Keith Scott Brown

Sources

1. Father of The 5 Browns pleads guilty to sexually abusing his daughters, KSL, February 17, 2011.
2. Actual abuse of 5 Browns daughters went far beyond charges, Salt Lake Tribune, September 6, 2011.
3. How 'Terribly Remorseful' 5 Browns Dad Struck a Deal, People, February 18, 2011.
4. Keith Scott Brown, Offender Radar, December 4, 2025.

• 1. Father of The 5 Browns pleads guilty to sexually abusing his daughters

  • 17 Feb 2011
  • News article
  • KSL

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  https://web.archive.org/web/20110220052014/http://www.ksl.com/?sid=14411718&nid=148

  ---PROVO — The father of The 5 Browns — his face scratched with injuries from a spectacular Monday auto accident — pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually abusing his daughters when they were children.

  Keith Brown, 55, appeared very solemn and serious during his appearance. He was just recently released from the hospital where he was treated for injuries from a Monday night accident in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

  "Both sides wanted [the case] resolved rather quickly. It was a good resolution." -David Sturgill

  In a voice barely audible, Brown pleaded guilty to sodomy on a child, a first-degree felony, and two counts of sex abuse of a child, a second-degree felony.

  Brown will be sentenced March 31 at 10 a.m. Prosecutors will recommend that he spend 10 years to life in prison.

  The charges against him were only filed last week. But police have been working on the case for months, and the resulting charges and Thursday's plea were part of an agreement reached between prosecutors, Brown's attorney and his daughters — Desirae, 32; Deondra, 30; and Melody, 26.

  Brown's attorney, Steve Shapiro, said he has been having discussions with prosecutors about the case for past six months.

  Keith Brown appeared solemn as he attended court to plead guilty to sex abuse charges Thursday.

  "Today was the next step in a very long process that Keith has been going through to accept responsibility," Shapiro said. "He's terribly remorseful for what has happened and what he's put his family through."

  Shapiro said his client first went to his LDS bishop to confess the abuse. But prosecutor David Sturgill said it was the daughters who first reported the abuse to police.

  In a statement released late Thursday, a spokesman for the 5 Brown said the daughters initiated the case against their father. "The women were motivated to approach law enforcement out of concern for the welfare and protection of other young women and girls," Kimball Thomson said.

  He said the daughters are "at peace" with the agreement and "relieved and grateful to close this chapter in their lives."

  The sodomy charge stemmed from oral sex incidents that occurred between November 1990 and October 1992, according to prosecutors. Since the crimes occurred in the early '90s, Brown can only be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years to life in prison because of the law 20 years ago. If this incident had occurred today, Brown would be facing 25 years to life in prison, Sturgill said.

  "The women were motivated to approach law enforcement out of concern for the welfare and protection of other young women and girls." -Kimball Thomson

  The other two sexual abuse of a child charges were for fondling incidents between 1990 and 1992 and during 1997 and 1998.

  "This wasn't a single incident that occurred between him and each of the girls," Sturgill said. "It was ongoing, and it happened more than once."

  All of the girls were 13 or younger when the incidents occurred, Shapiro said.

  Just four days after the charges were filed, Brown and his wife, Lisa, were seriously injured when their vehicle plummeted about 500 feet off the main road and into Little Cottonwood Creek while they were returning from having dinner at Snowbird. It took rescuers more than two hours to locate the Browns and carry them to waiting medical helicopters.

  Shapiro insisted Thursday that the crash was accidental because Brown was driving too fast for conditions.

  Related:
  KSL 5 Investigates the realities of prosecuting child sex crimes in Utah
  Prosecuting child sex crimes and removing predators from the streets is something Utahans expect -- even demand -- from the courts. But the process isn't simple and can take a very long time to complete.

  Lisa Brown remained hospitalized Thursday. Keith Brown was released from the hospital Tuesday.

  "Both sides wanted it resolved rather quickly," Sturgill said of the criminal case. "It was a good resolution. I believe the victims are happy with the plea bargain."

  Sturgill said the victims wanted their father to take responsibility for his actions and wanted a punishment that was suitable to the crimes and he arranged the plea deal accordingly.

  When pleading guilty, Brown assured the judge he wasn't taking any pain medication and was thinking clearly despite his car crash days earlier. Shapiro confirmed his client was no longer on any painkillers.

  Brown — who had visible cuts above his eye, on both cheeks and under his chin — was not taken into custody after the hearing, which had been part of the negotiations. He seemed emotional, but declined to speak to reporters after the hearing. His sister-in-law, who walked in and out with Brown, also declined to comment.

  "Today was the next step in a very long process to accept responsibility. He's terribly remorseful for what has happened and what he's put his family through." -Steve Shapiro, defense attorney

  The three Brown women severed their professional relationship with their father in October of 2008. He was once the manager of The 5 Browns but now has no connection, a spokesman for the group said.

  Wednesday, The 5 Browns posted a video on their Facebook page. The video shows the group walking around what appears to be New York's Central Park while talking about the joy they have in playing music and how much they enjoy their siblings.

  At the end of the video, there is a message stating, "One of our greatest sources of joy and satisfaction in life is the opportunity to share our music together and with fellow music lovers throughout the world. Thank you to our friends and supporters for their concern and prayers on our behalf during this trying time."

  A spokesman for the group said the piano playing siblings would fulfill their full touring schedule and no shows would be canceled despite the recent events.

• 2. Actual abuse of 5 Browns daughters went far beyond charges

  • 6 Sep 2011
  • News article
  • Salt Lake Tribune

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  A newly released police report shows the extent of child sexual abuse perpetrated against the three women of the piano group The 5 Browns went far beyond the three counts their father, Keith Brown, went to prison for.

  The report and court documents detail abuses that happened over a span of at least eight years, hundreds of times for at least one of the daughters, and across state lines. Keith Brown exchanged emails about the abuse with his daughters before they went to police, the report stated.

  The abuse would last some time for one daughter, and as that daughter got older, Brown would shift his focus to younger daughters, Deputy Utah County Attorney David Sturgill said last week after speaking with the Brown family.

  Yet the egregious crimes may never have fallen into the public eye. Reporters following up on a car accident involving Keith Brown stumbled across charges filed against him just days before. On the way home from a Valentine's Day dinner with his wife, Brown drove his Porsche off the road and plunged 300 feet into a creek in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Police said he had been traveling too fast for the area.

  "The position of a case of this magnitude was to have it resolved as quickly and quietly as possible," said Steven Shapiro, defense attorney for Keith Brown. "The intention was to not have this be any sort of a media event."

  Sturgill said Brown's prosecution was treated "like any other." He pointed out it's hard enough for a victim of sexual assault to come forward, let alone have others know about it. "If I had my way, it wouldn't be reported on [by the news]," Sturgill said.

  But Alana Kindness, executive director of the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said media reports of abuse are advantageous to other victims. She believes the women of The 5 Browns coming forward have made a difference for other victims of a similar crime.

  "I was very grateful to those young adults for coming forward," she said. "People say, 'Oh, I see this can happen to anyone.' It doesn't matter what neighborhood they come from or what family they come from. … It helps break down those misconceptions about who perpetrators are and who the victims are."

  Being properly informed on the behavior of a suspect and the behavior of a victim "is critical in helping [other] victims to understand and not feel shame," Kindness said.

  The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not name victims of sexual abuse, but early on in the case the Brown sisters — Melody, Deondra and Desirae — consented to identifying themselves as their father's victims.

  The women first met with an officer at the Lone Peak Police Department on June 30, 2010, the report states.

  "Each victim told me [she feels] terrible about bringing this information forward; however, due to their father recently obtaining some young female clients where he represents them in his business, they are concerned these things may begin to occur with some of these clients," the police report stated.

  Shapiro said many close to the family knew about the abuse well before the daughters ever came forward. "My understanding of how it happened was the girls spoke with investigators significantly after their father had already spoken with his ecclesiastical leaders and had a conversation with his family," Shapiro said.

  The police report indicates authorities contacted Keith Brown a month later on the phone but did not want to discuss what they wanted to talk to him about.

  "I explained my concern for releasing any detail over the phone due to the nature of the investigation and stature of Keith and his family in the community," the officer wrote in the report.

  Brown told the officer he would call him back but never did. Two hours later Shapiro called the officer and said since the officer wouldn't disclose the issue over the phone he never set up a time to meet with police. Shapiro later spoke with the Utah County attorney's office.

  Nearly eight months later, in February, Keith Brown pleaded guilty to one count of sodomy on a child, a first-degree felony, and two counts sexual abuse of a child, both second-degree felonies. He was sentenced to 10 years to life in prison. Sturgill said the charged crimes were representative of the abuse against each of the daughters, but not of the number of times of actual abuse.

  Putting together a plea deal accomplished what the victims wanted, Sturgill said.

  "[The daughters] wanted a certain result," he said. "They had a number of years they wanted to see him behind bars; this was the simplest way to see that."

  Kindness said news reports of the abuse and conviction highlight a broader issue: a 2007 Rape in Utah phone survey by the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice put Utah's reported rape rate at 63.7 per 100,000 females compared to the U.S. rate of 57.4 per 100,000 females.

  The phone survey found nearly one-third of Utah women surveyed had some type of sexual assault during their lifetimes and about 79 percent of those said the first time they were sexually assaulted was before they turned 18 years old.

  The courage of the daughters in coming forward was a rare occurrence, Kindness said, noting only 1 in 10 women surveyed had reported to police. When a victim chooses to report is based entirely on the situation.

  "It can take anywhere from an immediate report to a lifetime to report," Kindness said.

  Kindness said surveys have shown in many cases where family members are the perpetrators, other family members of the victim will advise them not to tell authorities because they fear damage to family image or risk a family member being arrested. Often having supportive friends and family helps to have the courage to come forward.

  "I think having the support of [the sisters] was helpful in coming forward," Kindness said.

  The 5 Browns sisters in a statement issued to The Tribune last week declined comment. They are now focusing on "managing their lives, careers and the ongoing healing process," they said through a spokesman.

  Keith Brown declined comment for this story. He will be up for his first parole hearing in April 2018.

• 3. How 'Terribly Remorseful' 5 Browns Dad Struck a Deal

  • 18 Feb 2011
  • News article
  • People

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  Even the perpetrator’s own lawyer admits his acts were “reprehensible” and “deplorable.”

  So what led Keith Scott Brown to make surprise guilty pleas in a Provo, Utah, courtroom Thursday, capping a deal for the horrors against own children?

  His journey to justice began last year when Brown, a Mormon, approached his bishop at the Church of Latter Day Saints to confess his crimes, his attorneys say. These crimes included abusing his daughters Desirae, 32, Deondra, 30, and Melody, 26, all members of the popular Julliard-trained quintet of siblings.

  Brown pleaded guilty to sodomy on a child under 14, and two charges of sex abuse of a child, all felonies.
  Father of The 5 Browns Quintet Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Abuse

  Prosecutors dismiss the claim that Brown, 55, revealed his own transgression. They say the abuse actually came to light only after his daughters reported their father’s crimes to police when they discovered he planned to manage child musicians again.

  Both sides agree on one thing, however: Brown is guilty.
  Prolonged Negotiations

  Starting about six months ago, Brown’s defense team haggled with prosecutors over an appropriate punishment. Under today’s stricter laws, Brown could have faced 25 years for the sodomy charge alone; instead, he’ll likely serve 10 years to life under the statutes at the time the crimes were committed.

  Deputy Utah County Attorney David Sturgill says Brown s daughters consented to the plea agreement, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. “They wanted their father to take responsibility more than anything else,” Sturgill said. “And they felt there should be a serious punishment.”

  Brown’s attorney Steven Shapiro, who calls his client’s acts “reprehensible,” says Brown is ready to do his time for what he did.

  “He’s terribly remorseful for what has happened and what he’s put his family through,” the lawyer tells the Deseret News. He also tells ABC News that “this was the next step in a long process in attempting to accept responsibility for deplorable contact with his daughters that happened many years ago.”

  The plea removes the specter of a public trial and minimizes the harm to the family, he said.

  The 5 Browns’ spokesperson said Thursday that there is, at least, one consolation for the family: It’s over.

  “There is tremendous relief,” Kimball Thomson said, according to ABC News. “The girls handled the situation with such integrity and courage.”

• 4. Keith Scott Brown

  • 4 Dec 2025
  • News article
  • Offender Radar

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  Status : Incarcerated

  PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

  DOB : 09/13/1955
  Age : 69
  Sex : Male
  Height : 6'00''
  Weight : 180
  Race : White
  Hair Color : Brown
  Eye Color : Green

  OFFENSES

  Offense : 76-5-403.1 - SODOMY ON A CHILD/1ST DEGREE FELONY
  Date Convicted : 03/31/2011
  Conviction State : Utah
  Statute : 76-5-403.1
  Offense Count : 1
  Offense : 76-5-404.1 - SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD/2ND DEGREE FELONY
  Date Convicted : 03/31/2011
  Conviction State : Utah
  Statute : 76-5-404.1
  Offense Count : 2

  REGISTRATION DETAILS

  Collected From : Utah State Registry

  ALIAS

  Keith BROWN
  Keith B BROWN
  Keith S BROWN