The distraught father of The 5 Browns musical group pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually abusing his daughters when they were children in a deal that will send him to prison for at least 10 years.

With scratches and bruises on his face from a crash in which his Porsche plunged 300 feet into a canyon, Keith Brown, 55, entered his plea to three felony counts in Fourth District Court.

"He is terribly remorseful for what has happened and for what he has put his family through," defense attorney Steven Shapiro said after the hearing. "He recognizes that this is the next step in the long road to trying to accept responsibility for something terrible that he did a long time ago."

Dressed in dark slacks and a grey overcoat, Brown appeared in court with his sister-in-law by his side. He showed few signs of the horrific crash just three days earlier that police called an accident.

His response to the judge when asked for his plea on each charge was a barely audible, "guilty."

Brown's three daughters and two sons are part of the classical piano group The 5 Browns, whose albums have topped the classical music charts and who have appeared on "Oprah" and other shows. The group also has been profiled by "60 Minutes."

Brown did not speak further during the hearing and declined to answer questions from reporters afterward. He remained free until his sentencing on March 31, after prosecutors said they do not consider him a threat.

Brown chose to enter the plea to bring a quick resolution to the case and did not want to "exacerbate the harm" by dragging out the proceedings, Shapiro said.

Utah County prosecutors charged Brown with one first-degree felony count of sodomy on a child and two second-degree felony counts of sexual abuse of a child.