Louisiana Man Sentenced to 95 Years for Murder of Pregnant Girlfriend and Toddler

BATON ROUGE (KPEL) — A Louisiana man was sentenced to 95 years in prison after being found guilty of the murder of his pregnant girlfriend and her 2-year-old.

Get our free mobile app

Kaylen Johnson, 24, and her 2-year-old son were reported missing in March of 2022. Brynnen Murphy turned himself in three days after her family reported her missing.

Read More: Louisiana Fugitives Offered Legal Help to Surrender

Murphy told Baton Rouge Police that he shot and killed his then-girlfriend, Kaylen Johnson, during a heated argument. At the time of the shooting, she was pregnant with his child.

Johnson's body was found dumped in a wooded area near Burbank Drive in Baton Rouge, where Murphy dumped her after fatally shooting her.

Following that, Murphy murdered her 2-year-old son by throwing him off a bridge.

Back in April of 2022, Murphy took a plea deal.

Now, he will serve what District Attorney Hillar Moore says is 'practically life in prison.'

There’s no other sentence than what he agreed to today, so this is a guaranteed sentence; he’s practically doing life in prison.

Moore explained that this guilty plea allows the family to have closure without being forced to sit through a graphic trial.

According to WAFB, the family did not provide a comment regarding the sentence.

The formal sentencing was held on Tuesday, during which the family was given the option to read a statement or have someone else read it on their behalf.

This is a developing story, and the KPEL News Team is working to provide additional coverage for Acadiana. Updates will be shared as they become available, so download the KPEL News app via Google Play or in the App Store and subscribe to breaking news alerts to get the latest information sent directly to your mobile device.

You can also use the KPEL app to submit a news tip, share a traffic update, or chat directly with our on-air team.

Be sure to bookmark our latest site, wearelafayette.net, where we provide more local news coverage as well as lifestyle and community features.

To report errors, omissions, or other concerns regarding the content above, send emails to news@kpel965.com.