The man arrested for abducting two Louisiana children and killing one of them is asking for the death penalty.
36-year-old Daniel Callihan, when speaking to the media on Friday, admitted to the crimes pressed against him while saying “lethal injection is easiest.” Callihan is accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend, 35-year-old Callie Brunett, inside her trailer home in Loranger, La., before taking her two daughters, 4-year-old Erin Brunett and 6-year-old Jalie Brunett. Erin was found dead at a residence in Mississippi’s capital city of Jackson, where law enforcement took Callihan into custody after a brief chase.
“I have told them everything I did, and I have agreed not to fight it” Callihan told reporters while being strapped into a police cruiser. “For what I did, lethal injection is the easiest thing for me.”
‘Lethal injection is the easiest thing for me’: Daniel Calihan, the man charged in the deadly abduction case admits to his actions. He said he deserves the death penalty after allegedly killing a mom and her 4-year-old daughter. I’ll have the full details tonight at 10 @WLBT pic.twitter.com/sDs761xDKr
— Quentin Smith (@Q_Smith_) June 15, 2024
Callihan went on to partially blame his actions on an anti-depressant while claiming he has dissociative identity disorder, which is when a person has multiple, distinct personalities with the various identities controlling a person’s behavior at different times, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
“I have no reason for what I did,” Callihan said. “All I know is I was sober and only on Lexapro – and off Lexapro – and I’m also diagnosed with multiple personality disorder.”
Hours after an Amber Alert was issued by Louisiana State Police on Thursday, Callihan was arrested at a home on Boozier Drive in south Jackson. Police added that there were signs of possible human trafficking at the scene, including multiple small animal cages.
Callihan, who has a lengthy rap sheet that includes at least eight arrests since 2008, told reporters that he was “not pretending to be crazy. I am certified. I have only been out of the nuthouse for two weeks.” The New York Post spoke to some of Callihan’s neighbors in Amite, La., who said he “terrorized” their street, breaking into homes and walking around naked with a crossbow.
An alleged accomplice, 32-year-old Victoria Cox, was also arrested for Thursday’s killings. The FBI has taken over the case with both Callihan and Cox awaiting court appearances.
Update: On Monday, June 17, the Tangipahoa Parish coroner released a preliminary cause of death for the mother killed in this case. Coroner Rick Foster said 35-year-old Callie Brunett died of “multiple sharp force injuries.” He said there were multiple stab wounds to her head, neck, chest, abdomen and back. Foster also said Brunett had what appeared to be defensive wounds to her arms.
