GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) — A Long Beach woman was sentenced last week for second-degree murder in the 2025 stabbing death of 68-year-old Gary Cooper.
District Attorney W. Crosby Parker said 57-year-old Daphne Diane Zeringue pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced by Judge Lisa Dodson to 35 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
Due to the nature of the crime, Zeringue will serve the sentence without the benefit of parole or early release.
Daphne Diane Zeringue, 57, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 35 years in the custody of MDOC.(Harrison County Sheriff’s Department)
DA Parker said around 4 a.m. on January 15, 2025, the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) responded to a report of a stabbing at a residence on Daughtery Road.
LBPD officers and Harrison County deputies arrived at the scene and found Cooper deceased on a couch with multiple stab wounds, including wounds to his abdomen and his arm, as well as injuries to his hand and wrist.
The investigation revealed that Zeringue was living in an area toward the rear of Cooper’s property, according to Assistant District Attorney Haley Necaise Broom, who prosecuted the case.
Broom said a witness reported that before the stabbing, Zeringue was outside with a machete and chased the witness around a vehicle, stating, “Everyone’s gonna die.”
The witness then saw Zeringue enter the house and stab Cooper, Broom said. The witness called 911 and later attempted to help Cooper.
Zeringue later turned herself in to LBPD and admitted during an interview that she stabbed Cooper, Broom said. During the interview, Zeringue made statements reflecting her belief that her children had been harmed and described the killing as a “justified homicide.”
The court acknowledged Zeringue’s history of mental illness, DA Parker said. A forensic mental health evaluation determined Zeringue was competent to proceed with the criminal case and that she was legally sane at the time of the stabbing.
“This was a tragic and senseless loss of life. Mental illness frequently presents difficult and complicated issues in the criminal justice system, but in this case, the forensic evaluation determined that the Defendant was legally sane at the time she took the life of Gary Cooper,” Broom said. “Mental illness does not diminish the devastating impact violent crime has on victims, their families, and our community. Ultimately, the Defendant was held accountable for her actions. We appreciate the thorough work of the Long Beach Police Department, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, and everyone involved in bringing this case to a resolution.”
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