Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Cox Pleads Not Guilty to Charges of Sex Abuse of Girlfriend's Daughter
David Website Replacement
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 4 years ago on
February 8, 2021

Share

A Fresno man accused of sexually abusing a 12-year girl pleaded not guilty Monday in his first court appearance in Fresno County Superior Court.

Brent Cox faces nine counts of sexual abuse allegedly against the daughter of his girlfriend. Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Cox, 41, last week. They also arrested his wife Jillian Cox and a live-in girlfriend, 38, all on sexual abuse charges.

Judge Adolfo Corona ordered the news media not to report the name of the girlfriend to protect the identity of the alleged victim.

Cox Faces Nine Counts

The district attorney’s office accused Cox of abusing the girl between May 28, 2020 and Jan. 25, 2021.

The complaint lists nine counts, including four counts of oral copulation of a person under 14; and one count each of sexual penetration of a victim under 14; continuous sexual abuse; contact or communication with a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense; meeting with a minor to commit sexual offense; and dissuading a witness from reporting a crime.

After his arrest, Cox was being held without bail. Cox’s attorney, Marc Kapetan, asked for a bail reduction, arguing that some of the charges were duplicative.

Corona set bail at $495,000.

The prosecutor’s complaint also showed that Cox had a 2000 conviction for arson.

Corona also issued a criminal protective order, in essence a restraining order. Cox is prevented from contacting the alleged victim by any manner, including through a third party.

“It’s a stay-away order from the alleged victim. You are to stay a hundred yards away from this person, wherever they are. Let’s not have personal, electronic, telephonic, or written contact with this person. Let’s not have contact with this person through another person,” the judge said.

Corona also barred Cox from access to guns or ammunition.

Kapetan argued against GV Wireâ„  and other news media requests to record the arraignment. He said such coverage is sensational because of some of the details that already have been reported, including Cox having a wife and girlfriend, and “Gothic-type interests.”

Corona denied that request, but did order media to report neither the name of the alleged victim because of her age nor the name of her mother.

Arraignment In Two Courtrooms

Cox was initially scheduled to be arraigned in the courtroom of Judge James Kelley. Once Kapetan appeared on behalf of Cox, Kelley recused himself without stating why.

The case could have been transferred to the adjacent courtroom. That meant Judge Jon Kapetan also would have had to recuse himself because he is the brother of Cox’s attorney.

Eventually, the matter was transferred to Corona’s Department 20 courtroom.

While Cox appeared in person, the judge and both attorneys — Marc Kapetan and prosecutor Richard Burchett —  appeared via Zoom teleconferencing.

The case returns March 10 for a pre-preliminary hearing and March 17 for the preliminary hearing.

Two Other Suspects Await Court Date

The district attorney filed formal charges against Jillian Cox and the girlfriend on Monday afternoon.

Cox, 36, faces two counts — lewd acts upon a child and child abuse. She is scheduled to be arraigned on April 16.

The girlfriend faces those two counts plus an additional charge of dissuading a witness from testifying.

Because she is still in custody, her first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday morning in front of Kelley. Her bail is listed as $80,000, according to the county jail website.

According to jail records, Cox bailed out of jail Friday at 4:19 p.m.

Girlfriend Wanted Full Custody of Daughter

According to court records, the girlfriend/mother of the alleged victim married the child’s father in 2001 and filed for divorce in 2016. It was finalized a year later.

The couple agreed to 50/50 joint custody.

However, in November the woman filed an emergency petition for sole custody of their daughter.

“The reason for the emergency order is fear of physical harm in retaliation for her attempted refusal to see them, especially because of excessive alcohol use. She is terrified of returning, and threatens suicide when she is forced to go,” the woman wrote in her petition.

The motion was denied for “failure to provide a declaration establishing good cause for waiver of the notice requirement,” and establishing good cause “is not sufficient.”

In 2017, the husband filed a restraining order, asking to change the custody arrangement. He accused the woman, among other things, of being “under the influence of drugs and shows signs of anger/violence.”

The woman denied those allegations. Eventually, the parties agreed to mediation, and the matter was dropped.

DON'T MISS

Elon Musk Reclaims Top Spot on Forbes’ Billionaires List

DON'T MISS

California Just Blew Its First Deadline for Voter-Approved Healthcare Measure

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration Halts Dozens of Research Grants at Princeton University

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Sheriff’s Pilot Takes His Last Flight as He Retires After 31 Years of Service

DON'T MISS

A Palestinian From the West Bank Is First Detainee Under 18 to Die in Israeli Prison, Officials Say

DON'T MISS

How Safe Is It to Walk to School? Fresno County Wants to Find Out

DON'T MISS

Baseball Is Back! How to Listen to Your MLB Favorites and the Grizzlies

DON'T MISS

Trump Says He’s Settled on a Tariff Plan That Is Set to Take Effect Wednesday

DON'T MISS

Auto Sales Surged in Anticipation of Trump’s Tariffs

DON'T MISS

Raid Or Rumor? Reports Of Immigrations Sweeps Are Warping Life In CA’s Central Valley

UP NEXT

Fresno County Sheriff’s Pilot Takes His Last Flight as He Retires After 31 Years of Service

UP NEXT

How Safe Is It to Walk to School? Fresno County Wants to Find Out

UP NEXT

Can CEMEX Dig a 600-Foot Hole and Not Harm the River? Arambula Says No and Writes a Bill

UP NEXT

State Center Trustees Vote for Special Interest Giveaway Over Students: Opinion

UP NEXT

Lakers Hold Off Rockets With 6 3-Pointers Apiece From Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent

UP NEXT

Athletics Bat Boy Stewart Thalblum Takes Down Drone in Left Field

UP NEXT

NFL Postpones Tush Push Decision but Passes Other Rule Changes, AP Source Says

UP NEXT

March Madness: It’s South Carolina vs. Texas and UCLA vs. UConn in Women’s Final Four

UP NEXT

Voice of America Wins in Court, for Now, as Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Firing Staff

UP NEXT

Major Layoffs Begin at Health Agencies That Track Disease and Regulate Food

David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

Fresno County Sheriff’s Pilot Takes His Last Flight as He Retires After 31 Years of Service

10 hours ago

A Palestinian From the West Bank Is First Detainee Under 18 to Die in Israeli Prison, Officials Say

10 hours ago

How Safe Is It to Walk to School? Fresno County Wants to Find Out

10 hours ago

Baseball Is Back! How to Listen to Your MLB Favorites and the Grizzlies

11 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Settled on a Tariff Plan That Is Set to Take Effect Wednesday

11 hours ago

Auto Sales Surged in Anticipation of Trump’s Tariffs

12 hours ago

Raid Or Rumor? Reports Of Immigrations Sweeps Are Warping Life In CA’s Central Valley

12 hours ago

House Speaker Johnson Fails to Squash a Proxy Voting Effort From New Moms in Congress

12 hours ago

UN Agency Closes Its Remaining Gaza Bakeries as Food Supplies Dwindle Under Israeli Blockade

12 hours ago

Hooters Goes Bust and Files for Bankruptcy Protection

12 hours ago

Elon Musk Reclaims Top Spot on Forbes’ Billionaires List

Elon Musk has reclaimed his position as the world’s wealthiest individual, according to Forbes’ 39th annual World’s Billio...

7 hours ago

7 hours ago

Elon Musk Reclaims Top Spot on Forbes’ Billionaires List

9 hours ago

California Just Blew Its First Deadline for Voter-Approved Healthcare Measure

Nassau Hall at Princeton University is in Princeton, N.J., Oct. 8, 2024. (AP File)
9 hours ago

Trump Administration Halts Dozens of Research Grants at Princeton University

After 31 years of service, Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy IV and Pilot Michael Sill is retiring, having logged over 10,000 flight hours.
10 hours ago

Fresno County Sheriff’s Pilot Takes His Last Flight as He Retires After 31 Years of Service

Khalid Ahmad holds a poster of his 17-year-old son, Waleed, who died in an Israeli prison, that reads in Arabic, "The hero prisoner Martyr, mercy and eternity for our righteous Martyrs," in the West Bank town of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP/Nasser Nasser)
10 hours ago

A Palestinian From the West Bank Is First Detainee Under 18 to Die in Israeli Prison, Officials Say

10 hours ago

How Safe Is It to Walk to School? Fresno County Wants to Find Out

11 hours ago

Baseball Is Back! How to Listen to Your MLB Favorites and the Grizzlies

Vehicles at an Audi showroom in Miami, March 29, 2025. President Donald Trump has said that tariffs would encourage auto companies and their suppliers to move to the U.S. (Saul Martinez/The New York Times)
11 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Settled on a Tariff Plan That Is Set to Take Effect Wednesday

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend