In March 2022, the life of 24-year-old Kaylen Johnson, a female resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was tragically cut short, sending ripples of shock and grief through her community. Johnson, who was six months pregnant at the time of her death, was reported missing along with her two-year-old son, Kaden, after last being seen on March 5, 2022. The search for the young mother and her child came to a heartbreaking end on March 14 when their bodies were discovered in separate locations.
An autopsy would later reveal that Kaylen Johnson had died from multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation into their disappearance and deaths quickly focused on Kaylen's boyfriend, Brynnen Murphy. Initially uncooperative with investigators, Murphy eventually turned himself in to the Baton Rouge Police on March 14. He confessed to killing both Kaylen and her young son. According to his confession, he shot Kaylen in the parking lot of his apartment complex. In a horrifying admission, he stated that after killing Kaylen, he drove to a bridge and threw her two-year-old son, Kaden, who was still alive, over the side. An autopsy determined that the little boy died from hypothermia.
Following his confession, Brynnen Murphy was arrested and initially charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree feticide, as Kaylen was pregnant with his child. In April 2025, Murphy accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to two counts of manslaughter and one count of feticide. Subsequently, in June 2025, he was sentenced to 95 years in prison. The sentence consisted of 40 years for each count of manslaughter and an additional 15 years for the feticide charge, with the terms to be served consecutively.
