‘Despicable act.’ Coast man will spend life in prison for sex abuse of 3-year-old boy.
Calling the crime a “despicable act,” a circuit court judge sentenced a Gulfport man this week to life in prison for sexually abusing a 3-year-old boy, Harrison County District Attorney Crosby Parker announced Friday.
The jury deliberated for about an hour before finding Darryl Anthony Parnell, 37, guilty of sexual battery, Assistant District Attorney Matthew D. Burrell said in a press release.
The victim testified that Parnell had sexually assaulted him in Gulfport beginning at age 3 until he was 4 years old. The jury was also provided a forensic interview of the victim where he described the abuse.
Burrell said in the release that the investigation into the case revealed that Parnell had sexually assaulted other child victims in Jackson County.
“The jury heard testimony from those four other children that Parnell had sexually assaulted them when they were approximately five to ten years old,” said Assistant District Attorney Haley Broom, who prosecuted the case with Assistant District Attorney Jason Josef.
Judge Larry Bourgeois told Parnell that he took the victim’s “innocence and childhood” while imposing the sentence.
“We commend these victims for courageously coming forward to disclose and testify about the sexual abuse they suffered. Although there is no sentence that can give back to those victims that which was taken by this defendant, we hope this conviction and sentence will help in the healing process,” Parker said. “We are also grateful for law enforcement and the Child Advocacy Center for their dedication in protecting our children on the Coast. Our office will continue to make these cases a priority”
This story was originally published August 26, 2022 at 1:29 PM.
