Willie Cory Godbolt was born on May 1, 1982. He grew up in Mississippi.

On May 27, 2017, Willie Cory Godbolt was involved in a shooting spree in Lincoln County, Mississippi, that resulted in the deaths of eight people. The shootings began around 11:30 p.m. at a house in Bogue Chitto. Here, Godbolt killed Deputy William Durr, Barbara Mitchell, and Brenda and Toccara May.

After this, Godbolt drove to another home in Brookhaven, where he shot and killed 18-year-old Jordan Blackwell and 11-year-old Austin Edwards. A 15-year-old at the scene survived by playing dead. Godbolt then drove to a different house, where he murdered Ferral and Sheila Burage.

Four weapons were found at the crime scenes. These included two .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handguns and two assault rifles, a .300 Blackout and a Zastava Serbia. One of the handguns was traced to one of the victims, Ferral Burage, rather than Godbolt himself.

During the incident, Godbolt was shot and injured by the police during a confrontation with Ferral Burage. He was arrested and later admitted to a reporter that he had intended to commit suicide by cop. He expressed that he believed he deserved to die for what he had done. His wife and children were reported to be unharmed during the events.

Godbolt was formally indicted in March 2018. His trial started on February 15, 2020. Shortly after, on February 25, 2020, he was convicted of multiple counts of capital murder. Two days later, he was sentenced to death. He is currently held at the Mississippi State Penitentiary. On March 8, 2024, the Mississippi Supreme Court confirmed his death sentences and eight murder convictions.