On Trial for Child Pornography Charges, Suspect Confesses to Arson

While on trial for child pornography charges stemming from numerous explicit photographs of his teenaged stepdaughter, Brian Street made the startling confession during an interview, stating that he, not Tracey Dyess, was the one guilty of the 2005 arson which killed Tracey's young sister and nephew at their home in Griswold.

"I'm responsible-she's not. I deserve to spend the rest of my life in prison, not her," Street said. "I started the fire-- Tracey was not a willing participant." He added "I won't go into details, but Tracey is innocent."

During her own trial on the charges of arson and involuntary manslaughter, Tracey Dyess had confessed that she had set the fire to kill Street, in order to end his ongoing sexual abuse, but the children had perished in the fire instead. Upon her confession and conviction, Dyess was sentenced to forty-five years in prison. She is currently serving the sentence, while members of the religious community have been campaigning for her term to be shortened, requesting that the factors of both her age and the circumstances surrounding the crime be taken into consideration.

Street, whose pornography charges involve sexually-explicit photographs of Dyess, then 17, which had been found in a safe in his bedroom after the fire, went on to claim that their relationship had been consensual, as were the photographs. Street, attempting an unconvincing argument about how a stepfather and a 17-year-old could be considered a "couple," also added "I loved her, and believe she loved me... I still love her."

Street did not give any comments or explanations regarding what his motives may have been for setting the fire.

Brian Street's confession of being the sole guilty party in the arson and manslaughter for which his stepdaughter was convicted was even more unexpected, coming during his own trial, as was Tracey Dyess testifying in his defense regarding the child pornography charges.

Yesterday in a televised interview, Tracey Dyess' mother had commented that she felt she, rather than her daughter, should have been the one responsible to stop the abuse Brian Street was allegedly committing against the girl.

In another story, the authorities have stated that the honesty behind Street's confession is doubtful, that he is either attempting to sway the focus off Tracey Dyess or simply trying to gain more media exposure for himself.