Father of Sibling Music Group The 5 Browns Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing His Three Daughters

The 5 Browns. (AP)

The father of the sibling music group The 5 Browns pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually abusing his three daughters.

Brown was charged on Feb. 10 with one first-degree felony count of sodomy on a child and two second-degree felony counts of sexual abuse of a child, according to Fourth District Court records. He could face a sentence of up to life in prison on the first-degree felony and up to 15 years each on the second-degree felonies.

Brown and his wife survived a plunge off a 300-foot cliff in their Porsche on Wednesday, just days after charges were filed.

"He is terribly remorseful for what has happened and for what he has put his family through," defense attorney Steven Shapiro said after the hearing. "He recognizes that this is the next step in the long road to trying to accept responsibility for something terrible that he did a long time ago."

The records in the abuse case don't identify any victim by name or indicate the relationship between Keith Brown and the alleged victims. However, Kimball Thomson, a spokesman for The 5 Browns, said the charges involve Brown's daughters and group members Desirae, 32, Deondra, 30, and Melody, 26.

"We can confirm that Keith Brown has been charged with sexual abuse involving his daughters," Thomson said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. The Brown women have chosen to be identified and are cooperating with police, Thomson said.

Thomson said the Brown children severed their professional relationship with Keith Brown in October of 2008. He was once the manager of The 5 Browns but now has no connection, Thomson said. Attorney Steven Shapiro, who represents 55-year-old Keith Brown, said he would not comment on the charges until Brown makes an initial court appearance set for Thursday in Provo.

Court documents state the allegations stem from separate occasions between November 1990 and October 1992, November 1990 and November 1992 and March 1997 and March 1998 in Utah County.

The 5 Browns are a piano group from Utah that features the three sisters and their two brothers. The Juilliard-trained siblings' CDs have topped the Billboard classical music charts and their concerts often sellout in all 50 states and in Japan, Germany, France, Korea, Mexico and England.

Their critical and popular acclaim has led to appearances on "Oprah," "The View" and other shows, and a profile by the TV show "60 Minutes."

Keith Brown and Lisa Brown, 54, the mother of the group members, were hospitalized after the Valentine's Day crash that mangled the Porsche beyond recognition in Little Cottonwood Canyon on the east side of the Salt Lake valley.

The couple had dined at Snowbird ski resort prior to the accident, said Unified Fire Authority Battalion Chief Mike Ulibarri. The Browns were initially knocked unconscious, but Keith Brown woke and was able to call 911 from a cell phone.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation, although Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal said speed appeared to be a factor.

Investigators found tire marks from braking near the spot where the Porsche left the road.

"That's part of the evidence that leads us to believe it was a traffic accident and that speed left him unable to negotiate the turn in the canyon," Hoyal said.

No updates were available on the medical conditions of Keith and Lisa Brown. Shapiro would not confirm reports that Keith Brown had been released from the hospital.

The children had visited their parents at hospitals and were hopeful for speedy recoveries, Thomson said.

- The Associated Press contributed to this report.