Silke Jasso
Former “American Idol” contestant Brandon Cox was sentenced to 70 years in prison on Wednesday after being found guilty of multiple charges related to child pornography. He was convicted in January, despite his insisting that he was innocent, and was awarded the maximum sentence for seven counts of possession of illicit files.
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“We asked for 10 years on each count, we are happy the judge saw the evidence as it was,” Assistant District Attorney Kristy Peoples said.
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The one-time reality star, who made it to the Hollywood round on the show, consistently tried to convince the jury of his innocence throughout the trial. However, 275 images were discovered on Cox’s computer that showed “toddlers, sexual penetration (and) oral sex,” including one image featuring an “infant engaged in a sex act.”
“It’s very rare for us to deal with child porn cases where the images depict such young victims,” District Attorney Randall Houston said. “Usually it may be young girls, 14 to 15, which is bad, don’t get me wrong. But he had photos and videos of toddlers, 4- or 5-year-olds. There were even photos of an infant engaged in sexual acts.”
Prosecutors say Cox’s 4-year-old son is the main reason for his lengthy sentence, as they felt the need to protect the child.
“It was a huge concern,” Peoples explained. “Most of the children in these images and videos were male toddlers and younger male children.”
‘American Idol’ Contestant Gets 70 Years In Prison For Child Porn Including Infants https://t.co/4dHWvVfNqo pic.twitter.com/PbJiWs5QrP
— peter alexander (@carribablue) April 14, 2017
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