66-year-old Shreveport man found guilty of shooting man in 2021

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE CADDO PARISH DISTRICT LAW OFFICE

A Shreveport man who shot and killed a neighbor nearly three years ago was convicted of second-degree murder Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, in District Judge Donald Hathaway Jr.’s court.

Jimmy Cockerhem, 66, was convicted by a unanimous vote of the seven-member, five-judge jury, which deliberated for about an hour.

Jurors, after hearing from witnesses and evaluating evidence, concluded that Cockerhem murdered Gary Lee, 61, on November 22, 2021, outside his home in the 1700 block of Alda Street in the Martin Luther King Jr. neighborhood of Shreveport . Cockerhem, who lived next door, left his home with his wife and drove to Willie Mays Street, where he parked his car armed with a handgun and walked about 140 feet across an empty lot to confront Lee, whom he shot once in the head lap.

CRIME IN THE ARKLATEX

Lee was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.

Cockerhem claimed the shooting was in self-defense and that Lee had a dangerous character. However, the State was able to refute these claims with evidence that the defendant fled the scene after the shooting and discarded the murder weapon in Twelve Mile Bayou.

Cockerhem will return to Judge Hathaway’s court for sentencing on November 12, 2024. He faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, parole or suspension of sentence.

Assistant District Attorneys Jason Waltman and Christopher Bowman prosecuted the case, case number 386449. Phillip Adams defended Cockerhem.

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