Gulfport man sentenced for beating child to death. ‘I’m sorry is just not enough’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Judge sentenced Denzel Blakely to 40 years for child abuse and murder charges.
- Blakely admitted fatally beating 5-year-old Edward Lamptey Jr. in April 2023.
- Autopsy confirmed blunt force trauma; siblings reportedly witnessed the abuse.
A Gulfport man is headed to prison for 40 years after pleading guilty to felonious child abuse and second-degree murder in the beating death of a 5-year-old boy, according to a release from the Harrison County District Attorney’s Office.
Denzel Jamal Blakely, 32, said he caused the death of 5-year-old Edward King Lamptey Jr. by repeatedly hitting the boy in the stomach every time the child denied spitting on the floor. The child died on April 14, 2023, as a result of fractured ribs and other internal injuries.
Blakely initially tried to deny what he had done, blaming the child’s death on mold in his apartment on 39th Avenue. An autopsy showed the child died of blunt force trauma.
Prior to sentencing, Judge Larry Bourgeois admonished Blakely.
“‘I’m sorry’ is just not enough,” the judge said. “No child deserves this kind of treatment. ... Your family said you were loving. Nobody needs that kind of love. You struck that child with such force, and instead of caring for him, you let him go to his room and lie in his bed to die. … A precious gift taken away — not by accident — by your force.”
Bourgeois sentenced Blakely to a total of 55 years on both charges, but suspended 15 years of that sentence, leaving the 40 years for Blakely to serve followed by five years of post-release supervision and 10 years of non-reporting post-release supervision.
“What makes this case especially sad is the fact that the victim’s young siblings witnessed the abuse,” Assistant District Attorney Jasmine Magee said in the release. “The victim’s extended family has shown great strength and resilience during this tragedy as we’ve worked toward a resolution in this case.”
The child’s mother, Lachelle Washington, was arrested on a charge of felony child neglect.
