Miss. Supreme Court hears appeal of man convicted in 2017

JACKSON, Miss. — The Mississippi Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments in the appeal of a man convicted in the 2017 killings of eight people, including a sheriff’s deputy and members of his estranged wife’s family.

Defense attorneys for Willie Cory Godbolt said prosecutors introduced evidence of prior acts of violence by Godbolt toward his wife, Sheena May, which they contend was prejudicial, WAPT-TV reported.

Greg Spore, an attorney with the State Defender’s Office, also argued the trial judge did not allow the charges to be broken up into separate trials even though they occurred in three different locations, the television station said. Spore argued there was prejudice trying 12 counts in one trial.

“Separate trials would have tempered the amount of violence heard here,” Spore said.

Associate Justice James D. Maxwell II asked if the trial judge found that the killings were a spree.

“A shooting spree over several hours where he went house, to house, to house?” Maxwell asked.

Later, Chief Justice Mike Randolph asked Spore about how many times each victim was shot, which was multiple times.

“I’ve been on this court 20 years and I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many people shot this many times, ever,” Randolph said

A Pike County jury convicted Godbolt in February 2020 on four counts of murder, which carry a sentence of life in prison and four counts of capital murder — a killing committed along with another felony, which carries a death sentence.

The rampage happened on Memorial Day weekend in Brookhaven and Bogue Chitto. It happened after May refused to turn over their children to him. She and her daughter had moved out of the home she shared with Godbolt and they escaped the subsequent shootings. Lincoln County Deputy William Durr, along with May’s mother, aunt and sister, were killed.

Godbolt continued on to two other locations, killing four more people.

Godbolt is currently being held on death row at the Mississippi State Penitentiary. He did not appear in court during Tuesday’s hearing.

Attorney Allison Hartman, with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, asked the court to affirm Godbolt’s convictions and sentences. She told the justices that Godbolt’s wife was a victim of the 2017 shootings, because her family members and best friend were killed. She also laid out the events of the night, which she argued were “inherently related,” with no way to separate them.

The justices took the case under advisement and said the court would issue a ruling at a later date.