Plea Deal Offered to Accomplice of Man Who Raped Girl, 6, Kept in Pit with Body of Sister, 4, After Killing Mom

Now, Daniel Callihan’s suspected accomplice, 34-year-old Victoria Cox, has been offered a plea deal of her own in court on Monday in Mississippi. The details of the deal were not immediately made clear, per People, while Cox’s team said they would have to consult with her before deciding.

The offer comes after 37-year-old Callihan accepted a deal, per an August 6 press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana. As part of the plea, Callihan admits he is guilty of kidnapping resulting in death and transporting a minor in interstate commerce to engage in criminal sexual activity, per the release.

According to the press statement, Callihan admitted that on June 11, 2024, he stabbed Callie Brunett, 35, “more than 50 times, resulting in her death” in her home in Loranger, Louisiana. He then kidnapped both of her children using her car and drove them to McComb, Mississippi.

The statement asserts that Callihan returned to Louisiana the following day, where he picked up alleged co-conspirator Cox and returned to Mississippi. Callihan admitted in a post-Miranda interview with investigators that they engaged in criminal sexual activity with the elder daughter, and then “purposely suffocated” the younger sister to death “by holding [her] closely against his chest.”

The U.S. Marshals characterized that it was Callihan’s intention to keep the 6-year-old girl as his “sex slave,” per People.

As part of his deal, the government has stated that it will not seek the death penalty, stating that he instead faces a mandatory life sentence, as well as a $250,000 fine, for the count of kidnapping resulting in death, while the second count brings a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence up to life, as well as a $250,000 fine.

Additionally, he will be obligated to register as a sex offender should he ever be released. Callihan was also facing murder charges, but it is unclear if those still stand or were vacated as part of his deal.

For her part, Cox is charged with capital murder, kidnapping and sexual battery. As she was allegedly not involved in transporting the girls across state lines, Cox avoids federal charges. Instead, she is facing her charges exclusively in Mississippi. If she does not agree to the deal, her trial is set to begin December 8.

An amber alert was first issued on June 13, 2024, two days after the murder and kidnapping. According to WDSU, Burnett’s father had last seen her on Tuesday evening, but couldn’t get in contact with her the next day and saw her car was missing. He reported her missing to the sheriff’s office on Wednesday evening, before he entered her trailer on Thursday morning and found her body covered in blood.

The Amber Alert said Callihan was wanted “for questioning for a domestic violence incident, which occurred at the time of the abduction and resulted in a homicide.” Following the alert, Burnett’s car — which Callihan had apparently stolen — was spotted in Mississippi.

A coordinated effort between local, state, and federal law enforcement officials led to the quick recovery of the surviving sister on that same day. Jackson police officers and U.S. Marshals tracked Callihan himself to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was apprehended “after a short pursuit” and taken into custody.

The surviving girl was reportedly discovered in a dark dirt pit nearby, where she was being held next to the body of her deceased sister. Jackson police Chief Joseph Wade told reporters in a press conference that, based on items found at the crime scene, “this may be the place where there has been some human trafficking done.”

Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade described the scene as “very traumatic” and “very tragic.” He said, “You don’t want to see that. As a father, to see this baby on the ground that has lost her life,” per Fox affiliate WVUE. “This was a horrible, horribly tragic situation that was committed by the actions of a coward.”