HAMPTON, Va. — More than two years after reporting his young son missing to Hampton Police Division, Cory Bigsby will stand trial in connection to the child's murder.
Bigsby is accused of killing Codi and concealing his body.
Jury selection is set to begin Monday, where 13News Now crews will monitor developments in the courtroom.
Bigsby reported his then 4-year-old child Codi missing from the family apartment unit near Buckroe Beach on January 31, 2022. It triggered a string of searches and prayer circles, as news of Codi's disappearance spread across Hampton Roads and beyond.
Karena Thomas, who lives in Florida, was immediately drawn to the case and has advocated for the little boy since that day.
"The first picture that was released of him was no smile. He looked sad and the story just didn't make sense to us," said Thomas.
Hampton police investigators labeled Bigsby as a "person of interest," shortly after he reported his Codi missing.
On February 3, 2022, detectives arrested him on charges of child neglect unrelated to Codi's disappearance.
Bigsby admitted to leaving his children home alone multiple times, police said.
Mark Talbot, Hampton's police chief at the time who now serves as Norfolk's top cop, said Bigsby was voluntarily at headquarters speaking with investigators after filing the missing person report for Codi.
That was a claim Bigsby's then-attorney Jeff Ambrose denied in an interview with 13News Now.
An internal audit by Hampton Police Division leadership found that Bigsby indicated he wanted a lawyer when detectives were questioning him about the situation involving his son, but that request wasn't honored.
All that being said, Bigsby was behind bars for months and underwent mental evaluations by a judge's order.
Bigsby was denied bond several times.
Then in June 2023, a grand jury returned two counts against Bigsby; one for murder and one for concealing a body.
After those two indictments, a judge granted Bigsby an $80,000 bond. It's a ruling which was recently upheld by an appeals court panel, which found the judge's ruling fair.
Rewinding back in November, several correctional officers testified that Bigsby made several possible confessions while at the Hampton Roads Regional Jail.
The statements were graphic and disturbing. Although inconsistent and contradictory, all versions ended with Codi's death or killing.
One of Bigsby's attorneys now, Amina Matheny-Willard, said jail staff tormented her client and coerced the admission.
However, a judge decided he would allow prosecutors to use the jailhouse statements in trial.
Jury selection is set to begin on Monday in Hampton.
"You definitely want people who haven't formulated decisions about guilt or innocence," said Norfolk-based attorney Niki Bailey, who primarily takes on criminal defense cases. “You want to be sure a jury can set aside any preconceived notions or set aside any personal biases and listen to the evidence as presented on the day of trial.”
Bailey, who has no ties to the Bigsby trial, shares this advice for observers.
"You should keep in mind Mr. Bigsby is still innocent until proven guilty, that the Commonwealth has the burden to prove his guilty beyond a reasonable doubt; that's a very high standard," said Bailey.
Meanwhile, advocates like Thomas are hoping this trial gets them answers.
"All I want is Codi found," said Thomas, who serves as an administrator for the Facebook page Codi Bigsby-Missing From Hampton, Va.
Thomas mentioned administrators and members of the group have held numerous events in Codi's honor over the years.
“It makes people remember. We don’t want anyone forgetting him," said Thomas.
Despite efforts by authorities and volunteer searchers, Codi's body hasn't been found. He would've been six years old present-day.
Bigsby is accused of killing Codi and concealing his body roughly seven months before filing the missing person report to Hampton Police Division, according to court documents.
The trial will also begin just several days before the passage of the Codi Alert bill in Virginia's General Assembly. The legislation now heads to the governor's desk.