Search for answers in NJ mom murder case
‘ Bryan Llenas reports on the ongoing investigation into the murder of New Jersey mom Brooke Hanlon, found stabbed in her home. More than a month after the incident, no arrests have been made, and authorities remain tight-lipped about key details, including the 911 call and the cooperation of her husband, James Connor Hanlon. Neighbors are baffled by the unsolved case in Chester, N.J.
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A teenager in Mississippi knew the elderly couple he’s accused of killing before sparking a standoff with law enforcement, according to new testimony in court.
Officials said Cordarius Hobbs, 17, killed 74-year-old Billy Blair and his 71-year-old wife Virginia Carol Blair during a home break-in on June 3 in Mendenhall, Mississippi. Family members of the Hobbs testified during the Thursday preliminary hearing that Hobbs knew the couple.
Family members testified that Hobbs did work for the Blairs for things like cleaning around the house before the alleged shooting, according to WAPT. Billy Newsome, Hobbs’ grandfather, said he believes his grandson was called to work on the day of the alleged shooting but believes he’s innocent.
“My grandson used to work for the man, why you gone rob a man that you work for,” Newsome said. “Why you gone stay there that long and you know the police out there, and then you gone wait until everybody gets there to run, it just ain’t adding up, something just ain’t right here.”
MISSISSIPPI TEEN ALLEGEDLY KILLED ELDERLY COUPLE IN THEIR HOME BEFORE FIRING ON DEPUTIES IN STANDOFF
Billy Blair and Virginia Blair were killed on June 3. (Family Handout)
On June 3, three contractors installing a generator at the Blairs’ home discovered Carol Blair’s car door open with several guns on the seats around 10 a.m.., prompting them to call the Simpson County Sheriff’s Department for a welfare check at 11:30 a.m, according to a Mississippi Bureau of Investigation investigator.
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By noon, the investigator said that officers arrived and were met with shots fired at them, starting a nearly two-hour-long standoff. Hobbs was captured after trying to run away from officers, the official said, adding that the teen was unarmed when he was caught.
Carol Blair was found in a bedroom curled in the fetal position and had three gunshots to the back of her head. Bill Blair was found lying on his back in the kitchen with three gunshot wounds to his face.
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Cordarius Hobbs faces murder charges in addition to several more felonies. (Rankin County Jail)
The state investigator said three firearms were found inside the home as well as 280 shell casings, all owned by Bill Blair.
Hobbs’ defense attorney, Zachary Vaugh, argued that there’s a lack of direct forensic evidence connecting the teenager to the shooting.
“There was nothing to say he’s a principle, he’s the one that pulled the trigger on these things,” Vaugh said. “One of the things alone was, one of the victims was shot twice on one side of the head and once on the other. I think that’s pretty compelling that somebody else may have been in there. There’s a lot of things that are possible, just a tremendous amount of things.”
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“When you have an officer say there’s no one that can identify him at the time of the shooting, I just don’t see how that adds up,” he said.
Hobbs is charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of burglary, in addition to 10 other charges. He was denied bond.
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Cordarius Hobbs allegedly killed both Billy Blair and Virginia Blair. (Rankin County Jail)
In a statement on Facebook, the couple’s family previously said, “We are crushed in spirit, bruised, and brokenhearted, but we are not alone.”
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Jason Busby, who was friends with the couple, remembered them as being extremely selfless when speaking with WLBT.
“The man would’ve given you the shirt off his back, his wife is the same, and they’re just great people. It’s just a tragedy,” Busby said. “Everybody around here is still in shock. They were just good people.”
