Mormons, Incest and Weird Car Crashes: The Sordid Saga of The 5 Browns, Utah's Version of the Von Trapp Family

By Dave Parkman Thu., Feb. 17 2011 at 11:40 AM

The 5 Browns: A sordid saga

Today's incredibly strange music story comes courtesy of the great fellow Western state of Utah. There once (back in the '90s) was a quintet of classical piano-playing siblings--the Mormon version of the Von Trapp family from Sound of Music, if you will. Three adorable girls and two adorable guys (now in their 20s and 30s). They played under the name The 5 Browns and they were coached by proud patriarch Keith Scott Brown. This week things took a turn for the weird, and by weird we mean Keith Scott Brown and his wife got in a bizarre car accident, after which the three daughters claimed they had been sexually abused by him, and today he's plead guilty to charges of sodomy and incest. The Salt Lake Tribune has the details:

Keith Scott Brown, 55, was charged with one count of first-degree felony sodomy upon a child and two counts of second-degree felony sexual abuse of a child. A sentencing was scheduled for March, but the agreement calls for 10 years to life on the sodomy charge and 1-to-15 years on each of the sex abuse charges. The sentences will run concurrently, said Deputy Utah County Attorney David Sturgill.

The charges indicate Brown engaged in sexual conduct with a child under the age of 14 between November 1990 and October 1992. Brown also sexually abused a child between March 1997 and March 1998, according to the charges.

On Wednesday, the group's three adult sisters publicly revealed that their father sexually abused them as children.

The Salt Lake Tribune generally doesn't name victims of sexual abuse, but in this case, Thomson said the sisters -- Desirae, 32, Deondra, 30, and Melody, 26 -- consented to the release of their identities.

A source close to the family told The Tribune the sisters called police after recently learning their father, who managed the quintet until 2008, planned to once again manage child musicians.

News of the charges came earlier this week following a single-car car crash involving Brown and his wife, Lisa.

The couple were hospitalized after the Porsche that Brown was driving plummeted 300 feet down a Little Cottonwood Canyon embankment and into a creek Monday night. Police have said Brown, who was driving his wife back from a Valentine's Day dinner at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, was driving too fast for the area.

The 5 Browns don't anticipate changes to their tour schedule, according to Thomson. The group is set to perform in Logan on Feb. 28 and March 1.

Tags:

5 Browns, Classical, Incest, Mormons, Utah, WTF

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Swami_Binkinanda

Some pretty defensive responses. Smoke indicates fire sometimes, doesn't it?

Guest

http://ldssexchildabuse.blogsp...

ajarizona

Rainbird you are an ignorant fool.

This does not happen all the time in Mormondom. You don't know what you are talking about, in any way.This is a very sad situation, tragic.

For you to imply this is a Mormon thing is ignorant and demeaning.

The LDS Church has very high standards. Once this came forward to his Bishop he was instructed to turn himself in to authorities or the Chruch would do it for him.

That is the policy! It's in the handbpook.

This is considered a dark and very serious sin, with eternal consequences.

This Father has been ex-communicated from the LDS Chruch.

He will now most likely serve his remaining days in Prison.

Nothing is more serious than those who abuse children, the Lords Little ones..

Keep in mind the Victims in this story are Active-Mormons.

He won't see his LDS membership restored in this lifetime.

You display your agenda when you try to smear 14 million Mormons with this vile act of one man.

You can name others who have deviaged from the ways of the Lord and they too, are cut off from the LDS faith.

And that would include Polygamists.

Take your "Opportunistic Bigotr"y and spend some time enlightening yourself with truth, so you can be taken seriously at your next post.

Mormons don't look to jackweeds like you to define they we are.

From your post, we now know what you are all about.

Junkposti2

I see this as a story that is both disturbing (that any father would sexually abuse his children) and triumphant (as those who have been abused forge ahead with their lives). Unfortunately, the title of the article is purposely exploitative of the current groundswell of negativity toward Mormons. "Incest" is a much more loaded word than "sexual abuse" which is far more commonly used in media stories describing similar situations. And any suggestion by posters that Mormons engage is sexual abuse more often than other groups of people is ignorant and ridiculous. In fact, it's likely that the daughters' faith is the key to them being able to overcome the horror of being sexually abused and moving forward with their lives.

BYR

Well put Junkposti2. I agree with all the points you raise.

Rainbird

The're mormons. This stuff goes on all the time.

ajarizona

Rainbird

Punk Bigot Alert

ajarizona

Rainbird you are an ignorant fool.

This does not happen all the time in Mormondom. You don't know what you are talking about, in any way.This is a very sad situation, tragic.

For you to imply this is a Mormon thing is ignorant and demeaning.

The LDS Church has very high standards. Once this came forward to his Bishop he was instructed to turn himself in to authorities or the Chruch would do it for him.

That is the policy! It's in the handbook.

This is considered a dark and very serious sin, with eternal consequences.

This Father has been ex-communicated from the LDS Chruch.

He will now most likely serve his remaining days in Prison.

Nothing is more serious than those who abuse children, the Lords Little ones..

Keep in mind the Victims in this story are Active-Mormons.

He won't see his LDS membership restored in this lifetime.

You display your agenda when you try to smear 14 million Mormons with this vile act of one man.

You can name others who have deviaged from the ways of the Lord and they too, are cut off from the LDS faith.

And that would include Polygamists.

Take your "Opportunistic Bigotry" and spend some time enlightening yourself with truth, so that you can be taken seriously at your next post.

Mormons don't look to jackweeds like you to define who they are.

From your post, we now know what you are all about.

BYR

Rainbird, yes, it goes on all the time, in California too, in every state, every religion. It has nothing to do with one's political, religious or geographic status. The way you state your thought, it implies that it is a common occurance within the Mormon religion. If that is what you meant, I am ashamed of your bigotry.