A 21-year-old Biloxi woman will spend the rest of her life in prison after pleading guilty to murdering her best friend in 2022.
Angel “Lexy” May Pierce pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and armed robbery in connection with the fatal shooting of Cody Smith on July 3, 2022. She was sentenced to life consecutive to 30 years in prison.
Nearly a year after Smith had last been seen in Harrison County, his body was found by Harrison County sheriff’s deputies in a wooded area in Pass Christian on April 3, 2023. Further investigation led authorities to label Pierce, then 19 years old, and Jerry Cornelius Parkman, then 24 years old, as those responsible for the slaying of Smith.
Pierce addressed the court before her sentencing on Tuesday.
“I want to apologize to Cody Smith’s family and friends,” Pierce said. “Nobody should lose and bury their son. Cody was always there for me, and I betrayed his trust. I am haunted by Cody’s murder.”
Judge Steve Simpson, who presided over the case, asked Pierce what compelled her to commit the killing. She replied, “I was angry about a lot of things, and I was on drugs. It should have never happened.”
Cody’s mother, Cherie Smith, also spoke at the sentencing hearing. She detailed the impact that losing her son has had on the Smith family and everyone who knew Cody.
“Cody had an impact on more lives than I even realized, and some of them are here today. Cody was able to meet his niece when she was little, but she’ll never know him. I always wondered what he would look like as he grew older,” Cherie said. “We looked forward to meeting the girl that he felt was special enough to marry, and we couldn’t wait to hold and play with their baby, the grandbaby we’ll never have. Lexy took all that away from us. Nothing will make this better.”
Harrison County District Attorney W. Crosby Parker commended the law enforcement agencies who worked the investigation, noting that it easily could have become a cold case.
The co-defendant in the case, Jerry Parkman, is set to go to trial in late April.
