An Amite man pleaded guilty to first-degree murder charges in the death of a 35-year-old woman and her four-year-old daughter.
Prosecutors say Daniel Callihan stabbed to death Callie Brunett 50-times in Loranger in June of 2024 and took her girls to Hinds County, Mississippi. That’s where four-year-old Erin Brunett was found dead. District Attorney Scott Perrilloux says Callihan will serve two life sentences with no possibility of parole.
“Mr. Callihan will be in prison for the rest of his life. Also, the Brunett family is pleased with the result as well, and that’s very important to us,” Perrilloux said.
By pleading guilty, Callihan avoids the possibility of a death sentence. Perrilloux says capital punishment cases are difficult to prosecute, so avoiding a trial and getting a guilty plea is a positive result.
“I don’t know about closure; that’s a great term. I’m not sure if it works, but we were able to get this part of the process to an end, which I think has some great benefit,” Perrilloux said.
Callihan also kidnapped Brunett’s six-year-old daughter, and he intended to keep her as a sex slave. After he was apprehended in Mississippi, Callihan told reporters as he was being walked by Jackson, Mississippi police that he killed Brunett and her daughter and blamed it on being Lexapro.
Callihan’s attorney, Kerry Cuccia, says his client is a different person than he was 15 months ago.
“This is a person who now is on medication that was desperately needed at that time. This is a man who has had a stable living environment, proper nutrition, proper rest, things that he did not have for the time,” Cuccia said.
Callihan is also expected to plead guilty on Monday to state charges in Mississippi. He will also be sentenced in November to federal crimes he pleaded guilty to last month.
The Brunett family issued a statement, wishing him “nightmares every night for the rest of his life.”