A foster father has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a child for over a decade and impregnating her while she lived in his house of horrors as his wife allegedly sat idly by.
Roger and Darlene Barriault were arrested last year in Connecticut after their former foster daughter spoke out about the horrific abuse she endured from 2005 to 2012, according to court documents viewed by Daily Mail.
The victim, who was identified as Crystal and is now an adult, came into the Barriaults' care when she was 10 years old after her foster mom, Nikki Theriault, moved and left her with the couple.
Roger had allegedly already sexually assaulted Crystal in Theriault's home, but she was still sent to live with them, according to the complaint filed by her lawyer.
The Barriaults weren't Crystal's legal foster parents, and the Department of Child and Family Services (DCF) hadn't learned she was living with them until a year later, when they were notified that he was being investigated for sexually assaulting another girl, according to court documents.
'Despite the allegations against Roger Barriault, and DCF's own admissions that they were concerned the Plaintiff was being sexually abused by Roger Barriault, DCF struck a deal with Nikki Theriault and the Barriaults that allowed Plaintiff [Crystal] to remain in the Bristol, Connecticut home of Darlene Barriault's sister, Amy Seeber, while Roger Barriault's matter was being investigated,' a civil complaint read.
Daily Mail has reached out to the Barriaults and their representation for comment.
Despite Crystal being in Amy's care, Roger was still frequently alone with her and continued to sexually abuse her, according to the civil complaint.
Roger Barriault has pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual assault after years of abuse against his foster daughter.
Crystal was then approved to live with the Barriaults in 2008 when it was revealed that she was pregnant with Roger's baby.
According to the civil complaint, the years-long abuse occurred in a home where multiple people were allegedly aware of the trauma, including Darlene and her mother, Dawn Barkley.
The complaint accused Darlene of knowing about the abuse for 11 years, failing to report her husband's horrific abuse, even when Crystal became pregnant.
'She [Darlene] willingly concealed, hid, covered up, and conspired to hide Roger Barriault's depraved sexual abuse of Plaintiff [Crystal],' the document reads.
Crystal opened up about her harrowing experience in an interview with CT Insider, revealing what she claimed was the shocking moment when she told Darlene about the abuse at 11 years old.
'She looked me in the face, blank-stared and just turned and walked away,' Crystal said.
'I didn't know what to think... You tell someone that their husband is abusing you and like touching you inappropriately, they’re going to confront that. Look into it, anything like that, right?'
Harrowing abuse
Crystal claimed that the abuse happened 'every single day' and that Roger took every opportunity to assault her.
'Whether it was in the pool, whether it was downstairs where he was living at the time, anywhere. The motor home, because they had that. Anywhere,' she added to the CT Insider.
The Barriaults had nine children living in their home at one time and received $400,000 in federal aid programs, a report found. Roger Barriault is pictured in a Facebook photo
After Crystal gave birth to her daughter at 13 years old, she continued to live with the family for eight years.
'I cried the first two times I was raped but after that I just laid there thinking to myself that no one is going to help protect me,' Crystal told police in an arrest affidavit.
'My morning routine consisted of making Roger coffee, peanut butter and jelly toast and having to lay in bed next to him after so he could rape me.'
Crystal reported the abuse to police in 2023, and her foster parents were hit with a slew of charges, including emotional distress, negligence, sexual abuse, assault, and exploitation.
Roger was arrested in 2024 for first-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.
His nephew also provided a statement to the police corroborating sick stories of abuse.
He said that he believed Roger had groomed his foster daughter 'by making her get dressed in front of him every day and bringing him breakfast in bed daily, where she had to climb into bed with him while he slept naked'.
The nephew said that although he never witnessed the assaults, he believed Roger's behavior was 'gross' and it was clear to him that abuse had occurred.
Allegations of system failure
In addition to the cases against her foster parents, Crystal and her lawyer have filed a civil suit against DCF for alleged errors that allowed her to be in the Barriaults' care for a decade.
A report conducted by the Office of the Child Advocate detailed 'missed opportunities' to remove Crystal from the abusive home.
'The system we have today has evolved significantly over the past 20 years, making the extensive inclusion of the decades-old Barriault case of limited utility for purposes of this report,' DCF said in response to OCA's findings.
The report reads: 'Mr. Barriault's refusal to take paternity tests, and, later, receipt of text messages alluding to Mr. Barriault's paternity, DCF did not contact police to alert them to allegations of sexual abuse'.
The report acknowledged that Probate Court approved guardianship, not DCF, but accused the agency of not filing a petition to seek court-ordered paternity testing.
OCA also found that Roger's arrest for sexual abuse in 2005 against a different victim wasn't properly logged, which allowed a DCF investigation to be waived when Crystal was first placed in their care.
It also alleged that in 2015, the Probate Court received a text message from Roger to Crystal that read: 'Please please please please I love you baby girl u no it to learn never do a can look at r beautiful girl we have together'.
Another message read: 'Look at the beautiful girl I gave you'.
DCF had reported the message to the Probate Court while conducting an assessment on guardianship for Crystal's child, but didn't report it to police, according to OCA's report.
The report also noted that the Barriaults claimed up to nine children and were receiving $400,000 in federal aid programs, and Crystal even paid over $23,000 in child support.
Cystal's attorney, Nate Baber, called it the 'worst case of sexual abuse' in an interview with local ABC affiliate, WTNH.
'How does a 12-year-old girl become pregnant, and no one does anything about it? How is it that DCF is involved in a myriad of ways with this family for more than a decade, and she's never removed from the house?' he added.
DCF noted that they had a limited role in Probate cases, which is where Roger was granted guardianship of Crystal and her daughter.
'First and foremost, our hearts go out to the victim, and we applaud her bravery for coming forward. As always, we are grateful for the collaboration of law enforcement and for their work to help hold this individual accountable and bring forth justice,' DCF Commissioner Designate Jodi Hill-Lilly said in a statement last year sent to Daily Mail.
Hill-Lilly also clarified that the department had 'no involvement' with the family between 2003 and 2006.
'Also, Mr. Barriault and his wife were never licensed foster parents for the Department and the now adult victim was not placed into the home of Roger Barriault by the Department,' the statement continued.
Looking ahead
After a childhood riddled with abuse, Crystal contested the Barriaults' guardianship of her daughter and was granted custody.
'I shouldn't have a child at that age, but I did, so I kind of, I don't know. I woke up and did what I had to do, and that was it, like there was no feeling behind it,' she told CT Insider.
Crystal said that her daughter, now 12, is the 'only reason' she's alive. 'If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here. It's what keeps me going,' Crystal added.
'If I go, she has no one, because we have no one, so I can't leave her on this Earth alone.'
The Barriaults are next due in court on October 17 and then again on October 30 for jury selection in the civil lawsuit.