HAMPTON, Va. — A day after being convicted of murdering his son, Cory Bigsby is maintaining his innocence from behind bars.
13News Now Reporter Angelique Arintok spoke exclusively with Bigsby at the Western Tidewater Regional Jail in Suffolk Wednesday morning, following his trial on charges of second-degree murder and concealing the body of his son, Codi.
During the interview, the Hampton man said he believes he didn't get a fair trial and that a jury wrongfully convicted him.
"I definitely was wrongly convicted," Bigsby told 13News Now. "This is trash."
When asked about Codi's whereabouts, Bigsby said he "never knew where Codi is."
"I don't know what happened," Bigsby said. "All I know is, of course, he had to wander away, but did someone take him? I wouldn't know."
He stated his belief that his attorneys weren't provided proper information and claimed he and his team didn't see what prosecutors presented in court, ahead of the trial.
"I was ambushed because my attorneys never got to interview my son about anything before trial," Bigsby told 13News Now. "We didn't even know who was going to be up there. I didn't know who was going to be up there."
However, ahead of the trial, 13News Now obtained a copy of the “Commonwealth’s Anticipated Witness List," which was also shared with the defense team. It shows prosecutors had planned to call at least 21 witnesses, however, they only ended up calling about 14 witnesses during the trial.
Bigsby also alleged from jail that correctional officers at the Hampton Roads Regional Jail mistreated and tormented him, coercing him into writing the confessions that were presented at trial.
"If you [were] being mistreated like I was — not getting showers, not getting fed properly and not getting the things you need and people taking your commissary because your family is sending you money and you're not getting it, not being able to call home, not being able to use the internet — you'd write whatever they tell you to write, too," Bigsby said.
One of the most emotional moments of Bigsby's trial came when his 7-year-old son testified, claiming he saw Codi unresponsive with a red, dry and bruised face on the bed. Prosecutors say the son was 5 years old at the time of Codi's death.
Bigsby thinks someone coerced and coached his son to say what he did in court:
"My son said something totally different in the first two interviews he was giving in the beginning, which was two years ago. Then all of a sudden, my son came and said some stuff that was coerced, knowing my son never his brother laying anywhere lifeless, none of that."
Bigsby also disputed the testimony made by Codi's mother, Dina Abdul Kareem. During the trial, Kareem testified an email from Bigsby in April 2021 read, "I do not want to severely hurt him to protect my babies. He needs to see a psychiatrist. He needs to come with you."
Bigsby said the language he used was meant as hyperbole and that he was not literally suggesting he would harm his children.
"I was sending it to her as a concerned parent trying to get her involved with what I had going on with Codi so we can find out what was going on with our child. Not that I really wanted to kill my child or harm my child," Bigsby claimed. "Anybody in their right mind would not send another parent that if they actually had thoughts about killing their child." I would never do that to my kids, because I love my kids too much."
With Codi still missing and many in the community still left with unanswered questions, Bigsby had this to say to those who have searched tirelessly to find his son:
"Keep doing what you're doing. I appreciate what you're doing. I need that, because as soon as we find Codi, I guarantee we'll find out this is (expletive)."
After Bigsby's interview with 13News Now attesting to his innocence, Hampton Commonwealth's Attorney Anton Bell issued the following statement: "The community has spoken."
Twelve jurors deliberated for roughly two hours on Tuesday. They came to a unanimous decision of guilty verdicts against Bigsby for second-degree murder and concealing a body.
Bigsby's sentencing hearing is set for June 18, 2024. It would mark the third anniversary of Codi's death, according to one of the jailhouse writings, which Bigsby alleged wasn't true.
