District Attorney W. Crosby Parker stated on Friday that Alexis Dwight Preston, 39, of Delisle, pled guilty this week at the Harrison County Courthouse to second-degree murder and kidnapping for the July 3, 2022, murder of 24-year-old Cody Smith in Delisle.
Preston was sentenced to 73 years in prison, 45 years of which will be served, followed by 28 years of post-release supervision and reparations to Cody Smith’s parents for burial expenses. The Mississippi Department of Corrections must serve Preston’s first 40 years of imprisonment day by day.
“The remains of Cody Smith’s body were located by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office ten months after the homicide occurred in Delisle on property adjacent to the family homestead of Alexis Preston. The Sheriff’s Office received a missing person tip from the Byram Police Department, and Private Investigator Cory Seal, that Cody was last seen in Harrison County with the Defendants in early July 2022. His body was later found by deputies in a decomposed state in a wooded area several hundred yards from the Preston home. When interviewed, Co-Defendant Jerry Parkman described that he, Angel Pierce, and Alexis Preston took Smith into the woods by gunpoint and killed him after an armed robbery involving Angel Pierce’s desire to take Cody’s car. Angel Pierce and other witnesses later corroborated Jerry Parkman’s statement during the course of the investigation,” said Assistant District Attorney Chris Daniel, who prosecuted the case with ADA Haley Broom.
Angel “Lexi” Pierce, a co-defendant, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and armed robbery in March of this year and was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years. Co-defendant Jerry Parkman pleaded guilty in March and received a 40-year sentence for assisting law authorities in locating the victim’s body.
During the guilty hearing, Judge Dodson questioned Preston extensively about his involvement, saying, “You knew what was going to happen.” You knew what was going to happen, and you were the one with the gun. So you’re the man who could have made a difference, but you didn’t. You stood there and watched as they stabbed and thrashed him. You don’t run.
You don’t try to stop anyone who calls you, right? Then you let him sit there and decay. You don’t even call for aid once they’ve left. Is this what you’re telling me? Preston responded, “Yes, Your Honor.” Preston apologized to the family before his punishment, saying, “God has been dealing with me every night and day.”
During the hearing, Cody’s mother, Cherie Smith, addressed the Court and stated, “Cody was a good kid. He would help anyone he could. Cody did nothing to deserve the disgusting things you did to him. You didn’t know Cody, and he did nothing to you. Only a person with a hardened conscience and motivated by demons could be so cruel to another human that did nothing to you. There was nothing for you to gain. I hope you never get Cody’s face and what you did to him, out of your head. I hope you think of that every day for the rest of your life.”
“It should be noted that Cody had been missing from his home in Byram for over 10 months with no leads or answers for his family. The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office never stopped investigating this case until Cody’s family had answers and the people responsible for this senseless and brutal crime were held accountable. The outstanding work of the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office enabled the Court to see the heinous nature of the crime and hold each defendant accountable for their specific role. The Smith family has been in continued communication with our office and we are hopeful that the sentences handed down will assist them their healing,” said DA Parker.
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