HAMPTON, Va. — Cory Bigsby, a Hampton man accused of felony child neglect, was denied bond by a judge for the fifth time on Monday.
In a morning court hearing, the judge found that there's enough evidence in Bigsby's case to send it to a grand jury on July 5. That grand jury won't decide if he's guilty; they'll decide if there's enough evidence against Bigsby that he should face trial for child neglect.
Cory Bigsby, the father of missing 4-year-old boy Codi Bigsby, is facing seven felony counts of child neglect, all unrelated to his son's disappearance.
He reported the boy missing on January 31.
Police officers brought Bigsby into the station to ask him about Codi's disappearance and while they were talking, he allegedly told them he'd left his young children at home alone before.
That's what the child neglect charges hinge on.
During the preliminary hearing Monday, Cory Bigsby came face-to-face with a judge and loved ones for the first time in a long while.
A man who said he’s Bigsby’s cousin said he’s lost nearly 20 pounds in jail.
“Just to see him looking rough like that, he’s lost a lot of weight, it broke me down,” he said.
Bigsby’s attorney, Amina Matheny-Willard, said authorities overcharged him.
“This should be a referral to CPS in my opinion, but if Commonwealth wants to get involved, it should be a misdemeanor,” Matheny-Willard said.
In court, prosecutors called four witnesses to testify about when they saw Cory Bigsby on December 13, 2021, and January 25 of this year.
They presented security videos from those dates, which they say allegedly shows Bigsby shopping at a car dealership and a Walmart while his children sat home alone.
Attorney Matheny-Willard said she will keep trying to get a bond for her client.
“There Is absolutely no reason he should be in there this long before he goes to trial. He is presumed innocent until he is found guilty,” Matheny-Willard said.
She also said she plans to ask for a change of venue before the trial.
Here's how his case has gone so far:
- Feb. 8: A judge denies Bigsby bond for the first time.
- Feb. 17: Bigsby's lawyer appeals the bond decision, but all three Hampton Circuit Court judges recuse themselves from the new hearing.
- April 5: A judge denies Bigsby bond for the second time.
- Late April: Bigsby switches lawyers.
- May 11: Matheny-Willard files a formal complaint against Hampton Police Chief Mark Talbot for how the division has handled the investigation.
- May 15: Matheny-Willard appeals the latest bond decision.
- May 23: A judge denies Bigsby bond for the third time.
- June 7: A judge denies Bigsby bond for the fourth time.