Carol Paul Cormier, 33, of Cardinal, accused of the July 10 double murder of Chad Wayne Ashford and Audrey Elaine Hudgins of Mathews, appeared in Mathews General District Court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing. At the end of the hearing, Judge Wade Bowie said there was enough evidence to find probable cause and certified two charges of murder to the grand jury.
Four additional charges—two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, one of possession of a firearm by a convicted non-violent offender, and one of arson of an occupied dwelling, were nolle prossed by Mathews Commonwealth’s Attorney Marie Walls. She explained in a subsequent interview that those charges can be brought back based on additional evidence and legal research, if the Commonwealth so chooses.
Cormier’s accused co-conspirator, Lacey Ann Horsley, 18, of Gloucester, appeared in court, as well, but she waived her preliminary hearing, and the charges against her—two charges of being an accessory after the fact in the murders and one of conspiring to burn or destroy an occupied dwelling, were all certified to the grand jury.
Cormier hearing
Cormier, a small man with a trim build, entered the courtroom with a smile on his face, looked out over the room, and said loudly, “Hello everybody. I love you.” Some people in the courtroom responded angrily, to which Cormier replied, “He’s trying to give me life. I’m not a violent man.”
Several people supporting the defendant in the courtroom were told to leave by the Mathews County Sheriff’s Office, and the judge warned that he would not tolerate any further outbursts.
During the hearing, MCSO Investigator Mike Rice provided the only in-person testimony. In response to questions by the prosecuting and defense attorneys, he said he first interviewed Cormier on the afternoon of July 11, at which time Cormier was not under arrest and voluntarily got into Rice’s police vehicle. After several minutes, Rice advised Cormier of his Miranda rights, and he testified that Cormier waived those rights.
Rice said he told Cormier that the two victims had died, and Cormier acknowledged knowing them, and he said that Cormier admitted he was a convicted felon and had no right to possess a firearm.
Cormier was not under arrest and was released, said Rice, and the investigation continued. On July 13, Rice obtained warrants and interviewed Cormier again, this time at the sheriff’s office, at which time the suspect initially said that Chad Ashford had killed Audrey Hudgins and that Cormier had then gotten the gun and killed Ashford. However, Rice said that later during the interview, Cormier admitted that he “lost it” and shot Ashford after an argument, then shot Hudgins when she came into the room using a phone.
Rice testified further that Cormier said that he and Horsley discussed setting fire to the house, and went back there later and set a fire in the bedroom in order to destroy evidence. Rice said that when he interviewed Horsley, she told him she agreed to go along with those actions because she felt threatened after Cormier told her he would kill her if she didn’t go along, and that he had a gun on his lap pointing toward her as she drove. As Rice gave this testimony, Cormier shook his head in disagreement. Walls also placed into evidence the autopsy reports and photos of the victims and crime scene.
Singleton raised a question about the burning of the home, but after an objection from Walls, the judge determined it was no longer relevant because the arson charge had been nolle prossed. Singleton also questioned why only certain drugs and alcohol were included in the toxicology report and whether the investigator or law enforcement had directed what would be tested. Walls objected again, noting that the toxicology report is a standard report done in conjunction with the autopsy and that there was no special request made by her or law enforcement.
Singleton then asked Rice whether Cormier had mentioned using narcotics while in the house, and Rice responded that the suspect made no such admission, and there was no evidence of such drugs in the home.
No further questions were asked, and the judge certified the case to the grand jury. As Cormier left the courtroom, he shouted, “It’s cause I’m black, right? Cause I’m black, that’s why!”
The case will be presented to an upcoming grand jury, at which time the charges are expected to be considered by the jurors, who will decide whether to return “true” indictments.