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Prosecution rests in Bigsby murder trial, after testimony from more than a dozen witnesses

The trial of Cory Bigsby, accused of murdering his 4-year-old son, will extend into next week, as the defense has yet to make its case.

HAMPTON, Va. — The prosecution rested its case Friday in the trial of Cory Bigsby, the Hampton man who is accused of murdering his 4-year-old son. The defense will begin calling witnesses Monday morning.

By the end of the day on Thursday, the prosecution had called 10 witnesses, including emotional testimony from Codi Bigsby's mother and brother. A former Hampton police detective, who had served as lead investigator in Codi's case, also took the stand.

Other witnesses included Hampton police officers who responded to the missing person report and assisted in the search for Codi, a social worker and a property manager for Bigsby's apartment.

Several more witnesses testified on Friday.

Bigsby is accused of murdering Codi and concealing his body roughly seven months before filing the missing person report to Hampton Police Division in early 2022. The boy’s body has never been found.

13News Now's Angelique Arintok and Dan Kennedy will be reporting live from the trial each day until there is a verdict. Stay with us for the latest updates. 

6 p.m. — Recapping the jailhouse statements from Cory Bigsby

The statements are critical today because three different employees at the Hampton Roads Regional Jail gave their accounts of Cory Bigsby delivering confessions about his son's death.

On the stand, a correctional officer recalled the early morning of Aug. 4, 2022, when he said Bigsby asked him to write something down.

According to the officer, Bigsby said he found his son unresponsive and tried CPR several times but could not revive him. In the note, the officer said Bigsby dictated he put his son in a trash bag, then a car for three days and ultimately buried him.

Next, a lieutenant testified she went to Bigsby's cell after the confession with the officer. In the lieutenant's body camera footage, Bigsby appeared to calmly write a statement himself for roughly 15 minutes.

In this version, Bigsby specified he found Codi unresponsive at the bottom of the steps on Jan. 30, 2022. That's one day before Bigsby reported Codi missing. In the note, Bigsby described giving CPR multiple times and then shortly after, burying Codi beside a tree.

Another correctional officer from Hampton Roads Regional Jail testified, saying Bigsby slid her a letter confessing Codi's death with similar details mentioned in the other statements.

The officer also testified saying she found a notebook belonging to Bigsby when inspecting his cell. One of the pages had a handwritten entry referencing June 18, 2021. It was another confession. But in that statement, he wrote about grabbing Codi, dragging him into the kitchen, hurting him and beating him with his fist.m Bigsby wrote about trying to perform CPR, then wetting him in the tub. When he didn't respond, he prayed.

The defense implied Bigsby wasn't mentally stable while in jail.

The lieutenant who testified said Bigsby asked her "Who is torturing me?" and said, "I've got something hooked up to my head."

One of the correctional officers read through more entries in Bigsby's notebook.

4 p.m. — Trial to pick back up Monday

The trial of Cory Bigsby will pick back up on Monday morning with the defense attorneys calling their witnesses. The defense wants the weekend to prepare.

It's unclear when the trial will end.

3:30 p.m. —  Prosecutors rest their case

After lunch, another Hampton Road Regional Jail correctional officer was called to the stand to testify about Cory Bigsby handing off a confession letter.

The officer also testified that she found a notebook with a confession referencing the date June 18, 2021.

12:15 p.m. — HRRJ correctional officer testifies about father's jailhouse confessions

This morning, prosecutors called a Hampton Roads Regional Jail correctional officer to the stand. He focused on one of Cory Bigsby's jailhouse confessions, which 13News Now has reported before. 

Bigsby made several inconsistent statements about Codi's death while in custody at the regional jail. 

The officer testified about the early morning of Aug. 4, 2022, when he said Bigsby prompted him to write something down. The officer read off the statement in court and began to cry. It said in part, "I found my son unresponsive, tried CPR, I could not revive him."

The officer alleged Bigsby said he tried several times to revive Codi and begged God to save him. Bigsby allegedly said he realized Codi wasn't coming back, then put him in a trash bag and left in a car for three days. 

According to the officer, Bigsby's remarks went on to say he got rid of the items on Garrett A. Morgan Boulevard in Prince George's County, Maryland. Authorities have searched there to no avail. 

The statement mentioned in court this morning is just one of several versions allegedly from Bigsby about Codi's death.

10 a.m. — FBI digital forensic examiner testifies

Earlier today, a senior digital forensic examiner with the Federal Bureau of Investigation took the stand. He testified he never saw original photos of Codi on Bigsby's devices after June 2021.

9 a.m. — Prosecutors expected to call more witnesses to the stand

The potential witnesses of the fifth day of Bigsby's trial could include correctional officers at the Hampton Roads Regional Jail and an FBI agent. 

The prosecution could rest its case on Friday, at which point it'll be the defense's turn to present its case. The trial was originally scheduled to last until Friday, but it could now run into early next week.

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