Last month, we told Atlanta readers about the Dahlonega man who had pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting and killing a 7-year-old girl at her Cherokee County apartment complex late last year.

Sadly, the man killed himself not long after he was taken to prison. Naturally, no one could ever condone with this man did, but the fact that another human life has been lost is still a sad occurrence, regardless of the circumstances.

At this point, investigators believe the man hung himself with an article of his prison-issued clothing two days after he pleaded guilty to murdering the girl in early December.

In his final hours, the man granted an interview request from agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, presumably because he wanted to allow them to learn more about how crimes are committed and how sex offenders think.

In the interview, he said he never intended to hurt the girl and deeply regretted his actions. He also maintained that he did not sexually assault the girl (although crime scene evidence contradicts that assertion).

The agents had a second interview scheduled with the man, but he killed himself before it could take place.

Once again, we must make clear that what this man did was unpardonable. But the fact that he spent the remainder of his time on earth trying in some way to redeem himself speaks to a side of his nature that wouldn't be seen if we only focused on the crime. All people are complex beings. It is certainly sad that, in the case of this man, it was a bad part of his nature that seems to have prevailed.

Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "GBI re-interviewed Brunn following guilty plea, tape shows," Alexis Stevens, Feb. 6, 2012