PHOTO BY DONNA CAMPBELL Cory Godbolt, in red, is escorted out of the Lincoln County Government Complex by Mississippi Department of Corrections officers Monday.

Death row inmate Willie Cory Godbolt will continue to receive legal representation at no cost to him as he fights to avoid execution.

Flanked by half a dozen Mississippi Department of Corrections guards, Godbolt smiled as he left the Lincoln County courthouse Monday headed back to Parchman following a 10-minute hearing to determine his ability to pay.

During the brief hearing, Lincoln County Circuit Judge David Strong asked Godbolt, 43, several questions he would use to determine if the inmate was indigent, or unable to afford legal representation in the criminal justice system.

Strong inquired about Godbolt’s finances: Did he have an active checking account, savings account, personal property or land, or access to any funds whatsoever?

Godbolt confirmed his only money was about $80 on his canteen account that allows him to purchase snacks, beverages, hygiene products, writing supplies, books and magazines from the prison commissary.

Strong reminded Godbolt that he also faces two default judgments in which the plaintiffs — family members of some of his victims — have been awarded millions in punitive and compensatory damages.

After determining Godbolt’s indigency, Strong confirmed the appointment of his representation by the Mississippi Office of Capital Post-Conviction Counsel. With Godbolt in the courtroom were attorneys Leslie Brown Ridlehoover, Tameika Bennett and Brandi Gatewood, and Senior Mitigation Specialist Rhonda Carter.

Brad Smith and LaDonna Holland, special counsel with Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office, also attended the hearing. They will represent the State in post-conviction proceedings.

In May 2020, Godbolt was sentenced to death in the capital murder convictions for the shooting deaths of Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy William Durr; minors Jordan Blackwell and Austin Edwards and Sheila Burage. He was given life in prison sentences for each of the four first-degree murder convictions for the shooting deaths of Tocarra May, Brenda May, Barbara Mitchell, and Ferral Burage; the attempted murder of Deputy Tim Kees; and the kidnapping of teenager Xavier Lilly. He was also sentenced to 20 years in prison for the kidnapping of Lapeatra Stafford, and 20 years for armed robbery.

In March 2024, the Supreme Court of Mississippi upheld Godbolt’s convictions and sentences. The state’s highest court also denied Godbolt’s motion for rehearing in May 2024.

Capital Post-Conviction Counsel, established by the Mississippi Legislature in 2000, advocates for the constitutional rights of death row inmates at Parchman and the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility.

Post-litigation takes place after the defendant’s direct appeal is denied by the Mississippi Supreme Court. It deals with issues that could not be addressed on direct appeal because appellate attorneys are limited to the trial record such as transcript and evidentiary exhibits when preparing the appeal and arguing on behalf of the defendant.

Several people sat in the courtroom to watch the hearing, including members of Durr’s family.