rooms and dressing rooms, an early indicator of the couple’s predatory tendencies. Once the abuse escalated to children, Cabrera recorded hundreds of videos from multiple angles across six hard drives, documenting assaults that took place in Lyon’s home, Cabrera’s home, and the victims’ residences.
The volume of the evidence took authorities and the public by surprise. Dozens of videos were recovered, which included videos of kids getting medicated or handcuffed. The investigation was initiated in 2016 after a seven-year-old girl confessed that she didn’t want to see Lyon. After her confession, police and FBI officials tried to trace the crimes and eventually tracked down to Lyon and Cabrera’s arrest in July.
In 2021, Cabrera, 31, received eight life-without-parole sentences plus more than 300 years for his role in the abuses, including charges of child molestation, kidnapping, burglary, and conspiracy. Lyon’s sentence of 100 years to life came four years later, reflecting the continued legal proceedings and her plea deal acknowledging multiple felony sex crimes.
The case has ignited broader concerns about child safety and online caregiver vetting. Parents and advocates are calling for stricter background checks on platforms like Care.com, citing vulnerabilities for children with disabilities.
And California’s older parole code allows chosen convicts to petition for parole at 50, so in principle, Lyon can petition after having served slightly more than 28 years. Prosecutors and the families of the victims have showed vigorous opposition, so Senate Bill 286 and Assembly Bill 47 were introduced as bills to mandate violent sex offenders to not use the loophole.
San Diego County DA Summer Stephan highlighted the social lesson:
“These crimes violate the trust on which society itself is based. There has to be justice, and our children have to be shielded.”
