Supreme Court denies rehearing appeal for Bogue Chitto man on death row
Published 4:48 pm Thursday, May 23, 2024
- MISSISSIPPI DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS PHOTO Willie Cory Godbolt's appeal for rehearing before the Mississippi Supreme Court has been denied.
The State’s highest court will not rehear the appeal of convicted Bogue Chitto man Willie Cory Godbolt.
The Mississippi Supreme Court made the brief announcement Thursday, stating in writing, “The motion for rehearing filed by counsel for the appellant is denied.” Two justices, Jim Kitchens and Leslie D. King, wrote that they would have granted the request for a rehearing.
Godbolt filed the motion on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, “urg(ing) [the] Court to grant rehearing, and … reverse his convictions, vacate his death sentences, and remand this matter for a new trial.”
Godbolt was convicted in February 2020 of capital murder for the 2017 slayings of Lincoln County Deputy William Durr, and three other people — Austin Edwards, Jordan Blackwell and Sheila Burage. Godbolt also received life in prison for the murders of Brenda May, Toccara May, Barbara Mitchell and Ferral Burage, life in prison for the attempted murder of Kees and life for the kidnapping of Xavier Lilly, 20 years for the kidnapping of LaPeatra Stafford and 20 years for armed robbery.
Previous appeals for retrial have been consistently denied by the Supreme Court.