Judge rips defendant before sending him back to prison. Here’s what he said
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- Judge revoked probation after arrests in Florida and Louisiana for new crimes
- Blappert previously served 18 years for 2011 DUI crash that killed DeAnna Tucker
- Victim’s father discovered violations and notified Mississippi authorities
A judge Monday slammed a South Mississippi man before sending him back to prison for probation violations in a drunk driving case that resulted in the death of DeAnna Tucker, the daughter of a former police chief and his wife.
Before Judge Larry Bourgeois handed down a sentence against Darrell Edward Blappert Jr., now 41, the judge asked him what he had to say about his recent arrests in two states since his release, as well as other infractions.
“I’m human,” Blappert said, referring to his arrest in Florida and Louisiana on charges that include felony drug offenses and a new charge in St Bernard Parish for driving intoxicated, all since his release from prison in Mississippi.
Blappert even told the judge that if he went to back to prison, “it wouldn’t do any good” for him as far as dealing with his substance abuse issues.
Bourgeois fired back.
“You killed a human because you were driving while intoxicated,” the judge said. “I sent you to the penitentiary where you served 18 years, and apparently that didn’t do any good. It did not get through to you. Did it?
“Mr. Blappert, you are a danger to the community. You have already killed one person, and you’re out there (in the community), and the way you are going, you are going to kill yourself or somebody else. My only regret is that you only have seven years left to serve.”
The judge revoked his probation and ordered bailiffs to escort him out of the courtroom to begin serving the remainder of his 25-year sentence.
Blappert’s demeanor Monday had significantly changed since his 2012 conviction for killing Tucker, the daughter of former Gulfport Police Chief Alan Weatherford and his wife.
Tucker died just three weeks before her wedding day when Blappert’s vehicle fatally struck her on March 29, 2011, outside a bridal shop on Pass Road. She had stopped there to look at her wedding dress. She had her 5-year-old son with her at the time.
At that time, Blappert vowed to get his act together, but it never happened.
Blappert has been arrested in two felony cases in Escambia County, Florida, and on misdemeanor charges in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.
The charges in Florida include marijuana and cocaine possession and destruction of physical evidence, all of which he’s already been convicted of, along with additional charges for driving infractions in both states, including another charge for driving intoxicated.
In addition to those violations, Blappert violated his probation by failing to report to his probation officer and failing drug tests, though he remained free.
Blappert also failed to report to his probation officer.
But it wasn’t the Mississippi Department of Corrections that first realized Blappert had been in and out of jail for other offenses in Louisiana and Florida after his release from the Mississippi prison.
Instead, Alan Weatherford, now a constable in South Mississippi, began investigating after he received a crime victim notice stating that Blappert had failed to report to probation officers with his whereabouts unknown.
Weatherford discovered, through his own investigation, that Blappert was incarcerated in Florida for new crimes at the time and then reported the information to the MDOC.
After the judge revoked Blappert’s probation Monday, Weatherford spoke to the Sun Herald.
“He’s sentenced to where he needs to be,” he said. “He had a second chance. He went out there and committed multiple offenses.”
In addition, Weatherford pointed to other evidence highlighting Blappert’s behavior during his arrests, as outlined in police body camera footage of one of his arrests, this one in Louisiana for driving intoxicated and other offenses.
In the body camera footage, deputies can be seen retrieving what appears to be powder cocaine from Blappert’s vehicle along with a pipe.
Other excerpts show Blappert shouting obscenities at officers and threatening to kick out a window in a patrol car. In other footage, he tries to fight off deputies trying to handcuff him.
In the footage, an impaired Blappert says things like his life is over because of the arrest.
In addition, Blappert mentions the crime that he committed in Mississippi, saying, “You know, I killed somebody.” He says he had “ a horrible life, went to prison most of my life. and more.
In other video footage, Blappert tells deputies they need to kill him, saying he never should have pulled over for the traffic stop and he “should have rammed y’all” instead of stopping.
This story was originally published July 21, 2025 at 5:16 PM.
