Joseph Brant was born on July 13, 1969. He grew up in the United States. The details of his early life are not widely known. Information about his family and childhood is limited. He was a young man in a changing world. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw major shifts in American society, including those related to crime and urban life.

On January 11, 2008, Jody Johnson went missing in the 7th Ward of New Orleans. Her body was discovered the next day. She had a gunshot wound to her forehead, and it was clear she had been set on fire.

On August 11, 2008, Jessica Hawk, a 32-year-old botanist, was found dead inside her home on Chartres Street in Bywater.

Later, on September 27, 2008, Kirsten Brydum, a community activist from San Francisco, was found dead by the side of the road. She had a gunshot wound to the head, and her purse and wallet were missing. Police thought her death was linked to a robbery because of this.

In March 2013, Joseph Brant, a convict serving time for burglary in Texas, confessed to murdering Jessica Hawk. He later pleaded guilty to her murder in 2016, resulting in a life sentence.

In February 2018, Brant told his attorneys that he wanted to discuss other unsolved crimes in New Orleans. He confessed to killing Jody Johnson and Kirsten Brydum as well.

Brant also admitted to the murder of an unidentified woman in 2007. He said he had solicited sex from her but attacked when she refused. He used a knife to force her into a car, where he strangled her while trying to rape her. After killing her, he placed her body in a stolen car and set it on fire to hide her identity.