[134][135][136][137] At the December 2014 hearing, Coleman was denied parole and her next parole consideration date was set for December 2020. Boyd said Davidson pinned the killings on Thomas. You took my opportunity to hold her child, my grandbaby. Then, they covered his head with a sweatshirt that they fastened around his neck with shoestrings. Christian and Newsom's families and friends searched the Cherry Street area and found Christian's abandoned Toyota 4Runner between 1:30 am and 2:00 am on Monday, January 8. However, a noon broadcast the following day commanded her full attention. August 2009, Rome was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Channon & facilitation of murder in connection to the death of Chris; he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Manage Settings Satterfield, Jamie. Sutton testified that she suspected Davidson when she learned that Newsom's body had been discovered beside railroad tracks within sight of the Chipman Street house. On Saturday, January 6, 2007, Christian and Newsom planned to go for dinner together and attend a friend's party. Police seized a computer on which Thomas and Cobbins had been viewing news coverage of the murders. [26][27][28][29] Efforts have been made to remember and honor Christian and Newsom. [7][108][109][110] On December 1, 2011, Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood granted new trials to all four state defendants after the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation showed Baumgartner was likely impaired while presiding over their trials. They tied his hands behind his back and wrapped his face in a bandana. [148] Newsom's mother also disagreed with the assertion that the offenders were not motivated by racism. [47] Newsom was 23 years old when he was murdered.[30][32][34]. Her head was forced down onto her knees. A. Sutton said she headed toward the bathroom. Neither Lightfoot nor Armstrong voluntarily reported any of their contacts with Boyd and Davidson to police. Despite that she allowed the two to stay in her apartment while she went to Atlanta. "[17], The defendants in the four state cases from the 2000s all appealed their convictions. I told him to go to the police. [30], Hugh Christopher "Chris" Newsom Jr. (born September 21, 1983, in Knoxville) was a former baseball player for the Halls High School Red Devils, graduating in 2002. Letalvis Cobbins followed them. [46][47][72] In addition to the sperm found on Christian's body, Davidson's sperm was found on Christian's jeans while Cobbins' sperm was found on her camisole, sweater, and jeans. "The United States did not create the facts in this case. She agreed. We Asked, You Answered: What Would You Pick For Your Last Meal On Death Row? Update 2/10/15: One of my readers commented below that Coleman had a new trial and was re-sentenced. ul.searchbrowse {font-family:'Myriad W01 Regular', sans-serif; color: #676767; margin:0; text-transform: capitalize;} "It was kind of like I lied to myself about it. All four men denied culpability in Newsoms death. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Channon was tied up and removed to a trash can. Newsom survived this shooting initially, but later was shot again in the head. [7][33][34] A foundation has also been established in Newsom's name. [78], The four suspects indicted in Knox County were scheduled to be tried separately at trials between May and August 2008. We and the Newsoms have lost our . #searchlist h2 a:hover {color:#222; border-bottom: 1px dotted #222;} But Channon's hell was just beginning. "I had a car," he said. Starting on January 6, 2007, from a Saturday night until Monday (when Chris's body was found burned atop railroad tracks) and Tuesday (when police found Channon's body in a garbage can in the home), it was a chamber of so much violence even experienced prosecutors fainted when viewing the crime scene photos. The perpetrators were all black. Thanks to lobbying from the families of the victims, two new laws were introduced in 2014 as a result of the case: Murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom, Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 09:34, Pellissippi State Technical Community College, Federal Correctional Institution, Yazoo City, Federal Correctional Institution in Yazoo City, Mississippi, Federal Correctional Institution, Beckley, "Grand jury presentment in Christian/Newsom case", "5 things to know about the Christian-Newsom torture slayings", "Murders of Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian", "Transcript: Davidson says he told Christian he would 'make sure she got out', "10 years later: Remembering Christian-Newsom", "Fifth person charged in gruesome 2007 murders of young Knoxville couple", "Fourth suspect arrested in corpse-burning case", "4 death sentences for LeMaricus Davidson in Christian-Newsom murders", "Lemaricus Davidson gets 80 more years in torture-slaying case", "Cobbins convicted of first-degree murder", "Torture-slayings trial, Day 9: Victims' families: Jury 'let us down' with Letalvis Cobbins verdict", "The verdicts in the George Thomas trial", "George Thomas gets life without parole for Christian-Newsom murders", "Coleman gets 53 years; judge rejects innocent defense", "Newsoms thank George Thomas for testifying against Eric Boyd as judge approves reduced sentence", "LIST: Here's what Eric Boyd was found guilty of in deaths of Channon Christian & Chris Newsom", "Special judge grants new trials for torture-slaying defendants, cites Baumgartner's conduct", New trial dates set for Channon Christian/Chris Newsom defendants in Knoxville, "Tennessee Supreme Court overturns new trial rulings in Christian-Newsom murders", "Judge sentences Vanessa Coleman to 35 years", "Judge's order ensures George Thomas will die in prison for 2007 torture-slayings", "Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian Brutally Murdered As the Nation Looks on", "Critics say news media ignoring Knoxville couple slaying", "Media criticized in slayings with racial overtone", "Time no cure for pain in torture slayings of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom", "From rage to restoration, murder victim's father finds faith", "Christian, Newsom memorialized with scholarships", "The Last Suspect: 'I've Always Had a Mother's Instinct That He Was The One Who Murdered My Son', "Judge warns victim's family about comments to defense attorneys", "Timeline of the Channon Christian-Christopher Newsom murders", "TENN. MAN FACING FOUND GUILTY OF 36 CHARGES IN HORRIFIC 2007 KIDNAPPING, RAPE AND MURDER OF YOUNG COUPLE", "In torture slaying trial, each side interprets evidence differently", "Consent argued in torture-slaying trial", "Graphic details emerge in Christian-Newsom killings", "Christian-Newsom Torture Murder Case: Attending Vanessa Coleman's Retrial", "Horror of Christian/Newsom killings in focus: What happened on Chipman Street", "Guilty again: New trial, similar outcome for Coleman in slaying", "Young Couple, Gruesome Murder, Was it A Hate Crime? Christian, who was naked except for her camisole and sweater, was tied in a fetal position, placed inside a residential waste disposal unit, and covered with sheets. Although Christian sustained multiple blows to the head and other trauma, she ultimately suffocated after being placed in the plastic bags. She was a graduate of Farragut High School and a senior at the. Both of them were raped, tortured, and murdered. The pair were abducted from the Washington Ridge apartment complex in Knoxville, Tennessee. He also admitted that Boyd later called him, asking Armstrong to give the pair a ride "down west.". The action you just performed triggered the security solution. What happened to nine-year-old Serenity Dennard? [23], In June 2012, Judge Blackwood again granted new trials for Davidson, Cobbins, and Thomas, basing his decision on the "13th juror rule". He was later driven to nearby railroad tracks where he was shot and set afire. [20], All of the state convictions were initially set aside because of misconduct by the presiding judge, who has since been disbarred. [116][140], Cobbins and Thomas were originally incarcerated at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. [77], Coleman's lawyers argued that she should receive a 20-year sentence, while prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence of nearly 50 years. Tipton and McKnight pressed him for an alibi. Five suspects in total - Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins, George Thomas, Eric Boyd, and Vanessa Coleman - then assaultedand killed Christian and Newsom. He was also convicted on charges of carjacking, robbery, and kidnapping. [23] The Coleman and Thomas retrials resulted in convictions, but with a reduced sentence for Coleman and the same sentence for Thomas. #searchbrowse-left {width:45%; float:left; margin: 0 2%; background: transparent;} However, after a new trial in November 2013, Coleman wasgiven a lesser sentence of 35 years in prison. In August 2014, the families of the victims were notified that with good behavior, Coleman's sentence was being reduced by 16 days per month of incarceration, making her eligible for parole consideration in October 2014. On January 6, 2007, couple Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom were out in East Knoxville. Police also recovered an envelope from the vehicle that yielded fingerprint evidence leading them to LeMaricus Davidson of 2316 Chipman Street, an address two blocks from Christian's car. Judge Thomas T. Woodall wrote in his opinion: "The facts at trial showed that (Coleman) was in the (Chipman Street) house for nearly two days where (Christian) was confined and brutally raped before she was tied up, wrapped in five plastic trash bags and stuffed into a garbage can, where she died from asphyxiationIn journal entries (written after the slayings, Coleman) described 'one hell of an adventure in the big T.N.' Cobbins denied having any sexual intercourse with the female victim. Channon Gail Christian, aged 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom Jr., aged 23, were from Knoxville, Tennessee, United States.They were kidnapped on the evening of January 6, 2007, when Christian's vehicle was carjacked.The couple were taken to a rental house. "[29] Pitts wrote: "I am [] unkindly disposed toward the crackpots, incendiaries and flat-out racists who have chosen this tragedy upon which to take an obscene and ludicrous stand."[29][150]. The assailants brought him from the vehicle and into the house while he was bound. Police also seized a purse that contained several of Christian's belongings, including her cosmetic bag and change purse. She was, an autopsy indicated, alive while the torture and degradations occurred. ul.searchbrowse li a {color:#676767; text-decoration:none; } [45][53][63] Christian died between the afternoon of January 7 and the afternoon of January 8. He is greatly missed by his family and many friends. "State calls the medical examiner. It was days before police found Christians body. So horrific and evil. He wore only a shirt and underwear. After a radio caller made him aware of the extremely disturbing story of Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian in Knoxville, Tenn., Glenn Beck researched the case and was horrified at what he found. [26][28], Police Chief Sterling Owen IV said there was no indication that the crimes were racially motivated. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. [85] Judge Richard Baumgartner allowed Thomas and Cobbins to be tried by juries from Davidson County (which includes Nashville). [153], The Channon Gail Christian Foundation and the Channon Gail Christian Memorial Golf Tournament were established in Channon Christian's memory to provide a scholarship for a Farragut High School Senior to attend the University of Tennessee. The Knoxville murders didn't get national attention, but did make people question why - and how - this happened, and whether or not Christian and Newsom were victims of a hate crime. "I did not know for sure he killed somebody," Sutton testified. Attorneys David Jennings and Stone allege Boyd knew about the fatal carjacking when he allegedly took steps to help Davidson avoid arrest. [121][122][123][124] On August 13, 2019, a jury found Boyd guilty on nearly all charges, including premeditated first-degree murder and rape against both victims. "I asked him (Davidson) if he had anything on him as far as a weapon," she said. The company's intent was to replace the house with a memorial dedicated to Newsom and Christian. Investigators recovered fingerprints inside the vehicle that didn't belong to either Christian or Newsom. "He just acted like he didn't know what was going on. Boyd's defense attorney, Phil Lomonaco, demanded a mistrial, arguing that the prosecutors had unfairly prejudiced jurors by trying to implicate Boyd in the fatal carjacking even though he is not charged with it. Later, at around 11:00 pm, two of Newsom's friends went to the apartment where the couple had been kidnapped and found Newsom's truck in the parking lot. He denied being involved in the carjacking or being at the Chipman Street house following it. He denied seeing her or knowing she was there. [47][48][49][50][59][60] According to Davidson's confession, during Christian's captivity, she said she "didn't want to die. I didn't want to believe it.". "One down. The medical examiner testified at trial that there was evidence that Christian slowly suffocated to death. The decision to hold retrials for them was affirmed in a two to one decision by the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals on April 13. [61], On January 11, Thomas, Cobbins, and Coleman were arrested in Lebanon, Kentucky. Eric Boyd initially spotted the couple and later alleged he and Lemaricus Davidson only intended to rob them. KPD Officer Ed Kingsbury testified Boyd was nabbed two days later and eventually admitted to helping Davidson hide by breaking into a vacant house on Reynolds Street. The 32-year-old was convicted of facilitation of first-degree murder in the deaths of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom. 10-Years Before Today: Charcoal Cyber criminals Wipe out, Do it yourself Channon Orlando in addition to Captain christopher Newsom. In 2014, new laws named after the victims were introduced in Tennessee. #searchlist h2 a {color:#222; text-decoration:none; } [3][49][55] Prosecutors believe that Coleman held Christian captive while the male offenders were murdering Newsom. "Something was bothering him. He had been beaten, raped, and shot. Christians ordeal was far worse, if you can imagine. [87][88], District Attorney Randy Nichols announced that the state would seek the death penalty for both Cobbins (the first to go to trial) and Coleman if convicted. Davidson, he said, denied raping Christian but admitted choking her. That afternoon, Christian went to a friend's apartment to get ready. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform.