HAMPTON, Va. — The Cory Bigsby murder trial resumes Monday morning in Hampton with the defense set to call its first witness to the stand.
Bigsby is accused of killing his 4-year-old son, Codi, and concealing the body before filing a missing person report to Hampton Police Division in early 2022. Since then, search teams and community members have banded together at different times to search for the child, but he has never been found.
This is just the fourth 'no body' murder trial to ever happen in Hampton Roads, and its one of the most high-profile trials in Hampton in recent years.
Prosecuting attorneys for the case are Hampton Commonwealth’s Attorney Anton Bell and Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Dylan Arnold. On the defense representing Bigsby are Curtis Brown, Amina Mathey-Willard and Kenneth Singleton.
Here are three things to watch as the trial enters its second week.
Will former Hampton Police Chief testify?
Cory Bigsby's defense team has not publicly shared its witness list. However, they hinted during jury selection that they would call a female family member of Cory Bigsby to testify. They may also call Norfolk Police Chief Mark Talbot to the stand because he was chief of the Hampton Police Division at the time of Codi's disappearance.
When did Codi really go missing?
The Commonwealth made the case last week that Codi Bigsby was killed in June 2021, more than seven months before his father first reported him missing. An FBI digital forensic analyst testified that he found no original photos of Codi on his father's devices after June 2021. Codi's mother testified that the last time she saw a photo of her son was June 2021. During opening statements, defense attorneys said they plan to present evidence that Codi was alive between June and January.
Is circumstantial evidence enough?
The case lacks physical evidence, like DNA, fingerprints or a body, so prosecutors presented only circumstantial evidence. Kenneth Singleton, one of Bigsby's defense attorneys reminded jurors during opening statements that Bigsby is presumed innocent, and the prosecution must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. He posed this question to the jury: "What do these witnesses bring that shows evidence of a murder?" The question now is whether the jury heard enough circumstantial evidence to convict. The panel of 10 women and 4 men will likely begin deliberations early to mid-week.
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.
