Doctor planted hidden camera, sexually abused stepson in Pennsylvania

Stacey Rutherford thought she had found a “gold mine” when she married Justin Rutherford.

But in 2021, the Pennsylvania mother of four made a discovery that would destroy her life. There was a secret camera hidden inside the bathroom of her family home, planted by her second husband, a respected local doctor. Police said she had been silently recording for years. What started as a shocking violation quickly turned into something much darker.

Justin, 36, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting his stepson and another minor, and was later convicted in a murder-for-hire plot. The disgraced doctor’s twisted double life — and his family’s fight to reclaim their story — is now the focus of ABC News Studios’ true-crime docuseries streaming on Hulu, Betrayal: Under His Eyes.

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Justin Rutherford’s medical license was revoked after his conviction. (ABC News Studios)

“There’s a lot of shame and guilt,” Rutherford told Fox News Digital. “You always think, as a mother, if you know your kids so well, and you’re so close to them, how did you not see that something was broken? How did you not focus on the fact that something wasn’t right at home? The feeling diminishes over time, but it’s also a feeling that never goes away.”

After struggling to find love, Rutherford, then a single mother of two, met a glamorous medical student via a dating app in 2015. By the time they married in 2019, he was a practicing doctor. They went to welcome two more children.

“At first, I really liked him,” Rutherford’s son, Tyler Vanscyoc, told Fox News Digital. “My mom didn’t bring a lot of guys, but I remember when she introduced us to someone she was seeing, they didn’t speak a word to us. But it was different. He was really interested in getting to know us. He asked what we liked, what we wanted to do with our lives. He would throw the football around with us. I thought he was a good guy, a good match for my mom.”

Justin Rutherford is the subject of a true crime documentary series streaming on Hulu called “Betrayal: Under His Eye.” (ABC News Studios)

Rutherford thought she had a perfect home life. But that all changed in the summer of 2021 when a teenage friend of VanScyoc discovered a hidden camera disguised as a phone charger in the family bathroom. The friend immediately informed his mother, Who called the policeaccording to investigators.

One of Tyler VanScyoc’s friends discovered the camera in the family bathroom, which was disguised as a phone charger. The friend told his mother, who called the police. (ABC News Studios)

According to the docuseries, Justin took thousands of photos of people showering, using the bathroom, and changing their clothes.

During the investigation, one of VanScyoc’s friends told police that Justin sexually assaulted him in his sleep while the friend was under the influence of alcohol. GMA I mentioned. VanScyoc later admitted that his stepfather had been sexually harassing him since he was 11 years old.

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Single mum Stacey Rutherford thought she had found a ‘goldmine’ when she met medical student Justin Rutherford online. (ABC News Studios)

“At first, I didn’t think there was any courage in speaking out,” Vansceueck explained. “I felt like I had to. And I think the more I shared what happened to me, the more I was no longer letting it eat me alive.”

In docuseriesVanScyoc described the deep shame he felt after coming forward. He noted that whenever he tried to resist, his stepfather’s behavior changed. His anger quickly showed if VanScyoc didn’t do exactly what he wanted. But once his friend spoke, VanScyoc knew he couldn’t stay silent any longer.

“When the whole thing first came out, I didn’t really hate it yet or anything like that,” Vansceueck explained. “I didn’t really feel a lot of those feelings. It took a while for me to transition into that. But there was a lot of guilt there.”

Tyler Vanscyoc, who spoke in the film “Betrayal,” admitted to police that he had been sexually assaulted by his stepfather. (ABC News Studios)

“I just thought, ‘Man, you took this guy’s whole life away.’ But it also took a lot from me. And I was still connected to him in that he was my father all those years. He was still my father. And when he wasn’t doing what he did to me, or when he wasn’t in monster mode, I guess you would say, he was acting like a good father. He treated me like any good father would treat his child.”

The docuseries described Justin Rutherford as a doting husband and father before the truth came out. (ABC News Studios)

“He built a relationship with me,” the 20-year-old continued. “I think that’s a lot of what he used against me. He built that relationship with me, made me trust him, made me love him too. And I did. I loved him, I cared for him, I trusted him — all those things. It was hard knowing that it was all years and years of manipulation.”

Rutherford said she never noticed any red flags, and there was nothing that made her suspect that the man she loved was hiding a dark secret.

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Michaela Harris, Stacey Rutherford’s daughter, spoke about how the discovery of the hidden cameras affected her family. (ABC News Studios)

“When I was dating, my biggest fear was that someone would hurt my kids, and I was going to be the one to bring that into their lives,” she said. “I didn’t introduce them to someone right away. Knowing that I brought him into their world, knowing that the only reason he was in their world was because of me? Yes, I was carrying a lot of guilt. As parents, we’re supposed to be able to protect our children from anything. And when you can’t, it’s like it’s your fault.”

Tyler VanScyoc’s courage to come forward was deeply admired by his loved ones and the investigators involved in the case. (ABC News Studios)

“I had no idea what these were,” the 47-year-old said. “I wasn’t abused as a kid. I didn’t know any friends who were abused. It wasn’t something I knew about. I was 30 when I met him. I should have known about these kinds of things, but I didn’t. … Guilt was the silent killer.”

Justin managed to escape to Europe. But when he came back To Dulles International Airport in VirginiaHe was arrested. While awaiting trial, he tried to organize VanScyoc’s murder through letters to a close family friend, police told GMA.

In 2023, Justin Rutherford was sentenced to 26 years, 10 months to 70 years in prison, followed by 12 years of special probation on charges including rape of a child and invasion of privacy. (Berks County District Attorney)

“I was absolutely devastated,” Rutherford said, holding back tears. “I knew he wasn’t who I thought he was, but this is something I could never have imagined. It changed all of our lives. It made me realize how ugly this world is. I don’t like going to a lot of public places. Sometimes when my kids walk in, I jump. I don’t think I’ve slept as much since all this happened. How do I know he’s not there, still trying to get revenge on my son? All it takes is one person to believe him. To believe he’s a doctor with A lot of money.”

“I’m always looking over my shoulder,” she admitted.

In 2023, Justin was sentenced to 26 years and 10 months to 70 years in prison. Berks County District Attorney’s Office Announce. He later received an additional concurrent sentence of between five and 10 years for trying to arrange VanScyoc’s murder from prison, GMA reported.

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Stacey Rutherford told Fox News Digital that she still suffers from “mommy guilt.” (ABC News Studios)

“When I had to look at the photos for the documentary, it was very difficult,” Rutherford said. “Tyler was always a big hugger, and he would cuddle with me on the couch. He would cuddle with Justin on the couch. … Looking back at the pictures now, it makes me sick. When I first took them, I thought they were very beautiful pictures of my kids who were loved by the stepfather.”

Stacey Rutherford told Fox News Digital that she is trying to rebuild her life. (ABC News Studios)

“Tyler always had friends over to play with or play in the pool with us. Justin wouldn’t throw himself at the kids. It was like a big brother wanting to play video games, and they didn’t want him there. I saw those things as innocent. But I try not to take every memory and change it. I try to make it what it was for us at the time.”

After Justin’s convictionThe family kept quiet about what happened to them. But now they’re coming forward in hopes of helping other survivors speak out and parents be vigilant.

Tyler Vanscyoc told Fox News Digital that he is sharing his story in hopes of giving survivors the courage to come forward and speak out. (ABC News Studios)

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“Have conversations with your kids,” Rutherford said. “It’s not just creepy weirdos who molest children. These things happen inside good homes. They can happen anywhere. They can happen inside your house. I never thought something like this would happen to me.”

“Betrayal: Under His Eye” is streaming on Hulu.