'The girls are going to Heaven and I’m going to Hell to wait for you': Dad kidnapped twins, intentionally drove pickup off cliff into ocean

Inset: Robert Brians appearing in court. Background: Brians’ car after he intentionally drove it off a cliff with his twin daughters inside (KSDN).

A 51-year-old man in California is facing decades behind bars after admitting to abducting his twin 2-year-old girls and intentionally driving his pickup truck off a cliff and into the water below after an argument with the girls’ mother.

Robert Brians on Friday formally pleaded guilty to two counts each of attempted murder and kidnapping, as well as one count each of child abuse, burglary, and domestic violence.

Miraculously, Brians and the two toddlers survived the wreck with serious injuries despite the pickup truck flipping over and striking the water upside down.

The plea came after Brians’ defense attorney and prosecutors reached a plea deal in which several lesser charges were dismissed.

According to a report from City News Service, officers with the San Diego Police Department at about 4:30 a.m. on June 13, 2020, began searching for Brians after his ex-wife called 911 and reported that he had gone to his parents’ home and taken their twin toddlers without permission.

After taking his daughters, Brians sent his ex-wife several ominous text messages threatening to kill the girls.

One message stated, “The girls are going to Heaven and I’m going to Hell to wait for you,” City News reported.

San Diego NBC affiliate KNSD reported that Brians’ ex-wife testified against him in court, stating that Brians also sent her several messages that morning in which he threatened to drive himself and their children off a cliff.

Brians was then caught on a traffic camera at 5:09 a.m. driving up to 70 mph before speeding off the Sunset Cliffs in the Point Loma community of San Diego.

At the time of the incident, Brians was reportedly out of jail on bond for a separate felony charge.

Detective Aletha Lennier of the San Diego Police Department also provided testimony stating that a few hours earlier, Brians had posted on Facebook: “Tonight, I’m sending my babies to Heaven.”

Police were reportedly able to track Brians to the Sunset Cliffs area via his cellphone when patrol officers spotted his vehicle just before he went over the edge of the cliff. A veteran canine officer who responded to the scene used a 100-foot dog leash to repel down the side of the cliff and into the water, where he found Brians and the girls. KNSD reported that the officer said that Brians was in the water yelling about his ex-wife as he helped get all three back to shore safely.

The canine officer, Jonathan Wiese, received a Carnegie Medal for his heroism.

Brians’ plea deal reportedly includes an agreed-upon sentence of 31 years in a state correctional facility. He is set to appear for his sentencing hearing on Sept. 20.

The post ‘The girls are going to Heaven and I’m going to Hell to wait for you’: Dad kidnapped twins, intentionally drove pickup off cliff into ocean first appeared on Law & Crime .