Jason Lytton‘s family — including his estranged wife Ashley Lytton — revealed where they stand with him after he was convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Hulu’s Betrayal: A Father’s Secret, which debuted in July 2024, explored Jason’s case by using information from the “Betrayal” true crime podcast. Jason was initially booked in 2021 on 100 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after Ashley — his wife of several years — discovered child sexual abuse images on his computer. (It was later discovered that some of the videos were ones Jason filmed of Ashley’s daughter Avaya, whom she shared with her ex-husband Matt.)
The Utah authorities subsequently came across over 1,000 of these pictures on Jason’s phone after securing a search warrant. However, he was ultimately indicted on two misdemeanor counts of voyeurism, a third-degree felony of obstructing justice and 10 counts of second-degree felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor.
After Jason secured a plea deal, he was sentenced to 329 days in Salt Lake County Jail and two years of supervised probation. He was also not allowed access to the internet and was required to fulfill a cognitive behavioral program and a mental health evaluation. Jason’s sentence noted that he would have to take part in a parenting class and comply with the conditions of Group A Sex Offenders.
Ashley and her loved ones questioned the criminal justice system after Jason was spared any jail time. Despite not participating in the program, Jason’s statement from his 2022 sentencing was played during the docuseries.
“I’m so sorry for the pain and hurt I’ve caused my family. My heart aches, wishing there was something I could say or do to fix this. I want to say sorry to Avaya for destroying her safe place in her life. I failed her as a father and abused her love and trust she had in me,” he said at the time. “I want to say sorry to Ashley for the pain and suffering I’ve caused her. I flipped her whole world around and destroyed her family in the process. I also want to apologize to the kids in the pictures I looked at.”
Jason ended up serving 10 months in county jail before being released for good behavior. He has continued to live in the same town as his estranged wife after registering as a sex offender.
Keep scrolling to see what is known so far about where Jason stands with Ashley, her kids and more:
Estranged Wife Ashley
Following her split from Matt, Ashley found love with Jason and he became a father figure to her two eldest children. The couple later expanded their family with daughter Olivia as Ashley noticed Jason’s mental health deteriorating.
Ashley detailed in Betrayal: A Father’s Secret how she accidentally stumbled upon thousands of child sexual abuse images on Jason’s phone, which she reported to the authorities. She briefly attempted to reconcile once Jason was released from prison before his sentencing but ultimately cut ties.
According to the docuseries, Jason is currently living in the same town as Ashley and her kids as a registered sex offender. Their divorce is ongoing with Jason being “entitled” to half of her assets. Ashley’s loved ones slammed Jason for his continued presence in her life — including attending the same recovery group at her church.
Ashley also revealed at the end of the doc that Jason “was approved for a smartphone,” despite still being in “his court-appointed sex offender treatment.”
Stepdaughter Avaya
In addition to having thousands of child sexual abuse images, Jason was also accused of filming Avaya repeatedly without her knowledge. Avaya — who is now 18 years old — took part in the docuseries where she addressed her decision to speak at Jason’s sentencing in 2022.
“I don’t want him looking at me. I don’t want him seeing me. I don’t want him nothing. He completely ruined my family. He ruined our lives,” an audio of Avaya stated after explaining her decision to wear a sweatshirt and sweatpants to the hearing. “He ruined me. I’m mentally not the same. I have extreme anxiety now. I have depression and have really bad PTSD. I would want him to be in prison. I don’t want him to look at another child.”
Months after Jason was arrested, Avaya moved in with her biological father Matt because she didn’t feel safe at home. Avaya has mended her relationship with her mother and has shifted her focus to her future even as she continues to still see Jason in their town.
Unnamed Stepson
Similar to Avaya, Ashley’s unnamed son removed Jason from his life after his arrest. Ashley’s loved ones, however, recalled how difficult it was for her son since he considered Jason his father.
“Jason was his entire world. He struggles every single day,” family friend Emmy Faucett said. “He struggles with trying to find a sense of identity because his whole identity was tied to his dad. It is horrible.”
Ashley’s son didn’t participate in the docuseries.
Daughter Olivia
Jason and Ashley’s daughter, Olivia, currently has supervised visits with her father. In the doc, Ashley and Avaya recalled Olivia’s initial reaction when Jason disappeared from her life when she was only 8 years old.
“I started letting him call my youngest child. Jason is her biological father. She was so little — she wasn’t even 8 years old and she didn’t understand why he was in a timeout. That’s how I explained it,” Ashley explained. “I said, ‘Dad made a really bad choice. And when you make a bad choice, there are consequences. And his is timeout for adults.’ However, Avaya and my son wouldn’t speak to him.”
Avaya admitted it was difficult seeing Olivia face their new normal, adding, “Olivia wanted to speak to him really badly. It was really sad watching her try to understand everything at first. Because he doesn’t deserve to have her.”
Ashley and her family later expressed their concerns about the lack of limitations placed upon Jason’s visits with Olivia. According to the group, the state of Utah will likely allow Jason to shift to unsupervised visits and sleepovers with Olivia due to reunification laws.
“[Olivia] comes to me and asks me if what she is wearing is appropriate to be around him,” Ashley told the cameras. “Because although she doesn’t really understand, she knows that there is a guard that she has to have up with him to keep herself safe. Because I can’t. There’s nothing in my place for me to do that, which is what scares me about our criminal justice system.”
Brother Justin
Earlier in the doc, Ashley claimed she informed Jason’s brother, Justin, about the child sexual abuse material that she found on his phone. Justin allegedly asked Ashley not to report it to the authorities — despite being a police officer himself.
“Jason’s brother, officer Justin Lytton, was investigated by authorities. He was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing,” read a message at the end of the first two episodes after Justin opted out of participating in Betrayal: A Father’s Secret.
