"I had decided they were gonna leave because I was scared the police would come to my house," she testified. 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. The three men - with the stolen SUV - returned to Davidsons home on Chipman Street, where George Thomas and his girlfriend, Vanessa Coleman, were also staying. It[']s going to be a long interesting year! Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Cobbins faced the possibility of the death penalty because he was convicted of first-degree felony murder in the case of Christian. His bare and muddy feet indicated that he had walked barefoot to the area where he was killed. He was re-sentenced to life in prison by the jury, but with the possibility of parole after 51 years. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. The witness later observed the 4Runner drive slowly by him. [23] The Coleman and Thomas retrials resulted in convictions, but with a reduced sentence for Coleman and the same sentence for Thomas. Friends and family of the murderers made websites claiming that Channon and Christopher actively wanted to be brutally raped and murdered. Christian's parents requested help from law enforcement but were told that they would have to search themselves. Christians ordeal was far worse, if you can imagine. 'I don't know what's going on. Both were forced into the backseat of Christian's SUV at gunpoint, had their hands tied behind their backs, and were taken to Davidson's house at 2316 Chipman Street. Later in the interview, Boyd said Davidson admitted dousing Newsom with gasoline and setting his body on fire, which contradicted his earlier account that Thomas had led Newsom out of the house and shot him. That's all he'd say.". 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. They were unable to locate Christian's SUV. I have not heard Mr. Lomonaco argue these facts are not relevant.". Update 2/10/15: One of my readers commented below that Coleman had a new trial and was re-sentenced. Continue with Recommended Cookies. On Monday, November 12, I drove 250 miles to Knoxville, Tennessee to attend the retrial of Vanessa Coleman for the facilitation of the rape and murder of Channon Christian. A Knox County jury has found a man guilty in the brutal murders of a couple 12 years ago in Knoxville. Thomas was granted the motion and was scheduled to go on trial on August 11, 2008. Sins and Secrets goes to Knoxville to examine the deaths of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom who disappeared shortly after they were carjacked. On June 4, 2013, Judge Kurtz sentenced Thomas to two life sentences (consecutive) for the murders and 25 years (multiple concurrent) for the rapes. #searchlist h2 {font-family:'Myriad W01 SmBd', sans-serif; color: #616161; font-size: 0.81255em; /* 13/16 */ line-height: 1.1em; text-transform: uppercase;} 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. Prosecutors believe a mangled dog leash found on a hillside leading up to the railroad tracks was used to force Newsom to walk to his death. [19][143] Boyd is incarcerated at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex. [56] After murdering Newsom, the assailants returned to Davidson's house where they beat and repeatedly raped Christian. Channon suffered a similar fate. "We have no evidence to support the notion that this was a race-based crime. [78], The four suspects indicted in Knox County were scheduled to be tried separately at trials between May and August 2008. While searching for Christian, authorities found her SUV abandoned near railroad tracks in East Knoxville - not far from where Newsom was discovered. "[147] Christian's father, addressing those whom he believes used his daughter's death to further their agenda, stated: "[the crime] ain't about you. She left, but not before he gave her a bag of clothing and a ring. It was days before police found Christians body. Tipton and McKnight pressed him for an alibi. Her thighs were bound to her chest with a pink curtain. They were kidnapped the evening of January 6, 2007 when Christian's vehi Show more Show more. At the time of her death, Shanann had been 15 weeks pregnant (via MEAWW). A beautiful, young couple carjacked and after hours (longer for Channon) of torture, repeated rapes of both, then brutally murdered. They never made it. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ordered by a judge for a defendant charged with being. She was a graduate of Farragut High School and a senior at the. [17] Eric Boyd was convicted at the federal level and sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for being an accessory after the fact to carjacking. 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. 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. "If this wasn't a hate crime, then I don't know how you would define a hate crime," said Newsom's mother. "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. 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. 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. About twice as many counter-protesters as protestors attended, including the "Coup Cluts Clowns", an activist group which mocks the Ku Klux Klan. The baffling disappearance of Jordan Alexander Holling. True Crime Diva covers missing persons and unsolved cases around the globe. The eRumor tells of the horrific kidnapping, torture, and murder of Christopher Newsom and his girlfriend Channon Christian from Knoxville, Tennessee. They are what they are. In her testimony this afternoon, Milieusnic-Polchan described the path of the bullet as having a downward trajectory, which would mean that either Newsom was forced to kneel or the gunman was significantly taller than Newsom, who was more than 6 feet tall himself. Shanann's autopsyconcluded that her cause of death was asphyxiation due to manual strangulation. 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. Davidson, he said, denied raping Christian but admitted choking her. 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 . 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. [53][58] According to the medical examiner, the sexual attack Christian endured was "extreme" and "much more than a simple sexual assault. Quote: The young Knoxville couple was carjacked, raped and killed in January 2007. He denied a change of venue but allowed for jurors to be brought in from outside Knox County. Several of the victims' belongings had Davidson's prints. He was a member of Beaver Dam Baptist Church and a graduate of Halls High School, Class of . 10-Years Before Today: Charcoal Cyber criminals Wipe out, Do it yourself Channon Orlando in addition to Captain christopher Newsom. He pleaded guilty to official misconduct. [10] After a jury trial, Davidson was convicted and sentenced to death by lethal injection. Channon Gail Christian, 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom, Jr., 23, were from Knoxville, Tennessee. This evidence supports the trial court's finding that (Coleman) is a dangerous offender."[117]. In response, white supremacist Internet radio host Hal Turner set in motion rumors that the . Cobbins is the first of four defendants to be tried. Friends and family. The foundation holds an annual memorial baseball tournament at the Halls Community Park. The Newsoms hope . The story claims that she was forced to watch as Christian's penis was cut off, he was set on fire, and shot several times. CHRIS NEWSOM OBITUARY. 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. 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. On the night of January 6, 2007, two assailants carjacked Channon Christian, 21, and her boyfriend, Christopher Newsom, 23. In her initial trial, Coleman was acquitted of all charges in the murder of Christian's boyfriend, Christopher Newsom. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Channon Gail Christian, 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom, Jr., 23, were from Knoxville, Tennessee. He is greatly missed by his family and many friends. Cobbins was sitting on a couch with "his head down." [86] The attorneys for Thomas filed a motion for a speedy trial, arguing there was no forensic link between their client and the crime scene. [45][53][63] Christian died between the afternoon of January 7 and the afternoon of January 8. Eric Boyd initially spotted the couple and later alleged he and Lemaricus Davidson only intended to rob them. They then sought help from Christian's mobile phone provider and learned that her phone had last pinged at a Cherry Street phone tower. Boyd claims he has no personal knowledge of the slayings of the young couple, but he offered up details of the crime anyway in a videotaped statement to police played in court today. [45][53][62] 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. She was nude from the waist down, as was Newsom. On the witness stand, she chalked it up to denial. [13][14][15][16] Vanessa Coleman was convicted of facilitating the crimes and sentenced to 53 years. doctor removing sheet - autopsy stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images. [98] The jurors unanimously found Davidson should receive the death penalty on the four capital charges, two first-degree felony murder charges, and the two premeditated first-degree murders of Christian and Newsom. In the interview with Knoxville Police Department Investigators Patty Tipton and Greg McKnight, Boyd insisted everything he knew about the fatal carjacking came from Davidson. He noticed that the lights in 2316 Chipman Street were on and that the house seemed busy for the time of night. Newsom survived this shooting initially, but later was shot again in the head. His sentence ends in May 2053. No. "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. 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