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- [00:01]
Katie Ring
Crime House has the perfect new show for spooky season Twisted Tales. Hosted by Heidi Wong, each episode of Twisted Tales is perfect for late night scares and daytime frights, revealing the disturbing real life events that inspired the world's most terrifying blockbusters and the ones too twisted to make it to screen. Twisted Tales is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcasts New episodes out every Monday.
- [00:41]
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This is Crime House.
- [00:45]
Katie Ring
On this episode of Night Watch, we're getting into the case of Brandon Isabel, a man from Memphis, Tennessee who was recently found guilty for murdering his ex girlfriend and their two day old daughter so he could run off with his side piece. Let's get into it. Breaking news is first at 6 tonight as a jury hands down a guilty verdict in the Brandon Isabel trial. Brandon Isabel's police interrogation was recorded on video.
- [01:13]
Ad Voice / Advertiser
He admitted to shooting and killing Danielle Hoyle and throwing their two day old.
- [01:18]
Katie Ring
Baby Kennedy in the Mississippi River. For what he did to Danielle Hoyle and baby Kennedy, 28 year old Brandon Isabel will spend the rest of his life in prison. Hi, I'm Katie Ring, a true crime analyst, self defense instructor and fierce advocate for victims. And this is Crime House Daily, your essential true crime companion. Every weekday morning and night here at Crime House Daily, we dig into the true crime stories making headlines right now where justice is unfolding, arrests are happening and new evidence is emerging. Every morning, First Watch gets you up to speed on today's biggest cases. Every night, Nightwatch takes you deeper. If you want to follow a case from the first 911 call to the final verdict, this is the place for you. Follow Crime House Daily wherever you get your podcasts, leave a review and for ad free listening. Subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. For video, check out our YouTube channel, Crimehouse Daily. This episode discusses active criminal cases and breaking news. The information we share is based on what's publicly available at the time of recording and may change as new evidence comes to light. We aim to inform, not to decide guilt or innocence. So everyone mentioned is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
- [02:48]
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- [03:20]
Katie Ring
Tonight we have a devastating and twisted case on our hands. It's the murder trial of Brandon Isabel, who was accused of murdering his ex girlfriend Danielle Hoyle and their two day old daughter Kennedy in 2022. On September 30, 2025, after a two week trial, a jury in Memphis, Tennessee found the 28 year old guilty and he was sentenced to life in prison. But that's not where the story ends. On November 12, Hill returned to court to be sentenced on numerous other charges related to the abuse and mistreatment of his two day old baby leading up to her death. Before we get into the heinous crimes, let's begin with who Danielle Hoyle was and her hopes for motherhood. It's 2020 and Danielle is a regular churchgoer and is also a star employee at a FedEx in Memphis. This is where she meets a coworker named Brandon Isabel. Brandon has also been given awards for his excellence in the workplace. In 2021, 27 year old Danielle and Brandon begin dating. But Brandon has a secret. He tells Danielle that he's separated, but he's very much still married. Unaware of the truth, the two keep dating and Danielle has no clue about the other woman. But then in June of that year, Danielle gets some exciting news. She's pregnant and she is thrilled. Danielle has a daughter from a previous relationship and she can't wait for her to become a big sister. Danielle's mom, April Campbell is also extremely excited for her daughter. She has always been there for Danielle and her daughter and she told Danielle that she would help out when the new baby arrived. Overall, it's a really joyous time for Danielle and her family. However, there is one person who wasn't too happy to hear the news and that person is Danielle's baby daddy, Brandon. He's more focused on his other girlfriend, another FedEx employee named Artisha Stewart. But Artisha doesn't want to be in a relationship with someone who's having a child with another woman because she thinks things would become too complicated. She tells Brandon about her doubts, but he tries to convince her they would work it out. Brandon is head over heels for Artisha and even though they haven't been dating for very long, he is thinking about proposing to her. Let's just say he doesn't want anything getting in the way of his new relationship. Artisha is hesitant, but she agrees to try and make their relationship work and asks Brandon to get a paternity Test to make sure he's really the baby's father. There's no record if he ever did, but on January 30, 2022, Danielle goes into labor. With a baby about to be born any minute, Artisha finally tells Brandon the inevitable. She thinks they should end things. She sent him a text while he was in the hospital with Danielle. Unfortunately, Danielle's mom, April, couldn't be there because of the COVID restrictions, so he was the only one with her. But instead of supporting the mother of his child, Brandon is glued to his phone, trying to persuade Artisha not to break up with him. Regardless of what Brandon wanted, the baby is coming. And on January 31, 2022, a sweet baby girl named Kennedy enters the world. Doctors say she is healthy, and Danielle is overcome with joy when she holds Kennedy for the first time in her arms. But Brandon is not so excited. He leaves the hospital right after Danielle gives birth and heads straight to Artisha's house to try and convince her to stay. And while Brandon is running around, Danielle is focusing on recovering from Labor. And on February 1st, she and Kennedy are released from the hospital and they leave to stay with her mom, April. At this point, Kennedy is only two days old, and her family members are completely enamored with her. But they are only able to spend about an hour with her before Danielle leaves to go see Brandon. He says he has some clothes for baby Kennedy and asked to meet with Danielle in the Whitehaven area of Memphis to hand them off. It looks like he may not want to be an active father, but he is at least putting in some effort to provide for his daughter. Danielle agrees to the arrangement and brings Kennedy with her so that her daughter and Brandon could spend some time together. Danielle puts Kennedy in her car seat and heads to the meeting spot. When she gets there, she doesn't see Brandon, but she gets a text from him telling her to drive a little further down the nearby road. It's not the safest neighborhood, but Danielle is already there, so she follows Brandon's instructions, and eventually she sees his car parked on the side of the road. When she pulls up, Brandon gets out of his car and walks to Danielle's passenger side window. But something isn't quite right. Not only were the clothes he promised to bring his child nowhere to be seen, he has a gun. He pulls it out, aims it at Danielle, and pulls the trigger on the mother of his child five times. The bullets shatter the window and strike Danielle in the head and neck. Just like that, the young mother is dead, and the first Step of Brandon's horrific plan is complete. Brandon drags Danielle's bloody body from the driver's seat and then leaves her in a nearby ditch. He then goes back to Danielle's car and grabs Kennedy with her car seat. He places the two day old girl in his car, then drives away. Leaving Danielle's car behind, Brandon drives to an area known as Mud island, which is a peninsula on the Mississippi river In Memphis, about 12 miles from Whitehaven, where he had just killed Danielle. Brandon pulls up to a spot along the riverbank, gets out of the driver's seat and opens the back door. Then he grabs Kennedy by her leg and throws his own child into the cold, dark river. The innocent baby girl is still wearing her newborn cap from the hospital when her father murdered her in one of the most cruel ways. Finally, Brandon pulls out the gun he used to shoot Danielle and throws it into the river as well. And the craziest part is that after violently murdering the mother of his child and his two day old baby girl, he shows no remorse. He immediately texts Artisha and asks if he could come see her. She agrees, and on his way to her house, Brandon stops at a Walgreens to buy her a present. Before arriving at Artisha's house, Brandon does two things. He leaves Kennedy's car seat near a dumpster and he sends a few texts to Danielle's phone. As of this recording, the contents of those messages haven't been disclosed, but it's clearly Brandon's way of trying to cover his tracks. Brandon might be thinking his actions were enough to make it look like someone else committed the crimes. But clearly Brandon isn't the sharpest tool in the shed because the amount of evidence he's left behind is shocking.
- [10:47]
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- [11:05]
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- [11:08]
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- [11:45]
Katie Ring
Experian on February 1, 2022, 25 year old Brandon Isabel murdered his ex girlfriend Danielle Hoy Doyle and their baby girl Kennedy two days after she was born. He shot Danielle before disposing of her body in a ditch, then drove their baby to a stretch on the Mississippi river in Memphis, Tennessee and threw her into the water, leaving her to drown. Danielle only got to spend two days with the baby girl she was so excited to have before both of their lives were taken and her mom April had both of them ripped away from her. After he committed these atrocities, Brandon heads to his new girlfriend Artisha Stewart's house and acts like everything is completely normal. Later that night, Cody Sutton, who is an officer from the Memphis Police Department, performs a regular patrol of the Whitehaven neighborhood where Brandon had murdered Danielle and left her body. Officer Sutton immediately notices Danielle's car parked on the road and when he gets closer he sees that the driver's side window was shattered. He then notices that blood is splattered all across the front seats. Something terrible clearly happened here and what was supposed to be a routine patrol became a crime scene. Sutton quickly runs the car plates and learns that the car's owner is Danielle Hoyle. He dispatches other officers to her mom's house and when she answers the door she seems panicked. When the officers ask what was wrong, April tells them that Danielle and Kennedy left her house the night before and she hadn't heard from Danielle since and explains that they had just returned home from the hospital. When the officers hear this, the gravity of the situation sinks in. They rush back to the spot where Officer Sutton found the car and scoured the surrounding area. Pretty soon they spot a pair of pink shoes in a ditch. When they get closer, they discover Danielle's body. Officer Sutton calls it in and then searches for any sign of the baby, but there is no trace of her anywhere. The only thing he can find is a diaper bag in the car with Kennedy's name on it. That's when authorities send out an Amber Alert and deploy search parties, including canines and drones. Volunteers also join the efforts and they think they might be able to bring Kennedy home. Meanwhile, investigators continue processing the scene and they discover two key things. First, they find drag marks on Danielle's body which indicate that she was shot and killed elsewhere before being placed in the ditch. Second, they find messages on Danielle's apple watch from Brandon and in one of them. He says he doesn't want to be a father to Kennedy. The authorities are now rightfully suspicious of Brandon. And as some officers break the awful news to Danielle's family, others begin looking into Brandon as the primary suspect. The investigation moves quickly from there. Police obtain warrants to arrest Brandon and search his home. And by the time they arrive, Brandon is back from seeing Artisha and is immediately brought into custody. Meanwhile, other officers start searching his home, and even though they don't find a possible murder weapon, they find some other incriminating things like a gun holster and bullets, A pair of pants with gunshot residue on them, and a pair of blood stained socks. They bag everything and bring it back to the station. After that, evidence continues to stack up against Brandon, and investigators start to piece together what happened to Kennedy Shortly after his arrest. They access his GPS data from the night of the murders, which showed him visiting Mud island at night. Then authorities obtained security footage that showed Brandon at Walgreens, plus additional footage of him leaving Kennedy's car seat near a dumpster outside of the nearby Walmart. Between all of these things, detectives think they know what Brandon did to his newborn daughter and instruct search parties to focus on Mud island and the surrounding areas. In the meantime, Brandon. They keep trying to connect Brandon to Danielle's murder. By now, they've performed an analysis on her bullet wounds, and they believe a 9 millimeter Glock is the most likely weapon that was used to kill her. And while investigators still don't have a potential weapon in their custody, they do have something else that suggests Brandon was the shooter. A witness statement from none other than Artisha. She confirms that he owned the exact style of gun and carried it with him all of the time. It also seems like the holster and bullets found in Brandon's home are the type that could be used with this kind of gun. From there, they review Brandon's Internet history, which includes searches like can you tell what gun a bullet came from? They also obtain Artisha's cell phone location records, which confirm she was not with Brandon at the time of the murders. Finally, investigators get the results of the blood stain analysis performed on Brandon's socks. And the blood is a match for Danielle. The evidence against Brandon is pretty overwhelming, and instead of fighting it, he decides to cooperate. Brandon waives his right to an attorney, and about two days after his arrest, he confesses to everything. At first, he claims it was all just a terrible accident, but he eventually admits that he shot Danielle five times with a 9 millimeter Glock and that he intentionally threw the gun into the Mississippi river after killing Kennedy. With this confession, authorities scale up their search efforts and divers scour the river for Kennedy's remains. They know it's a long shot because the waters in the river are rough and murky. And unfortunately, Kennedy's body is never found. However, search party members find one heartbreaking clue. The detective said missing kids usually come home. What happens when they don't?
- [18:09]
Ad Voice / Advertiser
Based on a true story.
- [18:11]
Katie Ring
Police looking for John Gacy.
- [18:13]
Ad Voice / Advertiser
We discovered bodies by the looks of it. The younger men. The things he did to those kids. He's sick.
- [18:21]
Katie Ring
The system failed. These families.
- [18:24]
Ad Voice / Advertiser
Devil in disguise. John Wayne Gacy. Streaming now only on Peacock.
- [18:29]
Katie Ring
Do you know how many there are.
- [18:30]
Ad Voice / Advertiser
Up to you to find out.
- [18:35]
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- [19:05]
I've done a ton of research on this and discovered you.
- [19:08]
Katie Ring
You know this is crazy, right?
- [19:10]
Ad Voice / Advertiser
Focus Features presents Begonia.
- [19:12]
You're in an echo chamber.
- [19:14]
Katie Ring
I know what you are.
- [19:15]
Ad Voice / Advertiser
Alien fel this fall, we have four days to save Earth. When the clock runs out.
- [19:21]
If you let me go, I have information you need.
- [19:23]
The truth will be revealed. You're not in control anymore. We are. Bonia117 not admitted without a parent now playing in select theaters, in theaters everywhere. October 31st.
- [19:36]
Katie Ring
A few days after Brandon Isabel confessed to the murders of his ex girlfriend Danielle Hoyle and their newborn daughter Kennedy, search party members scour the Mud island area in Tennessee for any sign of the little girl's remains. Sadly, they can't locate her body. But while walking a grassy area a few feet away from the river, someone spots a potential clue. They find a small piece of fabric on the ground, and when they pick it up, they realize it's a newborn cap. The same kind that Kennedy was wearing when she left the hospital hospital on February 3, 2022. Two days after the murders, Brandon tells him everything and is charged with two counts of first degree murder, murder in the perpetration of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping, and tampering with evidence. But despite Brandon's confession, he pleads not guilty to all of them and is held without bail while the case against him moves forward. If convicted, Brandon could face the death penalty. Brandon finally gets a lawyer and both sides start preparing for Brandon's trial. And three years later, on September 23, 2025. The proceedings begin over the course of two weeks. About 30 witnesses testify, including Danielle's mother April and officer Cody Sutton, who first discovered Danielle's body. April provides a really emotional testimony about the final moments she spent with her daughter and granddaughter. She describes Kennedy as, quote, the sweetest thing ever. And even though she didn't know her for very long, it was heartbreaking. On the fifth day of trial, prosecutors show the court Kennedy's car seat, which officers recovered near a dumpster outside of a Walmart. When he sees the child's car seat, Brandon begins to cry. His defense highlights the fact that the gun used to kill Danielle was never actually found, nor was Kennedy's body. And to highlight Brandon's character, his lawyers call at least one witness who speaks to his exceptional work performance at FedEx. Finally, they argue that investigators coerced and manipulated Brandon into giving a false confession. But when a police lieutenant takes the stand, he drops a bomb that obliterates the defense's argument. He testifies that the authorities never revealed Danielle's cause of death to Brandon before he confessed. In the end, the defense's tactics don't work. And after just three hours of deliberation, the jury finds 28 year old Brandon Isabel guilty on all charges. After the verdict is read, prosecuting attorney Drew Carpenter makes a powerful statement about the victims lives, saying quote, kennedy Hoyle should be three years old. She should be growing, learning, getting into things, driving her mom Danielle and her grandma April crazy. She'd be too big for this car seat. But she's forever frozen in time, not even two days old, along with her mother Danielle. They're gone because of that man. At the beginning of this month, on October 1, 2025, Brandon was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 51 years for both murders. But his punishment doesn't end there. Brandon will return to the court on November 12 when the judge will sentence him for aggravated child abuse and aggravated kidnapping charges. And we're on standby to see if Danielle and baby Kennedy will get the justice they deserve. The Crime house team is monitoring the situation and we'll be sure to bring you all of the major updates. As for Danielle's family, they're satisfied with the consequences Brandon has received so far. April Campbell will continue to raise Danielle's oldest daughter, who still grapples with the sudden deaths of her mother and baby sister. After Brandon was convicted, April said it was the first full night's sleep she'd gotten in years. She said, quote, I actually slept and it kind of felt good. Kind of got like a little release yesterday to hear that verdict. Guilty on all five charges. I'm just happy he's going to prison and he's going to be gone. All he had to do was walk away. My baby gave him an out and all he had to do was stay gone to this day. As of this recording, neither Kennedy's body nor the gun have ever been found, but police have asked for anyone with knowledge of where her remains might be to call the Memphis Police at 901-545-2677 or Crime Stoppers. What did you think of tonight's case? Drop your thoughts and theories in the comments. See you next time. If you haven't already, subscribe to our YouTube channel Rimehouse Daily and follow us on social media Rimehouse24.7 for real time updates because the pursuit of justice never stops, Twisted Tales with Heidi Wong is perfect for spooky season. Dive into the real events behind the world's most terrifying blockbusters and beyond. Twisted Tales is a crime house original. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes out every Monday.