INDIANAPOLIS–The man known online as ‘Brian Kil’ will spend 75 years in federal prison. His real name is Buster Hernandez and when the cops finally caught him, they found out he was an unemployed 26-year-old man, living with his girlfriend and her 85-year-old grandmother in Bakersfield, Calif.
The case that caused a complicated investigation that eventually led to Hernandez’s arrest was in Brownsburg, in 2015, when a 16-year-old girl was asked for naked pictures. When the man asked for more, the girl’s mother intervened and the man threatened to blow up Plainfield High School, a shopping center and a Walmart, if she didn’t send him the nudes.
Hernandez had several more victims in Indiana, as many as 375 across the country, and at least two in other countries.
He used sophisticated means to conceal his identity. The investigation was tough and took time, but federal authorities caught up to Hernandez in 2017.
In August 2017, Hernandez was initially charged with sexually exploiting a minor, threatening to use an explosive device and threatening to kill, kidnap, or injure another person. Those charges eventually extended to include 41 separate allegations including: the production of child pornography, the coercion and enticement of minors, the receipt and distribution of child pornography, the threatened use of explosive devices, extortion, threats to kill, kidnap or injure other persons, witness tampering, obstruction of justice and retaliation against a victim.
“Today we mark, with quiet satisfaction, that here evil has been met with justice. Conduct like this falls so far outside even the most basic understanding of human decency and compassion that our natural inclination might be to look away from this horrible spectacle,” said Acting U.S. Atty. John Childress.
“We cannot do so. We must acknowledge that evil such as this exists in our world so that we might give thanks for those brave men and women who give their all to see that it does not prevail and so that we are all reminded to do whatever we must to protect our children.”
“Today also marks a milestone in a long and complex case that represents the efforts of an extremely talented group of federal prosecutors and law enforcement and state and local law enforcement from across the county,” he said. “Sadly, but with hope for the future, today also allows us to importantly acknowledge the many victims of the defendant and even more importantly allows us to express our solidarity with them and to pledge our continued efforts in support of their healing.”
