SAN DIEGO, CA – A California father received a lengthy prison sentence on Friday after admitting to abducting his twin 2-year-old daughters and intentionally driving his truck off a cliff, plunging into the water below. Miraculously, all three survived the terrifying incident, where the vehicle landed upside down.

Robert Brians, 51, was sentenced to 31 years in a state correctional facility. He was also ordered to stay away from his daughters for the next decade and fined $20,000. Brian had previously pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including two counts of attempted murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count each of child abuse, burglary, and domestic violence.

Jenna Brians, the mother of the girls, expressed relief at the sentencing. “Knowing that this day was coming has been haunting us for four years,” she stated. “But it’s a relief to finally have closure, particularly for my daughters, knowing their father is taking responsibility for his horrendous actions.”

San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Francesca Balerio, who prosecuted the case, condemned Brians’s actions strongly. “To use innocent children, especially your own, as pawns to avenge a spouse is the epitome of evil,” she said.

During the court session, Robert Brians issued a tearful apology, saying, “I love my babies, and I’m sorry.”

The incident unfolded early on June 13, 2020, when San Diego Police began searching for Brians. His ex-wife called 911 around 4:30 a.m., reporting that he had taken their twin girls from his parents’ home without permission and threatened to kill them. Brians sent several ominous texts to his ex-wife, including one saying, “The girls are going to Heaven and I’m going to Hell to wait for you.”

Traffic camera footage captured Brians driving up to 70 mph before he veered off Sunset Cliffs in San Diego’s Point Loma community. At that time, Brians was reportedly out on bond for a separate felony charge.

Detective Aletha Lennier testified that Brians had posted on Facebook hours earlier, saying, “Tonight, I’m sending my babies to Heaven,” foreshadowing his intent.

Police traced Brians’s location via his cellphone and followed him to the Sunset Cliffs. Patrol officers arrived just before his vehicle went over the edge. A veteran canine officer, Jonathan Wiese, used a 100-foot leash to rappel down the cliffside and into the water, rescuing Brians and the girls.

Officer Wiese was later awarded the Carnegie Medal for his bravery.