by Hunter Dawkins, Owner/Publisher – editor@thegazebogazette.com or hdawkins@supertalk.fm

BILOXI (GG) — Christian Angel Cookmeyer, of Belle Chase, Louisiana, pled guilty on Thursday, December 18, 2025, to one count of Second-Degree Murder, one count of Felony Child Endangerment, and one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance.  The defendant was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Christopher Schmidt to 50 years to serve in the Mississippi Department of Corrections. 

The case began on December 10, 2022 when the Biloxi Police Department responded to the Star Inn off Beach Boulevard in Biloxi in reference to an unresponsive, 4-month-old child. The child had been left in the care of Cookmeyer, the child’s mother’s then-boyfriend, while the mother went to work. Later, when the mother returned, she discovered her daughter was limp and not breathing normally and called 911. 

At the scene, officers spoke with Cookmeyer and the child’s mother to learn that Cookmeyer’s 4-year-old daughter was also staying in the hotel room. Upon the execution of a search warrant on the hotel room, officers found marijuana, THC edibles and THC syrup.  

“The 4-month-old was transported to Merit Health in Biloxi, where she was diagnosed with multiple skull fractures and brain bleeds. The ER doctor at Merit Health noted that the child’s injuries were ‘highly suspicious for non-accidental trauma’ and indicated child abuse. The child was later transported to Children’s Hospital New Orleans, where she passed away on December 14, 2022,” said Assistant District Attorney Mara Joffe, who prosecuted the case on behalf of the State. 

When interviewed by police, Cookmeyer initially suggested that it was possible the hotel’s housekeeper could have entered the hotel room while he was sleeping and hurt the child. Later, when confronted with the news of the child’s death, he told investigators the child had fallen off the bed.

Cookmeyer even attempted to shift blame to his 4-year-old daughter, telling a third story that his daughter must have dropped the child while he was in the bathroom. However, an eyewitness told police that housekeeping had not made it to Cookmeyer’s room that day, and the child’s doctor at Children’s Hospital New Orleans indicated that the child’s injuries would not be explained by the child falling out of the bed onto the floor. 

The child’s mother, grandmother, and aunt were present for the plea hearing and each spoke prior to sentencing. Judge Schmidt then sentenced Cookmeyer to 30 years for Second-Degree Murder, 10 years for Felony Child Endangerment, and 10 years for Possession of a Controlled Substance, with each count running consecutive to one another for a total of 50 years to serve in the Mississippi Department of Corrections. 

 “I commend the Biloxi Police Department and the Medical Examiner’s Office for their  thorough and diligent investigation to ensure accountability. Tragically, only one person knows what  occurred inside that hotel room, and nothing he says can ever bring four-month-old Maddison-Jaide back or erase the lasting pain caused by his actions. The family has shown remarkable strength throughout this process, and we hope that the sentence imposed by the Court will provide some  measure of justice and support them in their healing process,” said District Attorney W. Crosby Parker.