Biloxi woman gets life in prison in missing man’s murder. ‘Nothing will make this better’
A Gulfport woman pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and received a life sentence plus 30 years in the July 2022 armed robbery and shooting death of Cody Vanderra Smith, according to Harrison County prosecutors.
Special Judge Steven Simpson imposed the sentence in Harrison County Circuit Court on Monday after pressing the defendant, Angel “Lexy” Pierce, 21, of Biloxi, to explain what made her “take part in something like this?”
“I was angry about a lot of things, and I was on drugs,” Pierce said.
Harrison County deputies found the decomposed remains of the 24-year-old Hinds County man about 10 months after he disappeared over the Fourth of July weekend in 2022. The investigation began when deputies received a missing person report from the Byrom Police Department and Private Investigator Cory Seal.
Harrison County investigators, Harrison Fire Rescue, Gulf Coast Search and Rescue, and Long Beach crime scene investigators eventually found Smith’s body covered with debris in a wooded area off Elmer Ladner Road in Pass Christian in April 2023.
According to charging documents, the defendants robbed Smith at gunpoint, stealing his 2005 Hyundai Elantra before killing him and disposing of his remains.
Assistant District Attorney Chris Daniels prosecuted the case against Pierce.
Prior to sentencing, Pierce apologized to Smith’s family and friends for what she had done.
“Nobody should lose and bury their son,” she said. “Cody was always there for me, and I betrayed his trust. I am haunted by Cody’s murder. It should have never happened.”
Cody Smith’s mother, Cherie Smith, also weighed in.
“Cody had an impact on more lives than I even realized, and some of them are here today,” Smith said. “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. 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 Crosby Parker commended Harrison County sheriff’s deputies for their work.
“Had it not been for their sense of urgency and skilled investigation, this could have easily become a cold case,” Parker said in a release. “Cody was a young man who had so much life in front of him, and his killing was senseless. There are still other defendants being prosecuted for their roles, but the 30 years on top of a life sentence handed down by the court will hopefully assist the family in the healing process.”