GULFPORT, Miss. (WJTV) – A Gulfport man has been sentenced in connection to the death of his girlfriend’s five-year-old son.

WXXV reported Denzel Jamal Blakely pled guilty on August 19, 2025, to second-degree murder and felony child abuse. He was sentenced 55 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) with 15 years suspended.

The investigation began when Gulfport police responded to the 3300 block of 39th Avenue on April 14, 2023, in reference to a medical emergency involving the five-year-old boy. The child was taken to Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

According to officers, an investigation revealed that the boy suffered from blunt force trauma, and his death was ruled a homicide.

Police said Blakely and the child’s mother, Lachelle R. Washington, were interviewed and both admitted culpability. Washington was also charged in this case.