Gulfport man will spend four decades in prison after committing manslaughter, armed robbery
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A Gulfport man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for armed robbery and manslaughter.
Samuel Maurice Bridges, 24, was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Randi P. Mueller, District Attorney W. Crosby Parker said in a press release.
Bridges plead guilty to committing armed robbery in 2019 and killing 23-year-old Quincy Smothers in 2020.
The investigation into the armed robbery started in September 2019 when Gulfport police responded to an Exxon on 30th Avenue. Police used surveillance video, GPS information from Bridges phone and witness accounts to identify Bridges as the suspect.
The investigation into the killing of Smothers started on July 9, 2020. Gulfport police responded to a 911 call on Michigan Avenue, where they found Smothers deceased.
A witness later came forward and identified Bridges as having killed Smothers. The witness also directed authorities to the location of a pistol that was later identified as the gun that killed Smothers. Bridges DNA was also found at the crime scene.
“Two families have lost a loved one, one to the grave and the other to penitentiary,” Mueller said at sentencing.
This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 4:57 PM.