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

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