A severely disabled Utah woman who was repeatedly raped by her stepfather via a camera installed by her mother has died suddenly, just weeks after the suspect pleaded guilty to five felonies.
Ashley Vigil, 31, suffered from a rare disorder called Rett syndrome, a genetic mutation that affects brain development in fewer than 1,000 people in the United States, almost exclusively girls.
It was revealed that she was repeatedly raped by her stepfather, Brian Kenneth Urban, 51, after her mother installed cameras in the bedroom to monitor her seizures as a result of her deterioration.
Urban pleaded guilty to five felonies after raping his disabled stepdaughter. He will appear in court for sentencing on April 5.
After the gruesome discovery, her mother and full-time caregiver, Paula Vigil, worked to pass ‘Ashley’s Law,’ to help protect vulnerable adults the same way laws protect children and the elderly. .
Ashley Vigil, 31, a severely disabled woman with Rett syndrome who was repeatedly raped by her stepfather, Brian Kenneth Urban, 51, has died suddenly
Brian Kenneth Urban, 51, pleaded guilty to five felonies after raping his 31-year-old disabled stepdaughter, Ashley Vigil.
She has grown to about the size of an eight-year-old girl. “She can’t communicate,” said Ashley’s mother, Paula Vigil, 49. ‘Her seizures had suddenly increased.’
She has grown to about the size of an eight-year-old girl. “She can’t communicate,” Ashley’s mother, Paula Vigil, 49, said at the time. “Her seizures had suddenly increased.”
While Urban pleaded guilty to charges, including rape and forcible sexual abuse, the victim and her family faced the ongoing nightmare caused by his repeated abuse.
The disturbing revelations about Urban’s disgusting behavior came in October 2022, after Ashley’s doctor recommended that Paula install cameras in her bedroom to monitor her daughter’s mysterious seizures and better understand what was happening.
paula said 2KUTV that her daughter’s seizures were getting worse. She also had difficulty eating and was losing weight. Her doctor recommended installing a camera in her bedroom to see when seizures occurred.
What he saw was much worse than he had ever imagined.
“Instead of having seizures, I caught him,” Paula told 2KUTV.
‘In her condition, she (Ashley) cannot move. He had to completely undress her, move her to the couch, and remove her diaper to do what she did. Then she had to dress her and put her back on the bed, so I wouldn’t know.
While Urban pleaded guilty to charges, including rape and forcible sexual abuse, the victim and her family were still dealing with the nightmare caused by his repeated abuse.
The heartbroken mother said she made a promise to her daughter that she would “never be anywhere she wasn’t safe.” She said, “He took that thing I promised him.”
Paula believes the seizures were a result of Ashley’s body screaming for help.
“His body was convulsing and he was screaming for help in the only way he could,” Paula said. “If it wasn’t for those cameras, he never would have known and he would never have had proof.”
After the horrifying discovery, Paula called emergency services and police in southern Jordan arrested Urban.
Nathan Woodward, a Utah attorney, saw Paula’s story on Facebook and was “shocked.” He decided to reach out and offer to help the family.
‘I just want Paula and Ashley to feel heard. “There is a real gap in how our law is written and applied,” Woodward said.
The lawyer explained that when someone is raped and their attacker is found guilty, the severity of the punishment is determined based on whether the victim was older or younger.
However, “no substantial consideration is given to the mental capacity of an adult victim, resulting in an inconsistent underlying philosophy about why we justify harsher punishments for crimes against children,” he explained.
Ashley Vigil, 31, suffered from a rare disorder known as Rett syndrome, a genetic mutation that affects brain development in girls and affects fewer than 1,000 people in the US.
Paula Vigil cared for her daughter Ashley full-time and identified her as the victim in this case to help pass ‘Ashley’s Law’, which she believes will help protect vulnerable adults the same way laws protect children and to older people.
Nathan Woodward, a Utah attorney, saw Paula’s story on Facebook and was “disturbed.” He decided to reach out and offer to help the family.
Paula explained that there is no mandatory prison sentence for Urban, so the family has no idea what the sentence will be.
‘She (Ashley) is a baby in an adult body. She did this to someone who couldn’t defend themselves. She should receive a mandatory prison sentence, and there is simply a hole in the system.
Paula and Woodward hope to pass ‘Ashley’s Law’ to take vulnerable adults into account in response to the broken system.
The heartbroken mother said she made a promise to her daughter that she would “never be anywhere she wasn’t safe.” She said, “He took away that one thing I promised him.”
‘Brian Kenneth Urban came into our lives pretending. The act he did convinced me. He convinced me that he loved my daughters and would take care of them like I did. That I would protect them,’ Paula said on Facebook. “I didn’t know, the one we needed protection from was him.”