HAMPTON, Va. — The Hampton man accused of murdering his son, 4-year-old Codi Bigsby, and hiding the body is in court this week for what is expected to be a week-long trial.
It's one of the more significant trials for the city of Hampton in recent years, and not just because of the high-profile nature of the case. It is also one of just four 'no body' murder trials to ever take place in the Hampton Roads region – a trial that goes before a judge or jury without the physical evidence of the victim’s body.
Here's a closer look at the judge presiding over this trial, as well as the prosecuting and defending attorneys.
Hampton Circuit Court Judge James Hawks
The judge presiding over the trial was assigned to this case in July 2022. Judge James Hawks is a retired judge and was brought in specifically for this case. He spent more than 30 years as a defense attorney in Portsmouth. He also served 8 years on Portsmouth City Council before ending his career in that city as a Circuit Court Judge from 2006 to 2016. Both the Commonwealth’s Attorney and the defense attorneys are familiar with Judge Hawks by now. They have gone before him a number of times for different motions in this case. Notably, Judge Hawks decided last summer to grant Cory Bigsby bond after he had been denied bond six times as he awaited trial.
Cory Bigsby's defense team
Cory Bigsby's defense team includes Amina Matheny-Willard, who has really been the face of the defense up to this point. Matheny-Willard started representing Bigsby in April of 2022, after his previous attorney filed a motion to withdraw because of “an ethical conflict.” However, this week, Curtis Brown is the lead trial counsel. He is joined by Ken Singleton and Peter Hansen.
Hampton's prosecuting attorneys
On the other side of the courtroom, the prosecution is led by Hampton Commonwealth’s Attorney Anton Bell. Bell has led that office since his election 12 years ago, and this is possibly the highest-profile prosecution of his career. He brought charges in a similar case against Julia Tomlin for the 2019 murder of her 2-year-old son, Noah Tomlin. But that case never went to trial. Tomlin pleaded guilty and is now serving 55 years in prison.
13News Now's Angelique Arintok and Dan Kennedy will be reporting live from the Bigsby murder trial each day this week. Stay with us for the latest updates.
