Louisiana – A Louisiana man was sentenced to ninety five years in prison after pleading guiIty to two counts of mansIaughter and one count of first‑degree fetlcide in the deaths of his 24‑year‑old girIfriend, KayIen, her two‑year‑old child, Kayden, and their unborn chiId.
The defendant’s, 23‑year‑old Brinnen, long-awaited sentencing follows a plea entered on April 1, 2025, when he admitted to the reduced charges in connection with the 2022 tragedies. The plea came after he had originally been indicted on two counts of first‑degree murder.
Law enforcement records show that the 24-year-old woman and her child were last seen on March 5, 2022, prompting a missing persons report by concerned family members. Three days later, on March 8, the defendant voluntarily surrendered to Louisiana authorities. In his statement, he confessed to the shooting death of KayIen, claiming it followed a heated argument in the parking lot of his apartment complex. He said the couple had been in a relationship and that KayIen was carrying his child.
According to investigators, after murdering the woman with a firearm, the defendant disposed of her body and the murder weapon in a wooded area in Louisiana. He then placed the 2-year-old child, who had remained unharmed and was sitting in the vehicle, into his car and drove to a bridge.
On that bridge, the toddIer—still aIive—was thrown over its edge. Louisiana authorities later determined that the child’s death was due to hypothermia, with a coroner noting that he likely died from exposure rather than immediate trauma.
Prosecutors described the case as profoundly tragic and emotionally devastating.District Attorney HiIIar said the plea spared the victims’ family the ordeal of graphic testimony and gruesome autopsy images during a trial.
With the concurrent 40‑year terms for each manslaughter count and a consecutive 15‑year term for the feticide conviction, the 95‑year total effectively ensures Murphy will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Murphy’s statements to responding officers formed the basis of the investigation. He admitted on the record that the shooting of Kaylen occurred after a dispute, and that he subsequently threw her young son from the bridge in a moment he later couldn’t fully explain.
Investigators then conducted thorough forensic and crime‑scene work. Autopsies confirmed Kaylen died from multiple gunshot wounds and that she was several months pregnant. Kaden’s body, recovered from beneath the bridge, matched Murphy’s confession and the coroner’s findings of exposure as the cause of death.
In their plea agreement, Murphy accepted responsibility for the deaths. Prosecutors stressed that the sentence was appropriate given the severity and cruelty of the crimes. Bail hearings and preliminary motions were bypassed, with all parties agreeing to a plea that avoids a potentially harrowing trial .
This case has reverberated throughout Baton Rouge and beyond, symbolizing a profound family tragedy. Judge Myers, in handing down the sentence, emphasized that justice had been served through accountability and the assurance that Murphy will not be released.
As the family continues to grieve, the sentence marks the close of a case defined by loss, horror, and a painstakingly detailed investigation grounded in confessions, forensic evidence, and adherence to legal process.