Daniel Callihan was arraigned in Amite on Monday afternoon and entered a not-guilty plea to a variety of charges, including double homicide.
According to District Attorney Scott Perrilloux, the district attorney will pursue the death penalty against Callihan, 36, who is accused of the murders of Callie Brunett and her three-year-old daughter, Erin. Additionally, he is charged with the abduction of Jalie Brunett, a six-year-old. The Loranger region is the source of all the victims.
District D Judge Brian Abels has scheduled the initial pre-trial motion for 9 a.m. on August 21. Following the arraignment, Perrilloux, who submitted the notice to pursue the death penalty this week, informed The Daily Star that he had engaged in discussions with the Brunetts and that “they are in agreement” with the capital murder charge.
Kerry Cuccia, the defense attorney, stated that the arraignment proceeded as anticipated, and that “we are now entering the pre-trial motions of the case.”
Perrilloux stated that the “best case scenario” for the commencement of the trial is approximately 18 months.
Before his arraignment, Callihan was arrested and lodged in the Tangipahoa Parish Jail on Monday. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping of a child, one count of second-degree kidnapping, one count of armed robbery, one count of unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, one count of simple arson, two counts of theft of a firearm, and one count of burglary of a residence.
The issue of jurisdiction remains unresolved, as the U.S. Attorney’s Office Louisiana Eastern District, Mississippi, and Louisiana have all asserted jurisdiction. Louisiana is the initial jurisdiction to arraign Callihan; however, Perrilloux acknowledged that he has no control over the federal and Mississippi cases.
Additionally, he acknowledged that he does not perceive any form of resolution at this time.
Perrilloux stated, “We are only able to manage our portion of the situation at this time, and our objective is to progress.” “I am unable to represent the other jurisdictions.” I was optimistic that they would perceive this as a matter that originated in this location and would be more effectively addressed there.
In relation to a homicide that took place in Bywater on Wednesday morning, the New Orleans Police Department is looking for three people of interest.
According to the New Orleans Police Department, Jasmine Hiatt, 23, Nicole Galvis, 34, and Trey Thompson, 31, are all persons of interest in the case and require interrogation.
The police have stated that they are not seeking them on criminal charges for the investigation; however, they believe they may possess information that would be beneficial to the investigation.
Police have reported that they received a dispatch at approximately 7:23 a.m. regarding the death of a man in the 2700 block of Decatur Street. At present, no additional information has been furnished.
Detectives from the NOPD Homicide District are encouraged to reach out to anyone with supplementary information that could be beneficial to this investigation by calling 504-658-5300. Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans can be contacted at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-STOP for those who wish to report information anonymously.
