Who goes first in murder of mother and daughter? No rules specify who gets precedence in multi-jurisdictional crime

Louisiana is the first to indict Daniel Callihan, facing a possible death sentence in three jurisdictions -- Louisiana, Mississippi, and federal court -- for the murder of a Loranger mother and kidnapping of her daughters.

So who will get the first shot at prosecuting him?

It turns out, nothing specifies who goes first prosecuting a crime that spans multiple jurisdictions.

"There really are no rules," said Loyola University School of Law professor Dane Ciolino. "As a technical matter, all three prosecutions could go on simultaneously."

Ciolino says that scenario is unlikely, as it is virtually unheard of two have three separate judges schedule a trial to begin on the exact same date.

What is more likely, he explained, is Louisiana, Mississippi, and the federal government will get together and work it out. But if no once can agree, Ciolino says the feds have an ace up their sleeve.

"The federal government could take the defendant into their custody, and then refuse to turn him over to state authorities," he said. "If push comes to shove, the federal government always wins those shoving contests."

The grand jury also indicted Victoria Cox as an accomplice in the murder of Callie Brunett. Mississippi could seek the death penalty for the murder of 4-year-old Erin Brunett, and kidnappings that end in murder can bring about a death sentence in federal court.