• A swift resolution. Maintenance worker Ryan Brunn avoided trial and the death penalty in the brutal murder of Canton Elementary first-grader Jorelys Rivera as part of an extraordinary plea agreement that included a detailed confession, a guilty plea and a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Before Tuesday's plea, Brunn only had a first court appearance on Dec. 8, 2011, three days after authorities found Jorelys' severely beaten body in a compacting Dumpster from the apartment complex where she lived and died. A Cherokee County Grand Jury on Jan. 9, 2012, indicted him on 13 counts in connection with Jorelys' murder. Usually, the next step in the legal process is an arraignment where a defendant enters a plea, which is why Tuesday was so extraordinary. Officials wasted no time releasing Brunn to the Georgia Department of Corrections. Cherokee County Sheriff Roger Garrison sits on its board and made arrangements in "advance for the Department of Corrections to be (at the Cherokee County Justice Center) waiting" for Brunn, he told Canton-Sixes Patch late Tuesday. Brunn was officially turned over to officials with the department at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. He was transferred to the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson.

• Why didn't Brunn get the death penalty? In short, Brunn will be a case study. Authorities want to get inside the mind of what GBI director Vernon Keenan called "a sociopathic killer" to aid them in future investigations. "Him receiving life without parole gives law enforcement an opportunity to study him and to learn lessons on how to investigate these type crimes" he said. "This is how we perfect our skills in doing criminal investigations of child murders. If he were on death row, we would not have an opportunity to talk to him. When the state is seeking the death penalty, the focus goes to the defendant and the victim is on the sidelines. In this case, the interests of the victim were in that courtroom today and Brunn was exposed for the monster that he is." Immediately after Brunn's detailed confession and sentencing, GBI agents reinterviewed him at the Cherokee County Detention Center, Garrison told Canton-Sixes Patch.

• Where can I read more on Tuesday's developments?
  • Breaking news alert: Jorelys Rivera 'Development' Imminent.
  • Initial post-hearing story: Brunn Pleads Guilty to Jorelys' Murder.
  • Video clips from courtroom and press conference: 'A Sociopathic Killer'.
  • Overview of Tuesday, including Brunn's confession: Girl Asked Killer If She Could Go Home.
  • For all of Canton-Sixes Patch's coverage of the Jorelys Rivera case from the moment the 7-year-old went missing, go to http://canton-ga.patch.com/topics/jorelys-rivera.

• Other news you might have missed. Though Commissioner Karen Bosch dissented, the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners approved a request from the Woodstock City Council for $700,000 to assist them with improvements to Ridgewalk Parkway, which is near a proposed outlet mall.

• Coming up on Canton-Sixes Patch today. We'll reveal a new Whiz Kid today. Return to the site at 2 p.m. to find out who it is.

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