A former reality TV personality who captured hearts on summer television now faces a year behind bars. Cashel Barnett, best known for appearing on the inaugural season of Love Island USA in 2019, has been formally sentenced to jail time after pleading guilty to a string of violent crimes against his ex-girlfriend.
The 34-year-old Sacramento native was booked into the Salt Lake County jail on January 12 and will serve a full year in custody, with credit for time already served . The sentence follows guilty pleas to three criminal charges: second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse, third-degree felony aggravated assault, and third-degree felony domestic violence in the presence of a child.
The charges stem from a brutal pattern of abuse spanning late 2024 through April 2025. Prosecutors detailed an incident on April 10 where Barnett fought with his ex-girlfriend while their one-year-old child was in the room . During the assault, he grabbed her neck with both hands and forced her onto a bed, choking her until she couldn’t breathe or see clearly.
According to court documents, the strangulation was particularly concerning to prosecutors. “Victims who have been non-fatally strangled are 7.5 times more likely to become a subsequent victim of homicide at the hands of the same abusive partner,” they noted in filings . The victim reported symptoms consistent with strangulation including coughing, difficulty swallowing, neck pain, nausea, and memory loss.
A separate sexual assault occurred in November 2024, also in front of the couple’s toddler daughter .
During sentencing, the victim delivered a powerful impact statement read in open court. “Imagining all the hurt and long-lasting damage and having a one-year sentence feels like an injustice,” she said. “I pray for the safety of all three of my children and for me”.
A source close to the victim told reporters she condemned what she felt was a light sentence, though she accepted the plea deal to avoid the trauma of a trial.
Barnett originally faced charges that carried a potential prison sentence of 15 years to life . His attorney, Andrew Deesing, explained that the state extended the plea offer following the victim’s testimony in June. “Mr. Barnett believes the joint plea agreement, substantial reduction, and factual basis represent the appropriate resolution of this case,” Deesing said.
Upon release, Barnett will be placed on probation and must comply with a protective order barring him from approaching his ex-girlfriend or child.
The reality TV personality rose to fame on the first season of Love Island USA, which aired on CBS in summer 2019. He coupled with Caroline “Caro” Viehweg, Kyra Green, and Katrina Dimaranan before being dumped on day 20. He later appeared on two episodes of The Challenge: USA in 2022.
Barnett, a Fordham University alum with nearly 80,000 Instagram followers, now faces a future defined not by his brief television fame, but by the violence that followed it . His case joins a growing list of reality stars whose off-screen behavior has landed them in courtrooms instead of villas.
