Chilling Reason Dad Allegedly Threw Newborn Daughter Into Alligator-Filled River Revealed

Warning: This article contains references to child abuse and death that may be distressing to some readers.

A man accused of killing his girlfriend and then throwing his two-day-old daughter into the Mississippi River has allegedly shared why he did it.

Authorities charged 28-year-old Brandon Isabelle with two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and neglect, and aggravated kidnapping. Prosecutors say he first shot and killed his girlfriend before taking their newborn baby and discarding her in the river.

Isabelle appeared in court on Tuesday (September 23), where a grand jury indicted him for the murders of 27-year-old Danielle Hoyle and baby Kennedy Hoyle.

He has entered a plea of not guilty to all the charges. Jury selection has already been completed, and the panel includes ten women and four men.

The state alleges that Isabelle and Danielle, who both worked at FedEx, had a sexual relationship that led to Danielle’s pregnancy, which later became the center of conflict.

Prosecutor Dru Carpenter explained that Isabelle was also dating another FedEx worker at the time. Reports suggest this woman wanted to end their relationship because of the baby.

On January 31, 2022, Danielle gave birth to Kennedy and was released from the hospital. That same day, Isabelle allegedly convinced Danielle to meet him in Whitehaven.

Brandon Isabelle's trial has begun Action News 5

According to prosecutors, Isabelle told Danielle he wanted to bring her baby clothes, but that was not the truth. Instead, they claim he lured her to the area of Sedgwick Street and Levi Road, where he fatally shot her in the head and took Kennedy with him.

He then allegedly drove to the Mud Island Ramp and threw the newborn into the Mississippi River, an area known to be filled with alligators.

Prosecutors say his motive was that he simply did not want the child. This reasoning was reportedly admitted by Isabelle during a status conference last month.

Video evidence shown in court allegedly captured Isabelle telling investigators that he killed Danielle and threw Kennedy into the river because he did not want to raise her. Police testified that he confessed to carrying out both killings.

Officer Cody Sutton explained that he found Danielle’s Chevy Cruze abandoned. He saw blood on the driver’s seat and later discovered Danielle’s body in a nearby ditch.

Sergeant Jeramy Cline, from the Memphis Police Department’s Homicide Bureau, said he went to Danielle’s mother’s house. There, her mother provided police with Danielle’s Apple Watch to aid the investigation.

When officers reviewed the watch’s messages, they found a screenshot of a conversation in which Isabelle had asked Danielle to have an abortion.

To this day, Kennedy’s body has not been recovered from the river.

Prosecutors say that in addition to Danielle’s murder, they have DNA, surveillance footage, and testimony tying Isabelle to both killings, which they believe is more than enough evidence to prove guilt in court.

Danielle’s mother, April Campbell, also took the stand. She testified that she learned about her daughter’s relationship with Isabelle in 2021 and admitted she was never supportive of the pairing.

"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.