Stunned judge reveals fate of woman involved in deadly kidnapping of 2 young sisters found in a pit — 1 did not survive

Earlier this year, 34-year-old Victoria Cox — a mother of three — pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and kidnapping after admitting to helping a friend abduct two children.

The friend in question is 38-year-old Daniel Callihan, a resident of Amite, Louisiana.

'These acts you committed, do you understand how awful these acts were? You understand how innocent these two little girls were?'

On June 12, 2024, Callihan fatally stabbed a mother of two — Callie Brunett — more than 50 times in her home in Loranger, Louisiana, and then kidnapped Brunett's two daughters, ages 4 and 6, according to court documents.

Indeed, Callihan stole the stabbing victim's 2012 Chrysler vehicle, placed Brunett's two daughters inside it, and eventually drove to Amite, court documents show. That's where he picked up Cox.

Law enforcement tracked down the missing girls to a property in Jackson, Mississippi, where they made a ghastly discovery. Authorities on June 13, 2024, found the body of the 4-year-old girl in a "pit," according to a statement last month from the United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana.

Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade described the crime scene as "sickening" and revealed that he "observed small cages" and "small wired enclosures," which "led us to believe that it was a location where human trafficking probably could have happened," People magazine reported.

The 6-year-old sister was found alive and immediately transported to a hospital; she has since been reunited with relatives.

After Callihan was arrested, he admitted to investigators that he stabbed to death the mother of the two girls and kidnapped them, the U.S. Attorney’s office stated. Callihan also confessed that he "smothered" the 4-year-old girl to death "by holding [her] closely against his chest," according to People magazine.

'At any point in your mind were you thinking about your children when you did this? And that didn’t cause you to stop?'

United States District Judge Lance M. Africk handed Callihan consecutive life sentences for kidnapping resulting in death and transporting a minor in interstate commerce with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Authorities also determined that Cox was Callihan's co-conspirator in the disturbing crimes.

While Callihan and Cox engaged in sexual battery against the 6-year-old girl, court docs said, the sexual battery charge was dropped.

Cox has three children of her own — ages 6, 8, and 9 — and during her sentencing hearing, a stunned Hinds County Circuit Judge Winston Kidd asked her how she, as a mother, could participate in such a vile act against young children, according to WLBT-TV.

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"At any point in your mind were you thinking about your children when you did this? And that didn’t cause you to stop?" Kidd asked Cox.

Cox replied, "I tried, but I couldn’t."

Cox added to the judge that Callihan had forced her to get high on drugs on the day of the kidnapping, according to WLBT, and that she had been out of rehab for just two days before the kidnapping.

Cox also claimed she "didn’t know" Callihan didn't have "permission" to have the children, WLBT reported.

Cox told the courtroom, "If I could change it all, I would, but I can't."

The station added that Cox released a handwritten note in court requesting to plead guilty as quickly as possible.

Cox wrote, "I've been trying to get my attorney to come go over my plea deal with me, but he has failed to do so. I would like to accept it. Can you put me on the court docket?"

According to Court TV, Hinds County District Attorney Jody E. Owens II noted that his office had never witnessed that happen before — and said of Cox, "She realized, I believe, that this crime was so horrific that the atonement level has to start today."

Indeed, Kidd told Cox, "These acts you committed, do you understand how awful these acts were? You understand how innocent these two little girls were? This is something you’re going to have a lot of time to think about."

Kidd last week sentenced Cox to a pair of concurrent sentences: 40 years in prison on the murder charge and 25 years on the kidnapping charge, according to WWL-TV.

Cox had faced the possibility of a death sentence.

The Jackson Police Department did not immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

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