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FIRST ON FOX: The Mississippi teen accused of killing an elderly couple in their home was no stranger to local deputies, who named him a suspect in “many” nearby burglaries and car thefts, according to an incident report obtained by Digital.
Billy Blair, 74, and his 71-year-old wife Virginia Carol Blair were allegedly killed by Cordarius Hobbs, 17, after he broke into their Mendenhall, Mississippi, home on June 3. Family members of the teen said during a preliminary hearing in July that Hobbs did work for the Blairs for things like cleaning around the house before the alleged shooting.
Digital obtained an incident report from the Simpson County Sheriff’s Department, which alleged Hobbs is a “troubled juvenile” who is a suspect in various other crimes in the area.
MISSISSIPPI TEEN ACCUSED OF KILLING ELDERLY COUPLE HAD WORKED FOR THEM BEFORE SHOOTING: FAMILY
Billy Blair and Virginia Blair were killed on June 3. (Family Handout)
“…When we first arrived I and other Deputies and Investigators believe the suspect could be a troubled juvenile known to us as Cordarius Hobbs who is also suspected of many other home burglaries as well as auto theft in this immediate area,” the incident report states.
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.
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“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 ACCUSED OF KILLING ELDERLY COUPLE HAD WORKED FOR THEM BEFORE SHOOTING: FAMILY
Cordarius Hobbs faces murder charges in addition to several more felonies. (Rankin County Jail)
Three contractors arrived at the Blairs’ home on June 3 to install a generator and found a car door open around 10 a.m., with several guns piled on the seats, according to a Mississippi Bureau of Investigation investigator. The workers called the Simpson County Sheriff’s Department for a welfare check at 11:30 a.m.
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.
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Carol Blair was found curled in the fetal position in a bedroom, shot three times in the back of the head, the investigator said in court. Her husband was found lying on his back in the kitchen with three gunshot wounds to his face.
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Hobbs’ defense attorney, Zachary Vaughn, told Digital in a statement that Hobbs has been respectful and courteous in their meetings.
“I have visited with my client several times in the short time I’ve known him and he has always been very respectful and courteous to me,” Vaughn said.
Vaughn argued after a court hearing that there’s a lack of direct forensic evidence connecting the teenager to the shooting.
“There was nothing to say he’s a principal, he’s the one that pulled the trigger on these things,” Vaughn 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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Cordarius Hobbs allegedly killed both Billy Blair and Virginia Blair. (Rankin County Jail)
“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.
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Hobbs is charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of burglary, in addition to 10 other charges. He was denied bond.
In a statement on Facebook, the couple’s family previously said, “We are crushed in spirit, bruised, and brokenhearted, but we are not alone.”
