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Plea deal reached for Fresno man who sexually abused girl, 12, with wife and girlfriend

The Fresno Bee - 8/2/2022

Brent Cox, the Fresno man charged with sexually abusing his girlfriend’s 12-year-old daughter, has agreed to a plea deal that could send him to prison for a maximum of 40 years.

Cox, along with his girlfriend, Tammy Schreiner, 40, and his wife Jillian Cox, 38, were all charged in 2021 with abusing the 12-year-old girl.

All three adults, who police said were in a “throuple” relationship together, have now been convicted.

Jillian Cox pleaded no contest in October to willful cruelty to a child, as part of a plea agreement with the prosecution. She was sentenced to a year in county jail and probation.

Schreiner agreed to a plea agreement on July 20. She pleaded no contest to lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and child abuse endangerment. She will be sentenced on Sept. 14 and could receive up to to 8 years in prison.

On Tuesday, Brent Cox, 42, agreed to change his plea from not guilty to guilty. He was found guilty of five counts, including continuous abuse of a child, arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd or lascivious behavior and possessing child pornography.

He faces a maximum of 40 years in prison, but Judge David Gottlieb has the ability to erase a previous strike offense, which could reduce the maximum sentence to 20 years.

Prosecutor Andrew Janz said he will argue against wiping away the previous strike and push for the maximum prison sentence.

Janz said after the court hearing that he was pleased with the plea agreement.

Prosecutors did have some concerns about stress the victim could experience if she had to testify in court.

“The most important consideration was the mental health of the victim,” Janz said. “She was traumatized and we don’t want to have her relive those circumstances.”

Brent Cox, who is defended by Marc Kapetan, will be sentenced on Sept. 14 along with his girlfriend Schreiner.

©2022 The Fresno Bee. Visit fresnobee.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.