A motion for new counsel in the appeal of convicted murderer Willie Cory Godbolt has been denied by the Supreme Court of Mississippi.

The ruling, filed May 25, was made public Tuesday afternoon, May 31.

In its ruling, the Court said Godbolt had provided no basis for his request. His counsel was presumed to be competent and “an indigent criminal defendant is not entitled … to counsel of his own choosing.”

The order was signed by Chief Justice Michael K. Randolph, and noted that all justices had voted to deny the motion.

Godbolt was convicted in 2020 of capital murder in the shooting death of a Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputy and three other people. He received a death sentence. On Memorial Day weekend 2017, Godbolt took the lives of William Durr, Brenda May, Toccara May, Barbara Mitchell, Jordan Blackwell, Austin Edwards, Ferral Burage and Sheila Burage, tried to kill deputy Timothy Kees, kidnapped LaPeatra Stafford and Xavier Bishop and forced Henry and Alfred Bracey to hand over keys to a car at gunpoint.

He is currently imprisoned at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman.