Isabelle Murder Trial: Opening Statements Begin

Jury selection has begun in the trial of 25-year-old Brandon Isabelle of Cordova, Tennessee, whom prosecutors say killed his girlfriend, 27-year-old Danielle Hoyle, and their two-day-old daughter, Kennedy, in February 2022; the infant has not been found. Isabelle is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated kidnapping and is being held without bond; he has pleaded not guilty. After jury selection, opening statements began in which prosecutors described alleged admissions and pointed to surveillance footage and text-message evidence. A recorded statement from an August status conference — which prosecutors say details the killings and disposal of the baby and which the defense has challenged as coerced — remains central to pretrial disputes after a judge ruled it admissible. Local outlets are providing live coverage of the proceedings.