Trial to begin for man accused of killing 8 in Mississippi

FILE - This May 28, 2017 file photo provided by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation shows suspect Willie Cory Godbolt, in Lincoln County, Miss. Godbolt, charged with killing eight people, is set to make a court appearance on Wednesday, July 26. Godbolt has been jailed without bond since his arrest May 28, shortly after the fatal shootings of a sheriff’s deputy and seven others who were Godbolt’s relatives or acquaintances.(Mississippi Bureau of Investigation via AP, File) FILE - This May 28, 2017 file photo provided by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation shows suspect Willie Cory Godbolt, in Lincoln County, Miss. Godbolt, charged with killing eight people, is set to make a court appearance on Wednesday, July 26. Godbolt has been jailed without bond since his arrest May 28, shortly after the fatal shootings of a sheriff’s deputy and seven others who were Godbolt’s relatives or acquaintances.(Mississippi Bureau of Investigation via AP, File)

By Associated Press February 10, 2020 1 min read

HERNANDO, Miss. (AP) — Jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday for the trial of a man accused of killing eight people in Mississippi in 2017.

Willie Cory Godbolt, 37, said “I’m sorry” while a reporter was recording him after the shootings in May 2017. The deaths included a sheriff’s deputy, Godbolt’s mother-in-law and six other people.

Jurors were expected to be selected at the DeSoto County Courthouse in Hernando. They will then be transported to Magnolia to hear the rest of the trial in Pike County, news outlets reported.

Godbolt has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges including four counts of murder and four counts of capital murder. One of his attorneys has said Godbolt is unlikely to use an insanity defense at trial.