HAMPTON, Va. — Disturbing details were revealed during a hearing on Cory Bigsby's murder charges Wednesday that describes how the Hampton father allegedly killed and disposed of his 4-year-old son Codi's body.
During a motion to suppress Bigsby's hearing on Wednesday, the prosecution put multiple Hampton Roads Regional Jail officers on the stand who shared seemingly contradictory statements allegedly made by Bigsby.
One officer testified that he was on duty on Aug. 3, 2022. He said Bigsby shouted out to him and the officer wrote the following statement with Bigsby dictating it to him: "I found my son unresponsive, tried CPR, I could not revive him."
In the note, the officer on the stand alleged Bigsby said he tried several times to revive Codi and asked God to save him. Bigsby allegedly said he realized Codi wasn't coming back and "put him in a trash bag, put it in the car and it sat for three days. "
A second officer took the stand and testified about a statement she got from Bigsby.
She claimed Bigsby said that on Jan. 30, 2022, he stepped out of his apartment to get items from his car. When he returned, he found Codi at the bottom of the steps unresponsive from what he claimed was a fall. Bigsby allegedly said he did CPR several times and stepped outside and prayed.
The officers testified that Bigsby revealed he put Codi in the car, drove to Garrett A. Morgan Boulevard, and buried him.
A third officer testified they found a letter in Bigsby’s jail cell in his notebook where Bigsby allegedly admitted to killing Codi. The officer said Bigsby wrote he hit Codi’s head on the floor, hit him with his fists, put him in the fridge, and buried him. The letter said it happened on June 18, 2021, a few months before he reported Codi missing.
The Hampton father reported his son missing in January 2022. This past June, prosecutors filed charges against Bigsby for his son’s murder.
The hearing lasted about eight hours on Wednesday without a judge ruling. Cory Bigsby’s defense attorneys are asking the judge to keep some witness testimony and statements Bigsby made inside Hampton Roads Regional Jail out of the upcoming murder trial.
Bigsby’s attorney, Amina Matheny-Willard, put several law enforcement witnesses on the stand. She is trying to show the judge evidence that jail staff or police officers tormented and coerced Bigsby into writing the jail statements. Matheny-Willard would not comment after the hearing.
When asked for comment, Hampton Commonwealth’s Attorney Anton Bell said," Just come back tomorrow."
And that’s what is next: Judge James Hawks said he will give the defense team an hour on Thursday morning to wrap up their evidence. Then, he will decide whether the prosecution can use the evidence at trial.
The judge also ruled on Bigsby's defense team's motion to push back his trial during Wednesday's court date. The murder trial is now set for March 4-8, 2024. The judge originally set the trial for this week but pushed it back at the request for more time from Bigsby's defense team. The attorneys picked new court dates this morning.
Matheny-Willard also asked the judge to require one of Bigsby's sons to testify in the courtroom. Prosecutors are planning to put the child on the stand in another room and broadcast that into the courtroom through a TV screen. However, the defense team said the child is not a victim in this case and can testify in the courtroom. Still, the judge ruled to allow the broadcasted testimony at trial.