Accused killer formally charged after allegedly throwing toddler from bridge, shooting pregnant girlfriend

BATON ROUGE – A man suspected of killing his girlfriend, who was pregnant with his child at the time, will go to trial to face murder and feticide charges. He’s also accused of killing the woman’s 2-year-old son. 

On Thursday, a grand jury formally charged 20-year-old Brynnen Murphy in the killings of Kaylen Johnson, her son Kaden and her unborn child. He faces two counts of first-degree murder and a charge of first-degree feticide. 

Murphy allegedly shot Johnson to death after getting into an argument with the 24-year-old. After the killing, police say Murphy dumped her body along Burbank Drive and tossed the 2-year-old boy over the side of a bridge along Central Thruway. 

Murphy, initially booked in East Baton Rouge, is currently being held in the West Baton Rouge jail, where he was moved for his own safety.