Utah man pleads guilty to child pornography charges in Virginia

SALT LAKE CITY — A Cedar City man has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges after sending explicit videos to an undercover FBI agent in Virginia.

According to court documents, 67-year-old Brent Walter Murie of Cedar City used the instant messaging app Kik to send explicit messages and videos to an undercover I-81 Human Trafficking and Crimes Against Children Task Force agent.

The agent was posing as an adult on Kik who had two underaged children who wanted to exploit them.

On Sept. 2021, Murie started to chat privately with the agent by giving him advice on how “groom minor children by normalizing sexual behavior with them,” according to court documents.

Murie also sent the agent 27 child pornography videos, suggested that he has been sexually active with minors, and asked the agent for photos of their underaged children.

These conversations continued into Jan. 2022, as Murie sent the agent a photo of his Utah Driver’s License showing his full name and residency, according to court documents.

An arrest warrant was signed for Murie on March 3 for one count of attempted enticement of a minor, one count of attempted production of child pornography, and seven counts of distribution of child pornography.

Federal authorities arrested Murie on March 30, and he was soon transferred to Charlottesville, Virginia.

On Tuesday, Murie reached a plea deal and pleaded guilty to two charges of distribution of child pornography, according to court documents. Each charge carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison with the possibility of twenty years of imprisonment.

Murie will be sentenced on March 3, 2023.