Jury convicts former Utah Senate candidate in sexual abuse trial

PROVO — A Utah County jury decided the fate of a former Utah Senate candidate on Wednesday in a sexual abuse case that dragged on for years.

After deliberating for less than five hours, a jury made up of six women and two men found Brandon Beckham, 50, guilty on two felony counts of forcible sexual abuse. Beckham was acquitted on a third count of forcible sexual abuse.

According to charging documents, a woman reported a nonconsensual sexual encounter with Beckham to law enforcement in Pleasant Grove in June 2021.

Wednesday's verdict is the result of a third attempt by prosecutors to secure a conviction against Beckham.

His first trial in January 2025 ended abruptly in a mistrial after a female defense attorney said she was not comfortable with their interactions and did not wish to continue representing him. Beckham denied doing anything inappropriate.

His second trial in January of this year ended with a deadlocked jury unable to reach a unanimous verdict.

"We are pleased with the outcome of the trial and know that it represents justice to the victim of these crimes; she has waited a long time for this verdict," Deputy Utah County Attorney Alex Redmon, who prosecuted the case, wrote in an emailed statement. "We commend the investigative work of the Pleasant Grove Police Department, specifically Sgt. Shawn Nielson on this sex assault case. We appreciate the Jury's attention to detail and selfless duty. The Utah County Attorney is committed to justice for all, and justice was achieved in this instance."

Key evidence in the case presented to jurors during the four-day trial was a phone call between Beckham and the victim that investigators got a warrant to record.

"I got a little out of hand there. I got a little too wild," Beckham is heard saying during the call. "But it wasn't like it was planned that way. It just happened."

KSL is not publishing the call in its entirety in an effort to protect the woman's privacy.

Beckham did not choose to comment on the verdict as he left the courthouse Wednesday. He now faces the potential of a prison sentence and will be required to register as a sex offender.

Beckham remains out of custody ahead of his sentencing, which is set for October.

Beckham unsuccessfully ran for the Utah Senate as a Republican in 2022.

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