Their vehicle had been carjacked. [40] The medical examiner testified that Christian died after hours of sexual torture, sustaining severe head injuries and suffering severe injuries to her vagina, anus, and mouth due to sexual assaults. I had one HELL OF AN ADVENTURE since I've been in the big T.N. Turns out, the clothing and the ring belonged to Christian, who authorities believe was being held captive at that moment by Coleman in the bathroom. ul.searchbrowse li {margin:0 0 5%; font-size:0.75em; /* 12/16 */ } Over eight months, each was tried independently on 46 charges including the kidnap, rape, and murder of Channon and Chris. On January 6, 2007, couple Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom were out in East Knoxville. [104] On July 30, 2010, she was sentenced to 53 years in prison. They then sought help from Christian's mobile phone provider and learned that her phone had last pinged at a Cherry Street phone tower. At around 8:00 pm, Christian's friend went to the party, and Christian stayed behind and waited for Newsom to pick her up. Unlike the other trials, owing to a long passage of time between the murders and this trial, the jury was empaneled in Knoxville and not sequestered. [78], A forensic document examiner verified that the handwriting in the entry matched Coleman's handwriting. "Lemaricus Davidson decided to run a story off me about something his brother did that he was in a jam. I stayed away.". He was found guilty of facilitating the murder of Newsom, but he was acquitted of Newsom's rape. However, a noon broadcast the following day commanded her full attention. They were kidnapped the evening of January 6, 2007 when Christian's vehi Show more Show more. Chris and Channon were kidnapped and driven to 2316 Chipman Street where they were forced into the home at gunpoint. #searchbrowse-right {width:45%; float:left; margin: 0 2%; background: transparent;} Many people believed that the crimes were ignored because the victims were white while the perpetrators were black. Forensic evidence indicated both Davidson and Thomas fired shots, and Davidson was ultimately responsible forNewsom's demise. He's testifying about items recovered from the medical examiner's officer after Channon Christian's autopsy, including the rape kit, the camisol she was wearing, and floral fabric found in the garbage bags with her in the trash can where her body was found. [3][49][55] Prosecutors believe that Coleman held Christian captive while the male offenders were murdering Newsom. Her head was forced down onto her knees. We and the Newsoms have lost our . On March 20, 2018, eleven years after the murders, a Knox County grand jury returned a thirty-six-count indictment charging Eric DeWayne Boyd with first-degree felony murder, first-degree premeditated murder, especially aggravated robbery, especially aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated rape in the murders. A single mother, Sutton, 22, testified Friday that she left Davidson the day before Christian and Newsom were kidnapped because he had abused her. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Baumgartner ruled that Thomas' phone calls from the jailhouse to his acquaintances were admissible as evidence. This sentence is to be served consecutively to the death penalty, while the death sentences are also consecutive. However, before Lomonaco objected, Mileusnic-Polchan testified that Christian was found in "a forced fetal position" inside a trash can. Christian suffered extensive hemorrhaging to her head and groin. But when the investigators would seek specific information, including phone numbers or addresses for people he listed as alibi witnesses, he backed off his assertion that he could provide a specific alibi. [91] Judge Baumgartner threatened to ban the Newsom family from the courtroom after they called Davidson's attorney, Doug Trant, a "jerk". Four to go," said Gary Christian, father of Channon Christian, referring to the four suspects who face trials in state court for the killings of Channon, then 21, and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Christopher Newsom. He denied being involved in the carjacking or being at the Chipman Street house following it. 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. [61][75] Cobbins gave a statement to investigators claiming that he, Davidson, and Boyd drove to an apartment complex for someone to meet a girl. More than two years later, the first of four people who could face a death sentence in the carjacking, rape and murder of her 23-year-old son and his 21-year-old girlfriend, Channon Christian . [19][143] Boyd is incarcerated at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex. The Tennessee couple was found raped and murdered in Knoxville, Tennessee. The perpetrators attacked the couple in a parking lot near an apartment complex in Knoxville, TN. It's not a black-and-white issue. After receiving phone calls between Davidson and Boyd, they asked Boyd for information regarding Davidson's whereabouts. Chris eventually shot to death before being set on fire, and Channon left to die with a plastic bag over her head in a trash can. [111][112], In May 2012, the Tennessee Supreme Court overturned Blackwood's ruling ordering new trials for Cobbins, Davidson, and Thomas, saying that a trial judge's misconduct outside the courtroom does not necessarily require a new trial unless the misconduct is shown to have affected the trial proceedings, but that its decision "should not be construed as condoning or excusing" Baumgartner's misconduct. [24][25], Controversy arose due to differing interpretations regarding the media's coverage of the murders. "I may go to Labor Ready occasionally so I can get a little more buzz money.". The fatal shot was fired with the gun's muzzle against his head above his right ear, and it severed his brain stem. "[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]. According to the FBI, African-Americans accounted for 55.9% of all homicide offenders in 2019, with whites 41.1%, and "Other" 3.0% in cases where the race was known. [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. They forced Christian and Newsom into the vehicle at gunpoint and bound them. October 22, 2009 - 9:18am Channon was sitting in the driver's seat and Chris was standing in the open door of the vehicle, kissing her, when they suddenly found themselves staring at the barrel of a gun. He faces death if convicted. [22] Due to double jeopardy, the defendants faced at maximum the sentences they had already received, and thus only Davidson was eligible for capital punishment. [133][138][139] Coleman again went before a parole board on December 8, 2020. ", "Medical examiner testimony wraps up state case, expected to rest on Monday", "Killer in torture-slaying case denied parole", "Boyd trial, Day 1: A burned body by the tracks, a final glimpse of the victims before the murders", "Focus on torture-slaying victims' items in Coleman trial", "Vanessa Coleman retrial: She admits in interview she checked Channon Christian's pulse", "Tennessee: Jury hears testimony on fate of convicted killer", "Death sentence for torture-murder ringleader", "Torture-killing ringleader Lemaricus Davidson facing trial in Pizza Hut robbery", "Vanessa Coleman denied reprieve in torture-slaying case", "Christian-Newsom Murders: Trial for one carjacker moved to 2009, others could follow", "Judge: Recordings can be used in fatal carjackings case", "Another death penalty notice in Christian-Newsom slayings", "Prosecutors say evidence links Davidson to couple's torture deaths", "GUILTY: Eric Boyd's Christian-Newsom murder accessory trial over", Accessory case deliberations to start Wed. in double murder, "Eric Boyd gets two stacked life sentences for his role in the Christian-Newsom murders", "Death Sentence in Christian-Newsom Torture-Murder Trial", "Convicted Christian-Newsom killer Lemaricus Davidson has petition denied", "Supreme Court: Death penalty for Davidson stands in Christian-Newsom killings", "Thomas found guilty of Christian-Newsom murders", "George Thomas guilty; Family: Thomas deserves death", "Knoxville torture-murder case: Coleman acquitted of first degree murder, guilty on lesser charges", "Autopsy: Ex-judge Baumgartner died from natural causes", "Ex-judge Richard Baumgartner's drug-addicted downfall makes national spotlight", "The redacted TBI file on former judge Richard Baumgartner", "A chronology of events in the Richard Baumgartner scandal", "How Richard Baumgartner a drug addicted judge stayed on the bench despite warnings", "Drug Addicted judge had sex during court breaks", "Four defendants in Christian-Newsom case granted new trials", "State's appeal bid in Christian/Newsom case shot down", "Judge in Christian-Newsom case throws out decision to grant new trials, delays recusal decision", "Judge nixes delay in Christian/Newsom torture-slaying hearing", "Appellate court upholds Vanessa Coleman's convictions, sentence", "Guilty again: George Thomas sentenced in torture, murder retrial", "George Thomas loses appeal in Christian-Newsom murders", "Man convicted in Christian/Newsom murders wants US Supreme Court to review case", "George Thomas gets new plea deal approved, Newsom family thanks him during impact statement", "Trial set to begin for long suspected defendant in Christian Newsom torture slayings", "Judge: Eric Boyd to face Knox County jury in slayings of Channon Christian, Christopher Newsom", "Boyd trial, Day 6 Eric Boyd guilty of first-degree felony murder, kidnapping & rape", "Jury finds Eric Boyd guilty of grisly 2007 Knoxville murders", "Tennessee Supreme Court denies appeal in 2007 Knox County torture slayings", "Eric Boyd sentenced for his role in Christian-Newsom murders", "Judge denies Eric Boyd's bid for new trial in torture-slayings case", "STATE OF TENNESSEE v. ERIC BOYD - Articles", "Man convicted in Christian-Newsom murders denied new trial", "Coleman's parole denied in torture-slaying case", Vanessa Coleman's parole hearing rescheduled, "Vanessa Coleman's parole hearing eligibility pushed to December", "Vanessa Coleman to request parole next week", "Coleman's Parole Denied in Torture-Slaying Case", "Five involved in slayings of young Knoxville couple", "Woman convicted in Christian-Newsom murders denied parole", "Knox prosecutor doesn't shut the door on future charges in torture slayings", "City leaders say race not an element in Christian, Newsom murders", "Police arrest organizer at 'rally against genocide', "House linked to carjacking/slayings razed; memorial planned", "George Korda: Chipman Street: sometimes there just aren't enough rocks", "Chris Newsom, Channon Christian remembered 13 years after their murders", "Baseball tournament honors Chris Newsom, killed in 2007", "Gary Christian: From rage to restoration, a murder victim's father finds the faith he left", Extensive news coverage of the deaths in January 2007 of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom in Knoxville, TN, Newsom, Christian Family Reaction w/Video, "5th Suspect Arrested in Double Murder, Announcement Expected Soon", "Commentary: Where is the outrage when humans are abused? One of the charges against the 41-year-old Moore is torture. The medical examiner's graphic, chilling testimony detailed what Christian, 21, and Newsom, 23, suffered after their January 2007 kidnapping. [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. There, they reportedly shot himmultiple times. Four black males and one black female were arrested and charged in the case. That changed how I acted.". "Starting a petition to indict Eric Boyd for his part in those horrible murders of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom, I thought it was the right thing to do," said Cowans. CHRISTIAN, CHANNON GAIL - age 21 of Knoxville, passed away Sunday, January 7, 2007. Davidson asked if he and Boyd could stay the night at her apartment. [30][31][32][33] She was a graduate of Farragut High School (2003), and a senior majoring in sociology at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. It snowed a lil bit but it's already melted. All four men denied culpability in Newsoms death. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Authorities discovered Newsomfirst - on Sunday, January 7, 2007, hours after his death. There, police found Newsom's size 9 Nike Shox athletic shoes and a .22-caliber High Standard revolver. In the early morning hours of January 7, 2007, Channon Christian, 21, and her boyfriend, Christopher Newsom, 23, were carjacked by three black males who took the young couple to a house on Chipman Street in Knoxville, TN, where the group tortured and killed them. "We know from our investigation that the people charged in this case were friends with white people, socialized with white people, dated white people. He said yes. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. It was days before police found Christians body. A woman accused him of trading legal favors for sex during breaks in court sessions. True Crime Diva covers missing persons and unsolved cases around the globe. Medical examiners concluded they also assaulted him. He also admitted that Boyd later called him, asking Armstrong to give the pair a ride "down west.". ON January 6, 2007, 15 years ago this week, a young White couple, Christopher Newsom and his girlfriend Channon Christian, went to visit a friend in Knoxville, Tennessee. What happened to nine-year-old Serenity Dennard? Satterfield, Jamie. So not only is there no evidence of any racial animus, there's evidence to the contrary. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. [82][103], On May 13, 2010, Coleman was acquitted of first-degree murder and found guilty of lesser charges. [3][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46], Both Christian and Newsom were raped. "Sexual trauma was present," she testified. The following night, she had another date, this one ending in sex, she testified. Newsoms killers had stuffed a sock in his mouth and bound his ankles with his belt. With Bill Graves, Kendra Maples, Scott Brooks, Channon Christian. A Knox County jury has found a man guilty in the brutal murders of a couple 12 years ago in Knoxville. [I]t's a crazy world these days! The car slowed down for about 20 seconds as if the occupants were "checking him out". "We do this for Channon," said Channon's mother, Deena. [26][27][28][29] Efforts have been made to remember and honor Christian and Newsom. [10] After a jury trial, Davidson was convicted and sentenced to death by lethal injection. The eRumor tells of the horrific kidnapping, torture, and murder of Christopher Newsom and his girlfriend Channon Christian from Knoxville, Tennessee. This evidence supports the trial court's finding that (Coleman) is a dangerous offender."[117]. He was also sentenced to another 90 years for other crimes, including especially aggravated kidnapping, robbery and rape. [13][97] On August 26, Cobbins was sentenced to life without parole. Among homicide victims in 2019 where the race was known, 54.7% were black or African-American, 42.3% were white, and 3.1% were of other races. Christian was then hog-tied and covered with several bags before she was placed in a disposal bin, where she slowly suffocated to death, Mileusnic-Polchan testified. 10-Years Before Today: Charcoal Cyber criminals Wipe out, Do it yourself Channon Orlando in addition to Captain christopher Newsom. He is incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution, Yazoo City, a low-security federal prison in Yazoo County, Mississippi. Three days later, the body of his 21-year-old girlfriend, Channon Christian was found stuffed inside a trash can in a nearby. "The guy was wantin a ride," Armstrong said. The murderers and even the defense argued that Channon and Christopher desired this to happen. On May 17, 2013, the retrial of George Thomas (with a jury empaneled in Nashville) ended in a verdict of guilty on all 38 counts. Channon's abandoned vehicle was found nearby. Newsom and Christian were later found brutally carjacked, raped . [56] After murdering Newsom, the assailants returned to Davidson's house where they beat and repeatedly raped Christian. [72] Shell casings found at Davidson's house matched the bullets used to kill Newsom. He also said, "how people can engage in this type of conduct is just unexplainable" and "there really is no sentence great enough to punish you for the conduct you have been convicted of. "He just acted like he didn't know what was going on. Does that make sense to you?" "As soon as I reached the bathroom door, (Davidson) grabbed me and said, 'What are you doing?'" The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. I didn't want to believe it.". [23], In June 2012, Judge Blackwood again granted new trials for Davidson, Cobbins, and Thomas, basing his decision on the "13th juror rule". The witness later observed the 4Runner drive slowly by him. Click to reveal On January 6, 2007,Channon Christian, 21 years old, a graduate from Farragut High School in Knoxville, TN. Christopher Newsomwasa former baseball standout. Follow us for a shocking dose of real life. He saw four black men in the car. He also told Russo it's possible Hayhurst may have been unconscious, because the autopsy revealed blunt-force trauma to the head. Channon Gail Christian, 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom, Jr., 23, were from Knoxville, Tennessee. Browse 5,356 autopsy stock photos and images available, or search for autopsy table or autopsy reports to find more great stock photos and pictures. 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