South Fayette man heads to trial on charges he filmed sex with girl

A South Fayette man is headed to Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on charges that he had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl and used “multiple iPhones” to film the pair having sex, court records show.

Matthew Alexander Trax, 24, allegedly had sex several times with the girl, including in the backseat of his pickup while parked in a lot near Mt. Lebanon High School, according to a criminal complaint in the case. TribLive doesn’t identify victims of sexual abuse.

Trax waived his preliminary hearing Wednesday afternoon, court records show. The 14 charges against Trax — 13 of them felonies — include sexual assault, possession of child pornography, unlawful contact with a minor, and knowingly filming a child in a sex act, among others.

The girl’s parents learned of the relationship in November and contacted police, the complaint said. Police discovered the pair had been sharing videos of their encounters.

“How many years til ur 18? 3 or 4?” Trax texted the girl on Nov. 29, according to police.

In Pennsylvania, children less than 13 years old cannot grant consent to sexual activity, according to the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect. Teens between 13 and 15 years old cannot consent to sexual activity with anyone who is four or more years older than them.

Trax remained Wednesday in Allegheny County Jail, court records show. Judges have twice denied him bail, once because there were “no conditions to assure community safety.”

He is set to be arraigned in Common Pleas Court on April 4.