Bradenton couple sentenced to life for recording child sexual abuse, judge rules
More than two years after Manatee deputies said they uncovered “pure evil” inside a Bradenton home, a couple accused of recording themselves sexually assaulting an infant and a toddler are set to spend the rest of their lives behind bars.
A Manatee County judge sentenced 27-year-old Nicholas Bassler Jr. and Sierra Campany, 26, to life in prison after detectives said they uncovered videos of the pair sexually assaulting a 6-month-old and a 3-year-old in 2023.
On Tuesday, jurors found Bassler guilty of capital sexual battery, a second-degree felony count of using a child in a sexual performance and a third-degree felony count of possessing child sexual abuse material, according to court records.
Circuit Judge Matt Whyte sentenced him on the same day, concluding the one-day trial at the Manatee County courthouse.
Bradenton couple sentenced to life in prison
Bassler was set to face a second trial this week centered around his alleged abuse of the 3-year-old, however, court records show that case was postponed and will be heard at a later date.
In November, Campany pleaded no contest across several related cases involving capital sexual battery, lewd or lascivious molestation and the use and possession of child sexual abuse material, court records show. She was also sentenced by Whyte.
Under Florida law, capital sexual battery carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
An attorney representing Campany did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Manatee County jury hears evidence
Key evidence in Tuesday’s trial included text messages recovered from Bassler’s phone, the recording of his interview with Manatee County Sheriff’s Office detectives and audio captured as detectives played the abuse videos for him during that interview, according to prosecutors.
In the interrogation video, Bassler repeatedly claimed that Campany had “blackmailed” him into committing the abuse. But when detectives pressed him to explain what leverage she supposedly had, he did not give a clear answer.
“If somebody approached me to do that ... I’m going to be out the door,” one detective told him during the interview.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t care what the blackmail was,” another detective said.
Jurors also heard text messages Bassler sent to Campany that prosecutors said contradicted his claims. In one message, prosecutors said Bassler indicated he wanted the abuse with the 6-month-old to go further.
“You don’t know how bad I wanted to…” Bassler wrote.
Jury reaches guilty verdict
During closing arguments, defense attorney William Wynne urged jurors to remember that prosecutors had to prove each charge beyond a reasonable doubt.
“The burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt is the highest burden in the American legal system,” he said. “If you’re sitting there and thinking you’re not sure, that is a not guilty. Probably is not enough.”
In her rebuttal, Assistant State Attorney Ashley Dunsik told jurors the evidence left no room for uncertainty.
“This is not a maybe. This is not a probably. The state has met its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and I ask that you return a verdict of guilty as charged on all three counts,” she said.
Jurors returned a guilty verdict on all three counts later that day, court records show.
Facebook messages spark child abuse investigation
The case began in June 2023 when Facebook flagged several transmissions as possible child sexual abuse material and alerted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, deputies said at the time. Investigators said the tip was traced to Bradenton and forwarded to the sheriff’s office, which led detectives to the couple’s home in the 5000 block of 23rd Street West.
Detectives said they obtained a search warrant in September 2023 and seized multiple electronic devices from the home with child sexual abuse images and videos on them. The victims shown in the material ranged from 10 months to 10 years old, the sheriff’s office said.
During a press conference in 2023, Sheriff Rick Wells said that the couple appeared to know the victims and may have babysat some of the children. He described the footage as among the worst he had seen during his time in law enforcement.
“What you’re looking at here is pure evil. I’ve been doing this job for close to 40 years, and it takes a lot to bother me. This case absolutely sickens me,” Wells said at the time.
“I don’t know how you could do the things that they have done to small children and go to sleep tonight. This, in my opinion, is lower than any scum that I’ve been around in a long, long time,” Wells said.
Can guilty verdict be appealed?
Captain Mark Morie of the Crimes Against Children Unit said during that briefing that Bassler and Campany were dating and that they believed Bassler had groomed Campany to participate in the abuse. Detectives also noted that Campany tested positive for PCP while nine months pregnant. The sheriff’s office said they could not rule out the possibility of additional victims.
At the time of their arrests, detectives said both Bassler and Campany had confessed to the abuse.
Bassler and Campany remain in state custody. Both have 30 days from the dates of their sentencings to file an appeal.
