Gulfport man sentenced for killing girlfriend’s 5-year-old son
GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - Tuesday, a Gulfport man pleaded guilty to the 2023 death of a 5-year-old boy.
Circuit Court Judge Lawrence P. Bourgeois sentenced 32-year-old Denzel Jamal Blakely to 35 years for second-degree murder and 20 years for felony child abuse.
The two sentences will run consecutively with one another for a total of 55 years, 15 years suspended, leaving 40 years to serve in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Blakely will also have five years of reporting post-release supervision and 10 years of non-reporting post-release supervision upon his release from custody.
The investigation began during the early morning hours of April 14, 2023, when the Gulfport Police Department responded to Emerald Pines Apartments on 39th Avenue in reference to a report of an unresponsive 5-year-old boy who was cold and not breathing.
The child was transported to Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Detectives with GPD interviewed Blakely, as well as the child’s mother, Lachelle Washington, who was also charged with felony child neglect.
Blakely initially told detectives that they had been having a problem with mold in the apartment. He stated that the child went to sleep around 8 p.m. the night before and got up at 11:27 p.m., advising that he felt sick. Blakely said he sent the child back to bed.
An autopsy conducted by the Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that the child’s death was not due to any mold, but instead, was due to blunt force injuries.
The examination revealed that the child suffered several lacerations of multiple internal organs and a left rib fracture.
After the autopsy was completed, detectives confronted Blakley about the child’s injuries. Blakely then admitted that he had forcefully slapped the child in the stomach several times because he thought that the child spat on the floor.
Blakely demonstrated to police how he would slap the child harder and harder each time the child denied spitting on the floor.
“What makes this case especially sad is the fact that the victim’s young siblings witnessed the abuse. The victim’s extended family has shown great strength and resilience during this tragedy as we’ve worked toward a resolution in this case,” said Assistant District Attorney Jasmine Magee, who prosecuted the case.
Before imposing the sentence, Judge Bourgeois said to Blakely, “‘I’m sorry’ is just not enough. No child deserves this kind of treatment. Your family said you were loving. Nobody needs that kind of love. You struck that child with such force, and instead of caring for him, you let him go to his room and lay in his bed to die... A precious gift taken away— not by accident— by your force.”
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