Just over a month after telling the media he deserved the death penalty, Daniel Callihan has pleaded not guilty in his double-murder and kidnapping trial.
Callihan was arrested in Jackson following a multi-agency, multi-state manhunt after the brutal murder of 35-year-old Callie Brunett and the abduction of her two daughters, 6-year-old Jalie Brunett and 4-year-old Erin Brunett. An Amber Alert helped authorities apprehend Callihan in Mississippi’s capital city, but Erin Brunett was found dead by authorities while her older sister Jalie was safely recovered.
When being transported by deputies following his arrest, Callihan publicly admitted to the crimes and stated,“For what I did, lethal injection is the easiest thing for me.” But on Monday, he entered a plea of not guilty in a Tangipahoa Parish, La., court. Callihan was formally booked into the Tangipahoa Parish County Jail following the plea hearing.
The district attorney prosecuting the case, Scott Perrilloux of the 21st Judicial District in Louisiana, filed a formal notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Callihan. The 36-year-old faces two counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping of a child, and one count of second-degree kidnapping.
Callihan’s alleged accomplice, Victoria Cox, was also arrested and indicted on a capital murder charge. She has since pleaded not guilty.
Officials said that Callihan has also been indicted on seven counts in Mississippi. They include one count of capital murder, three counts of sexual battery, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of receiving stolen property.
