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.

Cordarius Hobbs, 17, is charged with killing 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 Hobbs testified during the Thursday preliminary hearing that he 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.”

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.

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.

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 principal, 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.”

“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.

In a statement on Facebook, the couple’s family previously said, “We are crushed in spirit, bruised, and brokenhearted, but we are not alone.”

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.”

• Mississippi lawmakers will convene for a special session on July 15 to address youth court issues.
• The session was called after statutes protecting the private information of children in the court system expired on June 30.
• Gov. Tate Reeves stated the proposed legislation will improve the system for children who are abused, neglected, or facing delinquency.
• The new bill aims to create a more uniform youth court system across the state, including access to full-time judges.

The Mississippi State Legislature will return for a special session not on redistricting, as many conservative politicians have called for, but to resolve issues with youth court and records protection.

Gov. Tate Reeves called the Legislature back into Jackson on July 14 for a special session beginning the next day, July 15, at 3 p.m.

“I am hopeful — and even optimistic — that members of both political parties can and will vote for this common-sense legislation that will help children and families all across Mississippi,” Reeves wrote in a post on X.

The issue stems from statutes that used to govern youth court records. The statutes were put in place to protect the personally identifiable information of children in the youth court system, including those who are under the care of Child Protection Services.

The Legislature is responsible for making the laws and renewing them when they are set to be repealed, but the body did not do so before the end of the legislative session in April. The statutes were repealed on June 30, and CPS employees have been left scrambling to engage in court proceedings without illegally sharing private information about vulnerable children.

Leadership in both chambers have been discussing the new laws governing youth court since the end of the session, and Reeves wrote that he was pleased with the bill that they are set to propose at the special session.

“The agreed upon solution (as proposed and agreed by House and Senate leadership) sets up a far better system for both kids who are abused and neglected, as well as those children facing delinquency proceedings,” he wrote. “For the first time, children and families will have access to full-time judges and moves us toward a uniform youth court system statewide.”

Bea Anhuci is the state government reporter for the Clarion Ledger. She has covered Mississippi politics since the start of 2026. Email her at banhuci@usatodayco.com.

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) -Mississippi’s artificial intelligence regulation task force opened its first day of hearings Monday, taking testimony from utility representatives, public service commissioners, and community advocates on the costs and consequences of the state’s data center industry growth.

Entergy projects lower bills; critics question the numbers

Entergy told the task force it expects residential customer bills to decrease as data center growth expands the utility’s customer base.

“When you have higher sales volume to spread those costs over, it’s going to produce a lower rate,” said Jeremy Vanderloo, vice president of business operations and strategy for Entergy Mississippi.

The company projected residential bills would be $30 a month less by 2030 than they would have been without data center growth. Entergy pushed back on a recent study commissioned by environmental groups that claims costs are already being passed on to ratepayers.

Commissioners weigh ratepayer protections

Two public service commissioners testified before the task force. Commissioner DeKeither Stamps said the goal of protecting ratepayers goes beyond simply keeping rates low.

“We should be looking for a low rate or a high rate, just the correct rate to maintain the systems,” Stamps said. “And if the citizens don’t want the correct rate, then as a regulator, we still have to put the correct rate on the table.”

Advocates raise questions on accountability

National advocate Jim Walsh questioned what would happen if industry projections prove inaccurate, asking, “Who pays if industry’s projections are wrong?” Walsh said some states and communities have placed moratoriums on data centers while they assess potential impacts.

Shannon Samsa, director of the Safe + Sound Coalition, told the task force she is not opposed to AI and data centers broadly but called for greater transparency.

“It’s about whether the people of Mississippi deserve transparency, accountability, and leaders who will protect the health and well-being of our families and communities before the interests of a private corporation,” Samsa said.

North Mississippi resident cites noise from xAI site

Samsa, who lives in north Mississippi, said residents near the xAI facility in Southaven have experienced near-constant noise for nearly a year.

“There have been numerous occasions where I myself can hear the turbines from inside my home, and I live almost 2 miles away from the site,” she said.

The task force is scheduled to hear Tuesday from local leaders in affected communities as well as companies including Amazon.

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