Gulfport man sentenced to 30 years for kidnapping, assaulting former girlfriend
GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV) – A Gulfport man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping and aggravated assault charges involving his former girlfriend.
According to the Office of the District Attorney, Second Circuit Court District, 44-year-old Kenyon Demonel Ducksworth pleaded guilty before Judge Lisa P. Dodson and was sentenced to 30 years, with 15 years suspended and 15 years to serve in the Mississippi Department of Corrections. The sentence will run consecutively to a separate seven-year sentence he was already serving for uttering forgery charges.
Following his release from prison, Ducksworth will serve 15 years of post-release supervision. He was also ordered to pay $3,500 in fines and restitution to the victim and have no further contact with her.
The case stems from a June 28, 2025 incident when officers with the Gulfport Police Department responded to East Beach Boulevard after receiving a report of a person with a knife. Investigators said the victim suffered injuries to her face and teeth and reported that Ducksworth unexpectedly entered the back seat of her vehicle at a local hotel, claimed he had a knife and ordered her to drive to the beach.
Prosecutors said the victim told investigators Ducksworth choked and punched her while she was driving toward Jones Park. A witness reported seeing a man assaulting a woman inside a vehicle and called 911. Officers later located the vehicle and intervened at Jones Park. No weapon was found at the scene.
Assistant District Attorney Chris Daniel, who prosecuted the case, said Ducksworth later told investigators he had been under the influence of a “mind altering substance” and described the incident as “a little argument” with the victim. During sentencing, Ducksworth told the court he did not use a knife and said drug use contributed to the dispute.
At the time of the assault, Ducksworth was on felony probation for uttering forgery. Judge Dodson subsequently revoked that probation and imposed the full seven-year sentence.
District Attorney W. Crosby Parker announced the sentence Friday.
