Shreveport Man Convicted of Murder in Caddo District Court

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

Jimmy Cockerhem, 66, was convicted by a unanimous vote of the seven-woman, five-man jury, which deliberated about one hour.

Jurors determined, after hearing witnesses and assessing evidence, that Cockerhem murdered Gary Lee, 61, outside his home in the 1700 block of Alda Street in Shreveport's Martin Luther King Jr. neighborhood, on November 22, 2021. Cockerhem, who lived next door to Lee, left his house with his wife and drove to Willie Mays Street, where he left his car armed with a handgun, walked approximately 140 feet across an empty lot to confront Lee, who he shot once in the head. Lee was taken to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his wound.

Cockerhem claimed the shooting was in self-defense and that Lee possessed a dangerous character. However, the state was able to rebut those claims with evidence that the defendant fled the scene following the shooting and discarded the murder weapon in Twelve Mile Bayou.

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

Assistant District Attorneys Jason Waltman and Christopher Bowman prosecuted the case, docket No. 386449. Phillip Adams defended Cockerhem.