Moss Point man to serve 40 years for killing man when he was 15

A Moss Point man will spend 40 years in prison for a murder he committed when he was 15.

Judge Calvin Taylor sentenced 18-year-old Korey Monroe on Thursday for the January 18, 2021 murder of 18-year-old Caleb Lett. He must serve the sentence day-for-day without possibility of parole.

Monroe entered a guilty plea on July 15. The sentence was the maximum allowed, based on Monroe’s age at the time of the crime.

Assistant District Attorney George Huffman said Monroe attempted to rob Lett the night of the murder as he sat in his parked car on Woodlawn Avenue in Moss Point. Surveillance video captured Monroe walking up to Lett’s car, pointing a gun at him, and opening his door. When Monroe demanded money, Lett started to fight back. He was shot and killed immediately upon exiting his car.

Monroe was arrested the next day.

At sentencing, Lett’s family members told the judge about Lett. They said had lived with Asperger’s Syndrome, was a very intelligent young man and faithful member of his church.

He was chosen as Mr. Moss Point High School in 2020, the year that he graduated, and was a member of the percussion section of the high school band. He earned numerous academic awards and was in his second semester at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College at the time of his murder.