On Wednesday, Jerry Cornelius Parkman, of Delisle, pled guilty this week at the Harrison County Courthouse to second degree murder and kidnapping for the July 3, 2022, murder of Cody Smith.
Judge Steve Simpson sentenced Parkman to 40 years in state prison, suspended 20 years, leaving 20 years to serve in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Parkman will also serve five years of post-release supervision upon his release and will pay a $2,000 restitution fine to Cody Smith’s parents for funeral expenses.
Co-defendant Angel “Lexi” Pierce pled guilty last week to first-degree murder and armed robbery. She received a life sentence for the murder and 30 years for the armed robbery, with the sentences running consecutive to each other for a total of life plus 30 years in state prison. The last co-defendant in this case is set for trial in late April.
During the guilty plea, Judge Simpson addressed Parkman, stating, “Everyone acknowledges it should not have happened, but no one has a logical explanation for why it occurred. People, like Cody Smith’s family, are left asking why for the rest of their lives. Why did you do it?”
Parkman apologized to the family, and responded, “I honestly don’t know why. Lexi said she wanted him dead. I helped because I thought they might turn on me with the shotgun.”
“Cody was his friend. Jerry deserves all the jail time he will get for his involvement,” Cherie Smith, Cody’s mother, said. “We do appreciate that Jerry told where Cody’s body was located, but it was 10 months later. It is tortuous, not knowing where your child’s body is located. I can’t understand how he could be involved in doing such disgusting things to someone he called a friend.”
