The crimes of Jason Lytton came to light after the true crime TV series Betrayal revealed the double-sided life he had with his wife and children, leading to some time in a prison cell.
Jason Lytton married Ashley Lytton for more than 11 years, and they built a perfect life in the suburbs of Riverton, Utah.
Throughout their relationship, the couple has been parents to three kids: their nine-year-old daughter and a teenage son and daughter from Ashley’s former marriage. Despite enduring rocky times, Jason had a successful career as an electrician.
However, things took a dark turn when Ashley discovered a hidden folder in Jason’s laptop filled with explicit pictures of children. especially young girls.
Along with that, Jason had been recording footage of his stepdaughter, Avaya, which put a question on his morality.
Jason Lytton served prison time for multiple counts of sexual crimes
Looking back at the charming life of Jason, nobody would’ve believed that a family man was responsible for multiple sexual offenses. He seemed like the perfect partner and father.
Moreover, he embraced every aspect of his life, taking all the family responsibility on his shoulders. However, Jason asks his wife to set up a Venmo account but later hastily asks her to forget about the setup, revealing his dark secrets.
Such behavior raised suspicion as Ashley continued logging into his iCloud account to find hidden files filled with photos of children she never expected to see.
'Betrayal: A Father’s Secret’ on Hulu: Everything we know about the Jason Lytton and Ashley Lytton true crime series https://t.co/qfBVf01dTQ pic.twitter.com/QEHhd9oP2w
— Decider (@decider) July 16, 2024
Soon after the discovery, she took swift action, reporting him to the police and trying to separate her children from Jason legally.
The court ruled Jason’s case as Child Sexual Abuse Material as more than 1,500 photos of children, including 100 videos of their stepdaughter, were discovered on his computer, which led to his immediate arrest by the Utah Police.
With the police case, Ashley wanted to save her children from the harrowing truth about their father, but the media pick-up of the case made it difficult to do so.
After 30 days in jail, Jason prepared for his trial, where he was ultimately charged with multiple offenses with a prison time of 10 months.
Additional Information
- The case escalated when Hulu decided to adapt Jason’s story for the second season of their Betrayal series. Further, the docuseries, released on July 31, 2024, delved into the aftermath of Ashley’s discovery of her husband’s secret, along with the justice system’s struggle to address the crime in depth.
- Jason, portrayed as a manipulative husband, tried to communicate with Ashley while in prison by writing her apology letters.
- The three-part docuseries showcase how Jason recorded his stepdaughter without her knowledge, putting a bitter taste in their relationship.
- Later, in an interview, the daughter noted, “I don’t want him looking at me. I don’t want him to see me. I don’t want him nothing. He completely ruined my family and our lives. He ruined me.”
- Despite his actions, the court granted Jason a smartphone and bail in less than a year, with a 48-month probation date and supervised visits to his children.
