'I need to heal': Utah sibling testifies about abuse in closely watched child custody case

On the second day of a contentious custody trial that could have far-reaching ramifications for survivors of abuse in family court, 16-year-old Ty Larson took the stand as a witness to his own experience.

“He abused me from the ages of 3 to ... 10, physically, mentally, and sexually,” Ty told the court, referring to his biological father, Brent Larson. The abuse included “putting guns to my head, threatening me with hand grenades, touching me in my bed at nighttime,” he said.

“If you could tell your father how he could help you ... what would you say to him?” asked Steve Christensen, the attorney representing Jessica Zahrt, Ty’s mother.

“Leave me alone until I’m 18,” Ty said. “I need to heal.”

The trial will determine whether Ty and his younger sister Brynlee Larson are returned to their father’s custody, despite both siblings claiming that he abused them.

In 2018, Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services assessed the claims of abuse and found them supported. The Arizona Republic generally does not name victims of sexual abuse, but the siblings asked to be named to raise awareness about their case and advocate for other minors facing similar situations. Zahrt supported that decision.

Larson, who testified Monday, denies the abuse and has argued to the court that his children are victims of “parental alienation,” an unsupported psychological theory in which one parent accuses the other of brainwashing a child to turn that child against them.

Larson has accused his ex-wife and the children’s mother of launching a “campaign” of parental alienation against him. The theory is rejected as a mental health disorder by psychiatry’s diagnostic bodies, including the American Psychiatric Association. According to experts who both defend and criticize parental alienation, the theory is exclusively invoked in courtroom settings to refute claims of abuse.

Custody battles not 'a reason to discredit what kids say'

Cassandra Walker, a state child welfare caseworker who handled the siblings' case, said under questioning from Larson’s lawyer that a difficult divorce would not cause her to doubt a child’s allegations of abuse.

“If parents are involved in a high-conflict divorce does that cause concern about the credibility of the children?” said Ron Wilkinson, Larson’s attorney.

“I don’t question the credibility of children unless there’s a specific reason to do so,” Walker responded. “I wouldn’t consider a custody situation … a reason to discredit what kids say.”

Walker also clarified that an absence of criminal charges does not affect whether the state agency finds abuse to have reasonably occurred. Earlier this year, multiple special victims' prosecutors screened the case and concluded that the available evidence did not support a reasonable likelihood of conviction.

In a June letter explaining the decision, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill wrote that the decision not to prosecute “should not be construed as a judgement on the underlying allegations.”

Monica Christy, a clinical psychologist who served as a custody evaluator for the family in 2020, took the stand to explain her reservations about Larson getting custody of the children.

“Obviously, I didn't want the children to be in a custody arrangement in which they were in any danger. So that was a major factor,” she testified. “I looked at what their experiences from their viewpoint had been and if they felt that they had been violated or not, and they had, in a number of ways.”

She recalled Ty talking about “his father fondling (him) when they got in bed” and what his father had done to “scare him, or to make him frightened of things.” She recalled Brynlee was “adamant about being upset with things that he had done to her.”

Wilkinson objected to her testimony several times, questioning the reliability of an expert who had interviewed the children four years ago.

Christy said that when she evaluated Ty four years ago, changing custody to his father would not have resolved the conflict between them.

“The answer is no,” she said, responding to the question from the mother’s attorney.

Christy further testified that she “didn’t have any evidence” that other people were telling the children what to say or “directing them in any way.”

“Did the children seem to have legitimate fear about what they were describing to you?” Christensen asked.

“Yes, they did,” Christy responded.

She said she did not think Zahrt was at fault for not facilitating the children’s relationship with their father, as Larson has argued.

“I think the feelings of the children were from their own experiences, it wasn't that she was urging them to reject their father. And it had more to do with their experiences and him than it had to do with her.”

'I want to live with my mother'

Ty testified that his mother has “tried everything in her power” to support a relationship with his biological father, including providing him with a phone for him to call and text Larson.

He said he has texted his father “more than I count,” and that he has received “no response whatsoever. Not a single response.”

In his testimony, Ty described his mother’s home as “very light” and “very safe.”

“I feel like I can actually rest when I'm in her house .....I can be myself. I can invite friends over. I can actually do what I want and be able to express myself in my creative ways. And I feel like I'm loved most of all.”

“I want to live with my mother,” Ty said. “Because my father abused me when I was a child. And my mother has always been there for me and has never done anything bad towards me. And has always supported me in every single thing that I've ever done.”

Hannah Dreyfus is an investigative reporter for The Arizona Republic. You can reach her at hannah.dreyfus@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Utah sibling who barricaded in bedroom testifies in child custody case