Relatives said Cordarius Hobbs had worked for Billy and Virginia Carol Blair before the couple was found dead in their home.
SIMPSON COUNTY, MS — A 17-year-old charged in the shooting deaths of a Simpson County husband and wife knew the couple and had previously worked at their home, according to relatives who spoke after a preliminary hearing.
Cordarius Hobbs is accused of killing 74-year-old Billy Blair and 71-year-old Virginia Carol Barnett-Blair at their home on W.L. Blair Street on June 3. Hobbs faces 13 charges, including two counts of capital murder, burglary and several aggravated assault counts connected to gunfire directed at law enforcement officers and others at the scene. He has not been convicted, and his attorney has challenged whether the available evidence proves he was the person who fired the shots.
Hobbs’ grandfather, Billy Newsome, said the teenager had worked for the Blairs and was familiar with the couple. Newsome said Hobbs had been called to the home to perform work on the day of the shooting. He questioned why his grandson would remain at the property during the lengthy police response if he had committed the killings and said he believes another person may have been involved.
During the preliminary hearing Thursday, a Mississippi Bureau of Investigation investigator testified that contractors arrived at the Blairs’ home to install a generator. The workers noticed that a rear door of Carol Blair’s vehicle was open and that rifles were on the back seat. They also saw what appeared to be damage to a rear door of the house.
The contractors called out for Billy Blair but received no response, according to the testimony. They contacted the Simpson County Sheriff’s Department and requested a welfare check. Four deputies arrived about an hour later, and the first deputy to enter the home was met with gunfire, the investigator testified.
Authorities said Hobbs barricaded himself inside the house as officers from several agencies responded. The exchange of gunfire continued for at least two hours. Investigators said Hobbs told officers he would surrender through the front door but instead ran from the back of the house. Officers pursued and arrested him.
Hobbs was shot during the confrontation and later recovered from injuries that authorities described as not life-threatening. Investigators collected more than 280 shell casings from the scene. DNA testing, ballistics analysis and footage from officers’ body cameras were still being processed at the time of the hearing.
Investigators found Carol Blair in a bedroom and Billy Blair in the kitchen. Preliminary autopsy information presented during the hearing showed that both had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Authorities have accused Hobbs of killing the couple during a burglary, but a motive has not been publicly established.
Defense attorney Zachary Vaughn argued that witnesses took cover when the shooting began and could not identify the person firing at them. He also raised the possibility that another person had been inside the home. Vaughn said the defense wants investigators to determine who was responsible based on the completed evidence rather than assumptions made during the standoff.
Hobbs was again denied bond following the preliminary hearing. The case is expected to be presented to a grand jury, which will determine whether there is enough evidence to indict him. No grand jury date has been publicly announced.
Author note: Last updated July 12, 2026.