A Louisiana man, aged 23, has been sentenced to 95 years in prison for the brutal murder of his girlfriend, who was pregnant with his child, and her 2-year-old son. Brynnen Murphy was handed down the sentence by East Baton Rouge District Judge Louise Hines Myers on Tuesday. The victims were 24-year-old Kaylen Johnson, her son Kaden Johnson, and her unborn child.
Murphy was given 40 years for each manslaughter conviction and an additional 15 years for the feticide conviction. He had pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter and one count of first-degree feticide in April. Initially, Murphy was arrested in 2022 and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, but later indicted on charges of second-degree murder before reaching a plea deal with the East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office.
The Advocate reported that Johnson’s family members chose not to deliver victim impact statements during the sentencing hearing. Johnson’s aunt, LaKeisha M. Johnson, expressed to the newspaper that the family was still grappling with the loss of Kaylen, who was four months pregnant at the time of her death, and young Kaden.
East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore told Baton Rouge CBS affiliate WAFB that Murphy’s plea was effectively a life sentence, sparing the family the trauma of reliving the horrific events during a trial. Moore highlighted the brutality of the crimes, including the disposal of the bodies, and the distressing evidence that would have been presented in court.
Murphy confessed to killing Johnson in front of her son and disposing of her body in the woods with the boy still in the car. He then threw Kaden from a 30-foot bridge while the toddler was still alive. The mother and son were last seen alive on March 5, 2022. The family reported them missing after failing to contact Johnson for nearly a week.
Police performed a wellness check at Johnson’s home on March 11, 2022. Although there were no signs of foul play inside the house, Johnson’s cellphone had been disconnected. The family’s fears escalated when Johnson’s car was found abandoned on a dead-end street with the license plates removed. Murphy, initially uncooperative, eventually turned himself in.
Upon his arrest, Murphy confessed to the killings. He told detectives that he shot Johnson in the head twice after an argument on March 5, 2022, with the toddler strapped into a car seat in the back. He then dumped Johnson’s body in a roadside drainage ditch. With Kaden still in the backseat, Murphy drove to a 30-foot elevated bridge and threw the crying toddler over the side. Prosecutors stated that the fall did not seriously injure the child, who died from starvation and exposure to the elements.