A man, identified as Brandon Isabelle, has been convicted of murdering his girlfriend and tossing their two-day-old daughter into a river following a week-long trial. Isabelle, aged 28, initially pleaded not guilty to all accusations related to the deaths of Danielle Hoyle, aged 27, and their newborn, Kennedy Hoyle. However, a jury has recommended a life sentence for Isabelle, with the chance of parole after 51 years.
Prosecutors revealed that Isabelle and Danielle were colleagues at FedEx and engaged in a romantic relationship that resulted in Danielle getting pregnant. Simultaneously, Isabelle was involved with another FedEx employee who sought to end their relationship due to the pregnancy.
Kennedy was born on January 31, 2022, and after Danielle’s hospital discharge, she met Isabelle as requested. Allegedly, Isabelle misled Danielle by claiming to provide baby clothes but instead led her to a location where he fatally shot her and abducted the infant.
Isabelle then drove to the Mud Island Ramp and allegedly threw Kennedy into the Mississippi River, known for its alligator population. The case unfolded when authorities discovered Danielle’s vehicle with a broken window on February 1, 2022, near where her body was later found with a gunshot wound to her head.
Family members informed the police that Danielle was meeting Isabelle with their infant daughter, Kennedy, who was missing. Isabelle was swiftly considered a suspect, and he was taken into custody a day after the discovery of Danielle’s body.
During investigations, Isabelle reportedly confessed to luring Danielle to a location, shooting her, and discarding Kennedy into the river. He purportedly stated that he committed the acts because he did not want the child. Following the murders, Isabelle allegedly purchased gifts for another girlfriend and disposed of Kennedy’s car seat in a Walmart dumpster.
In a separate incident, Kristopher Matthews, aged 40, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for causing the death of his two-month-old son through severe neglect, characterized as aggravated child abuse. Matthews admitted to never feeding his child and neglected medical care after the infant’s birth, resulting in his tragic demise.
Prosecutors described the infant’s drastic weight loss due to prolonged starvation, emphasizing the disturbing nature of the neglect. Matthews’ actions were likened to a horror movie as authorities detailed the dire condition of the child’s emaciated body. Similarly, Karson’s mother, Shirley Matthews, was convicted of aggravated child abuse and received the same 20-year prison sentence as Kristopher. The prosecutor lamented the preventable suffering and death of the infant due to the parents’ negligence.