"State calls the medical examiner. "Clearly this is evidence of uncharged crimes that is only intended to inflame the jury and to suggest to the jury Mr. Boyd was involved in this carjacking," he argued. You took my opportunity to say yes to a young man one day. But Channon's hell was just beginning. Newsom is believed to have been raped inside Davidson's house. [24][115][116], In 2014 the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals denied Coleman's request for a new trial and upheld her sentence. Reportedly, four of them - Davidson; his brother, Cobbins; Cobbinss friend Thomas; and Thomass girlfriend, Coleman - abusedChristian before she died. True Crime Diva covers missing persons and unsolved cases around the globe. [I]t's a crazy world these days! Coleman is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence set to end in 2036, officials said. [134][135][136][137] At the December 2014 hearing, Coleman was denied parole and her next parole consideration date was set for December 2020. Channon Gail Christian, 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom, Jr., 23, were from Knoxville, Tennessee. Chris was tied up and removed to the train tracks. Their vehicle had been carjacked. [26][27][28][29] Efforts have been made to remember and honor Christian and Newsom. True Crime Diva 2010-2022. [45][53][62] [20] He was immediately sentenced to life in prison by the judge, who stated that a life sentence was automatic for the murder conviction. "[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]. [133] Serving a 35-year sentence, Coleman was eligible for parole in 2017 and her sentence expires on April 18, 2036. His body would later be wrapped up in a comforter, doused in gasoline and set afire.. She was a member of West Park Baptist Church. and our Inside the vehicle was a pack of Newport cigarettes, even though neither Christian nor Newsom smoked them. In her initial trial, Coleman was acquitted of all charges in the murder of Christian's boyfriend, Christopher Newsom. "They weren't able to carjack them, so they ordered them to drive," Boyd said in the statement. Baumgartner ruled that Thomas' phone calls from the jailhouse to his acquaintances were admissible as evidence. It's a right-and-wrong issue. He faces death if convicted. October 22, 2009 - 9:26am Court is back in session. Then, they covered his head with a sweatshirt that they fastened around his neck with shoestrings. Davidson also used Newsom's cellphone and was seen wearing Newsom's shoes. Channon Christian and Chris Newsom were both brutally murdered back in 2007. These convictions were on lesser charges than her initial convictions. Curious if theres any crime scene photos. [94] He was sentenced to a maximum of 18 years in federal prison. 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. More details as they develop online and in Tuesday's News Sentinel. [105][106][107][108] It was held that his ability to conduct trials had been impaired during his prior two years on the bench, and he was disbarred in September. Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom were raped, tortured and killed on January 6, 2007 (Image: CBS) Inside Newsom was repeatedly sodomized with an object and then blindfolded, gagged, arms and feet bound and his head covered. In February 2008, the trial dates for the subjects indicted in Knox County were moved to 2009. The medical examiner's graphic, chilling testimony detailed what Christian, 21, and Newsom, 23, suffered after their January 2007 kidnapping. [3][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46], Both Christian and Newsom were raped. [11][12] Cobbins and Thomas were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. She was worried it was me. {{bottomLinkPreText}} {{bottomLinkText}} This page is based on a Wikipedia article written by contributors (read/edit). He saw four black men in the car. Her ankles were bound with strips of bedding. [114] Retrials were denied for Cobbins and Davidson, and granted for Thomas and Coleman. "We know from our investigation that the people charged in this case were friends with white people, socialized with white people, dated white people. She agreed. [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. He had been beaten, raped, and shot. At one point, he said he went into the living room where he could see Davidson's girlfriend in the kitchen. [82][103], On May 13, 2010, Coleman was acquitted of first-degree murder and found guilty of lesser charges. The couple's friends and families tried to find them, checking local hospitals and filing missing person reports. [43][44][51][67][68][69][70], When police went to 2316 Chipman Street on Tuesday, January 9, they found the house unoccupied and Christian's body in a trash can in the kitchen. The sentencing judge, Richard Baumgartner, one of Knox County's three Criminal Court judges, was forced to resign from the bench in March 2011, having admitted to drug addiction and purchasing prescription pain medication from convicts. 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. Rallied in violation of channon autopsy report or the comments. [149], After the protest, columnist Leonard Pitts dismissed claims that the crime was under-reported. The foundation holds an annual memorial baseball tournament at the Halls Community Park. [19][143] Boyd is incarcerated at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex. "I asked him (Davidson) if he had anything on him as far as a weapon," she said. Several of the victims' belongings had Davidson's prints. ul.searchbrowse li {margin:0 0 5%; font-size:0.75em; /* 12/16 */ } "[147], Some commentators disagreed, claiming that such a crime represented motives of racial hatred. He described the Jan. 7, 2007, encounter between the carjacking suspects and slain couple as entirely random. A. Photographs of the crimes caused some people in court to pass out. Christian, a 21-year-old University of Tennessee student, and her boyfriend, Newsom, 23, were heading out to a friend's birthday party on the night of Jan. 06, 2007 when they were ambushed and. A jury imposed two sentences of death on the defendant after convicting him of multiple counts of first degree murder, especially aggravated robbery, especially aggravated . [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. "His eyes were really big, like he knew what she was telling me.". A beautiful, young couple carjacked and after hours (longer for Channon) of torture, repeated rapes of both, then brutally murdered. So not only is there no evidence of any racial animus, there's evidence to the contrary. 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. On the same day she left Davidson, she went out with a man she only identified as "Black" to "eat and hang out." Just watched and read about the case. He is greatly missed by his family and many friends. That's all he'd say.". It snowed a lil bit but it's already melted. Boyd's cousin, Kevin Armstrong, who is the brother of another cousin whose testimony implicated Boyd in the slayings, reluctantly testified that Boyd called him to come to Lightfoot's apartment on the night of Jan. 9. Police also seized a purse that contained several of Christian's belongings, including her cosmetic bag and change purse. The medical examiner had just begun to describe were the most significant injuries located in the vaginal region when Varlan delayed her testimony. He denied a change of venue but allowed for jurors to be brought in from outside Knox County. [130] In 2021, Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Timothy L. Easter also denied Boyd a new trial. 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. autopsy later revealed that Christopher Newsom had been shot three times, once on the right side of the head, once on the right side of the neck, and once in the back. [74] He later told police that Cobbins and Thomas arrived at his house at around 10:00 pm on Friday or Saturday and informed him that they had carjacked some people who were in the vehicle. May 19, 2016 - Explore Maria Narvaez's board "Channon Christian & Christopher Newsome Murders" on Pinterest. Newsom arrived, and he and Christian went to the apartment complex parking lot. Update 8/13/19:Eric Boyd was found guiltyof Channon and Christophers 2007 murder. Specifically, he sentenced her to 25 years for the facilitation of Christian's murder, six years for the facilitation of kidnapping, and four years for the facilitation of rape. I didn't want to believe it.". The company's intent was to replace the house with a memorial dedicated to Newsom and Christian. Facts Leading to the Indictment Against Boyd On Saturday, January 6, 2007, Christophe r Newsom and his girlfriend, Channon Christian, drove to dinner and planned to attend a party. They are what they are. He said he was scared. Cobbins is currently serving a life sentence without parole at the Northwest Correctional Complex. [50][72] Also inside the house were several items that belonged to Christian and Newsom, including Christian's purse, clothing she had in her vehicle, Christian's shoes, camera, photographs (which were ripped and burned), and iPod and Newsom's baseball caps and driver's license. On appeal, Boyd alleges 1. The medical examiner testified at trial that there was evidence that Christian slowly suffocated to death. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Cobbins denied having any sexual intercourse with the female victim. It was days before police found Christians body. The men tied Christian up with bed sheets andforced her into large trash bags, ultimately suffocating her. #boydtrial" The front seats were pushed back, and Christian could not have reached the pedals. ul.searchbrowse {font-family:'Myriad W01 Regular', sans-serif; color: #676767; margin:0; text-transform: capitalize;} They were last seen at the Washington Ridge Apartments. Boyd's account of his visit to the house on Sunday also proved replete with contradictions. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. 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. Quote: The young Knoxville couple was carjacked, raped and killed in January 2007. A memorial scholarship is given annually in his name to a graduating Halls High School baseball player. #searchlist {width:100%; border-bottom: 2px #e5e5e5 solid; margin: 3% 0 5% 0;} A single mother, Sutton, 22, testified Friday that she left Davidson the day before Christian and Newsom were kidnapped because he had abused her. He pleaded guilty to official misconduct. This sentence is to be served consecutively to the death penalty, while the death sentences are also consecutive. ", Victim's father: "One down, four to go" (extensive details of the crimes), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murders_of_Channon_Christian_and_Christopher_Newsom&oldid=1142067307, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 09:34. "[17], The defendants in the four state cases from the 2000s all appealed their convictions. Upon discovering the corpses of Christopher Newsom, 23, and his girlfriend, Channon Christian, 21, on January 7 and 8, 2007, respectively, Knoxville, Tennessee authorities stonewalled the media as to the cause of death and the bodies' condition. She also testified that Newsom had bruising and swelling around the anus. He later tried to distance himself from the house, however, saying Davidson actually met him on the front porch. "We've been through the worst. He then used Christian's vehicle to deal drugs and wiped it clean. Reportedly, the men blindfolded and gagged Newsom. They had only been dating for a few months, but they were . Davidson and Boyd "basically carjacked them" and ordered Cobbins to drive back to Chipman Street. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}355928N 835427W / 35.99113N 83.907514W / 35.99113; -83.907514, Channon Gail Christian, aged 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom Jr., aged 23, were from Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Davidson claimed he saw the victims tied up in the back seat, did not want any part of it, and left to smoke marijuana. Her neck muscles had been bruised and the manner of death was deemed a homicide. "It may have started out as a carjacking, but what it developed into was blacks hating whites. "One down. [147], The house at 2316 Chipman Street was bought by Waste Connections, a national garbage collection company with a depot on the next lot. Davidson then drove the stolen SUV - with the couple in the back - to Davidsons nearby house. 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. Rather than two, channon christian and christopher autopsy photos would have been posted and strength. 14. He insists, however, that she escaped prosecution because she, unlike Boyd, Davidson and three others implicated in the slayings, is white and the niece of Knoxville Police Department Officer Dennis R. Bible. "It appeared to be contact, which means the muzzle of the gun had touched the head," she said. The couple had only been dating a few months when they decided to go out on a date the night of January 6, 2007. Authorities discovered Newsomfirst - on Sunday, January 7, 2007, hours after his death. Additionally, police found Christian's overnight bag. He also called the crime "the most horrible" murder case he had seen. Tipton and McKnight pressed him for an alibi. "I told them when I left they were welcome to have whatever food I had," she said. Another witness who lived around one block from 2316 Chipman Street heard three pops from the direction of the train tracks at about 1:45 am. "[12] The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed Davidson's conviction and death sentences in 2016. An entry from January 9 read: Last night was one of a kind. Tortured And Suffocated To Death. On the night of January 6, 2007, two assailants carjacked Channon Christian, 21, and her boyfriend, Christopher Newsom, 23. [36] Christian was 21 years old when she was murdered. He said Davidson later explained, "They had her tied up in the back room.". There, police found Newsom's size 9 Nike Shox athletic shoes and a .22-caliber High Standard revolver. In testimony this afternoon, Danielle Lightfoot said that Boyd and Davidson showed up on her Ridgebrook Apartments doorstep late on Jan. 9, a Tuesday. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. KNOXVILLE - The gates of Tennessee's only death row prison opened wide for Lemaricus Davidson tonight, hours after a Knox County jury sentenced him to die for his role as the ringleader in the January 2007 carjacking, torture and killings of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. On January 6, 2007, Newsom and Christian were abducted at gunpoint in an apartment complex parking lot and taken to what Witt calls a "house of horrors" where they were beaten, tortured, sexually. [5] Thomas is incarcerated at the Northeast Correctional Complex. [95][96], On August 25, 2009, Letalvis Cobbins was found guilty of the murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. However, after a new trial in November 2013, Coleman wasgiven a lesser sentence of 35 years in prison. "The guy was wantin a ride," Armstrong said. A small white plastic bag was pulled over head. Boyd later returned without the male victim. "(Boyd) was not his normal self," she testified. [43][47][53][55] Davidson's sperm was found in Christian's vagina and anus while Cobbins' sperm was found in her mouth. "[28][146] The BEST of the worst true crime and macabre stories guaranteed to haunt your nightmares. There was a blood stain on her shirt and a camisole underneath the shirt. The horrifying rape, torture murder of eight-year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin, The 1977 disappearance of Rachel Hanna Ziselman, The mystifying disappearance of 14-year-old Stacy Ann Arras. That afternoon, Christian went to a friend's apartment to get ready. "They had sex with her, but he choked and killed her. [26][28], Police Chief Sterling Owen IV said there was no indication that the crimes were racially motivated. [1] Boyd and. 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. "As soon as I reached the bathroom door, (Davidson) grabbed me and said, 'What are you doing?'" The murderers and even the defense argued that Channon and Christopher desired this to happen. Davidson was then interrogated about the murders. 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. Channon Gail Christian, 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom, Jr., 23, were a couple from Knoxville, Tennessee. Stone countered that he and Jennings must prove Boyd knew about Davidson's crimes in order to prove he was an accessory to carjacking. Update: She wasdenied again in December 2020. She was, an autopsy indicated, alive while the torture and degradations occurred. [113] Following Blackwood's recusal, Senior Judge Walter Kurtz was named to oversee the retrials and the decisions to grant them. After high school, he attended Pellissippi State Technical Community College and became a carpenter. "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. Another slaying suspect, George "G" Thomas, "was rolling a blunt," which is slang for a cigar-style marijuana cigarette, she said. [45][53][63] Christian died between the afternoon of January 7 and the afternoon of January 8. Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. The next day, a train conductor reported a body near the railroad tracks and 9th Avenue in East Knoxville. Further, Mr. Newsom had been sodomized and was not wearing pants. [50][54] A comforter was wrapped around Newsom's body, and a sweatshirt was wrapped around his head. They were met by more than 300 law enforcement officers. The Aurora Borealis over Snowdonia in North Wales on Sunday, March 26 (Image: Chris Parry/Twitter) The Northern Lights have returned to skies in the UK tonight (Monday, Fenbruary 27), for second . [56] After murdering Newsom, the assailants returned to Davidson's house where they beat and repeatedly raped Christian. "There is absolutely no proof of a hate crime," said John Gill, special counsel to Knox County District Attorney Randy Nichols. The Horrific Torture & Murders of Channon Christian & Christopher Newsom | by Criminal Matters | Jan, 2023 | Medium 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. [21], Blackwood set retrials for between June and November 2012, pending appeals, and set bail at $1 million for Coleman, the only defendant whose sentence had the possibility of parole. 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. Sutton said she headed toward the bathroom. With Bill Graves, Kendra Maples, Scott Brooks, Channon Christian. "This was the worst crime Knoxville had experienced," Hugh Newsom told producers. [5] Eric Boyd, who had been serving his sentence of 18 years at Federal Correctional Institution, Beckley, a medium-security prison near Beaver, West Virginia, was potentially eligible for release in 2022, but found guilty on charges of rape and first-degree murder on August 13, 2019. In 2007, a grand jury indicted Letalvis Darnell Cobbins, Lemaricus Devall Davidson, George Geovonni Thomas, and Vanessa Lynn Coleman on counts of kidnapping, robbery, rape, and murder. Knoxville: Directed by Jeffrey Woods. His sentence ends in May 2053. The thugs tied her up inside the Chipman Street house of Lemaricus Davidson. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ordered by a judge for a defendant charged with being. These bills are better known as the Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. He is incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution, Yazoo City, a low-security federal prison in Yazoo County, Mississippi. He denied seeing her or knowing she was there. [20], All of the state convictions were initially set aside because of misconduct by the presiding judge, who has since been disbarred. [9], Four of the five defendants (Eric Boyd, Letalvis Cobbins, Lemaricus Davidson, and George Thomas) had multiple prior felony convictions. 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. U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan shot down Lomonaco's request. "I asked him if he had a gun on him and he said yeah. He said yes. Channon suffered a similar fate. Sutton said Davidson first blamed the killings on Cobbins, and also claimed that Cobbins had forced Christian to shoot Newsom.
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