Warning: This article contains mentions of child abuse and death that some readers may find upsetting
A man who stands accused of throwing his two-day old daughter into the Mississippi River has revealed his motive.
Brandon Isabelle, 28, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and neglect, and aggravated kidnapping when he allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend, before throwing their newborn baby in the Mississippi River.
He appeared in court on Tuesday (September 23) and was indicted in the murders of Danielle Hoyle, 27, and their baby, Kennedy Hoyle.
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He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and jury selection was finalized for his subsequent trial, selecting 10 women and four men.
The prosecution claimed Isabelle and Danielle both worked at FedEx and were in a sexual relationship, leading to Danielle becoming pregnant.
Attorney Dru Carpenter said that at the same time, Isabelle was dating another FedEx employee who had reportedly wanted to end the relationship with him because of the baby.
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On January 31, 2022, Danielle gave birth to Kennedy and was released from the hospital when Isabelle allegedly asked Danielle to meet him in Whitehaven.
According to the prosecution, this was so he could give her baby clothes, but it was a lie. They say he lured her to Sedgwick Street and Levi Road before fatally shooting her in the head and taking the baby with him.
From there, he allegedly drove to the Mud Island Ramp and threw his two-day-old daughter into the river, which is infested with alligators.
As for why, the prosecution says it was because he did not want the child, something he admitted to himself during a status conference last month.
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Isabelle was seen on video telling investigators that he killed his girlfriend and threw the baby into the river because he did not want her. Police went on to say Isabelle allegedly confessed to the killings.
Officer Cody Sutton found Danielle’s body outside of her Chevy Cruze, where he told the court he saw blood on the driver’s seat and then found her body in the ditch next to the vehicle.
Sergeant Jeramy Cline, for the Memphis Police Department in the Homicide Bureau, also spoke about how he went to Danielle’s mother’s house, and she provided the police with her Apple watch.
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When Cline went through the past messages, he revealed that he found a screenshot of a text message conversation, where Isabelle asked for the baby to be aborted.
Kennedy’s body is yet to be recovered.
Isabelle was quickly identified as a suspect in 2022 and arrested. Prosecutors have claimed that in the case of both murders, they have DNA, video and testimonial evidence to prove that he is guilty.
Danielle’s mother, April Campbell, went on to testify that she found out about her daughter’s relationship with Isabelle in 2021 and was not supportive of the couple.
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“I said, ‘If he’s married, how do you think he’s going to treat you? If he’s not even treating his wife right, how’s he going to treat you right?’” said Campbell.
Britt Jones