Then, they covered his head with a sweatshirt that they fastened around his neck with shoestrings. 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. 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. "He wanted a ride. Medical examiners determined Christian was alive when the assailants placed her in plastic trash bags. I have not heard Mr. Lomonaco argue these facts are not relevant.". Sutton admitted she never told police and repeatedly lied to them in an effort to impede their manhunt for Davidson. [49][50][51][52][53][54], Christian was held prisoner inside Davidson's house, mostly in the north bedroom. Who Murdered Four-Year-Old Jessica Phelps in 1997? "[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. [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. He is not charged, however, in either the carjacking or the killings. Her ankles were bound with strips of bedding. "Slim's brother and then Slim's pictures came up (on the screen) that they were wanted for questioning, so I asked what the hell was going on," she said. Armstrong reluctantly acknowledged that he feared he might become a carjacking victim. The thugs responsible for this crime are: The murders did not receive as much media attention as they should have, partly because the rape story at Duke University took precedence.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'truecrimediva_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_11',112,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-truecrimediva_com-large-leaderboard-2-0'); I REFUSE to put pictures of the killers in this post. Cobbins is the first of four defendants to be tried. The front seats were pushed back, and Christian could not have reached the pedals. After killing Newsom, the assailants set his body on fire. Sutton said she headed toward the bathroom. 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.' "I said, 'Is Vanessa in there?' [131][132] In March 2022, the Tennessee Supreme Court denied Boyd another appeal of his convictions. She said she and her friends convinced Davidson to leave by agreeing to drop him off at Ridgebrook Apartments off Western Avenue, where Boyd lived with his mother. The Newsoms hope . The forensic expert began her testimony this afternoon in the trial of Eric Dewayne "E" Boyd, who's charged with being an accessory to carjacking for hiding out suspect Lemaricus "Slim" Davidson, the alleged ringleader in the carjacking, torture and slaying of Newsom and his girlfriend, Channon Christian, 21, in January 2007. given a lesser sentence of 35 years in prison, The 1945 Disappearance of Thora Afton Chamberlain, Robert Pickton The Case of the Killer Pig Farmer, Bonnie Woodward: Grandmother missing since 2010, The Tragic Short Life of Florence Sally Horner. [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. [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. "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. [42] As Christian was suffocating to death, Davidson left to spend time with his girlfriend and gave her Christian's personal items. Additionally, police found Christian's overnight bag. Those fingerprints led them to Davidsons residence at 2316 Chipman Street. October 28, 2009, Davidson was indicted on 16 counts of felony murder & sentenced to death. The assailants lit his body on fire to cover up their tracks. The company's intent was to replace the house with a memorial dedicated to Newsom and Christian. The judge immediately sentenced Boyd to life in prison as this was automatic for a murder conviction. 08-6402 . The witness later observed the 4Runner drive slowly by him. "I did not know for sure he killed somebody," Sutton testified. During sentencing, Christian's father stated, "for me, personally, you took my baby. He was also convicted on charges of carjacking, robbery, and kidnapping. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Get True Crime Diva's blog posts delivered to your inbox! Evil at Sea: The Disappearance of Amy Bradley. Blackwood sentenced Coleman to 35 years in prison on February 1, 2013, minus credit for time already served. Chris was tied up and removed to the train tracks. After the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville opened in 2012, they were transferred to that facility. "It may have started out as a carjacking, but what it developed into was blacks hating whites. 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. [3][49][55] Prosecutors believe that Coleman held Christian captive while the male offenders were murdering Newsom. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses . The Horrific Torture & Murders of Channon Christian & Christopher Newsom | by Criminal Matters | Jan, 2023 | Medium 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. Cobbins denied having any sexual intercourse with the female victim. The next day, a train conductor reported a body near the railroad tracks and 9th Avenue in East Knoxville. 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. He was sexually assaulted and forced to walk barefoot to the railroad tracks, where the thugs shot him in the neck and back. During the autopsy of Channon Christian, the medical examiner found that Ms. The assailants observed Christian and Newsom standing close to Christian's vehicle in an embrace. [45][53][63] Christian died between the afternoon of January 7 and the afternoon of January 8. All four men denied culpability in Newsoms death. The fatal shot was fired with the gun's muzzle against his head above his right ear, and it severed his brain stem. Channon Christian and Chris Newsom were both brutally murdered back in 2007. Cobbins is currently serving a life sentence without parole at the Northwest Correctional Complex. Channon Gail Christian, 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom, Jr., 23, were from Knoxville, Tennessee. "I asked him (Davidson) if he had anything on him as far as a weapon," she said. Friends and family of the murderers made websites claiming that Channon and Christopher actively wanted to be brutally raped and murdered. In February 2008, the trial dates for the subjects indicted in Knox County were moved to 2009. "[53] Prosecutors believe that Christian was tied to a chair and orally raped by Davidson and Cobbins. To do the things they did, they would have to hate them to do that. By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel. [11][12] Cobbins and Thomas were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Update 2/10/15: One of my readers commented below that Coleman had a new trial and was re-sentenced. 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. One of the charges against the 41-year-old Moore is torture. 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. [89][90], Davidson was also indicted for the Pizza Hut robbery committed the day after the murders. They were both raped, tortured and murdered after being kidnapped early on the morning of January 7, 2007. Christian was bound in a hog-tied fashion with curtains and strips of bedding. They reported she never showed up at her friend's party on the night of January 6, 2007, and it wasn't like her to not answer her phone. They had only been dating for a few months, but they were . Satterfield, Jamie. Another slaying suspect, George "G" Thomas, "was rolling a blunt," which is slang for a cigar-style marijuana cigarette, she said. [47][48][49][50] He was then taken to a set of railroad tracks where he was forced to walk barefoot to the location where he was murdered. A small white plastic bag was pulled over head. You took my opportunity to say yes to a young man one day. Hours later, Newsoms body was found alongside railroad tracks near Chipman Street in East Knoxville. Her head was forced down onto her knees. October 22, 2009 - 9:26am Court is back in session. Channon Gail Christian, 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom, Jr., 23, were from Knoxville, Tennessee. After receiving phone calls between Davidson and Boyd, they asked Boyd for information regarding Davidson's whereabouts. [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. [91] Judge Baumgartner threatened to ban the Newsom family from the courtroom after they called Davidson's attorney, Doug Trant, a "jerk". Boyd's request for a new trial was denied by Knox County Criminal Court Judge Bob McGee in 2019. 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. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Christian's and Newsom's mothers and Christian's father gave statements to the board opposing parole. 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. [10][51] Though there was semen inside of Newsom's body, DNA in the semen had been destroyed by the fire. He said Boyd kept quiet during the 20- to 30-minute conversation. 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 pair were abducted from the Washington Ridge apartment complex in Knoxville, Tennessee. Davidson then drove the stolen SUV - with the couple in the back - to Davidsons nearby house. He cited a 2001 report by the Berkeley Media Studies Group, which found that "Blacks and Latinos are underrepresented in news media as victims of crime and significantly overrepresented as perpetrators. Boyd was found guilty of lesser charges on two counts. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Stone showed Armstrong phone records, detailing more than two dozen calls to Armstrong from Boyd's cellular phone from Jan. 9 until the arrest of Boyd and Davidson on Jan. 11. 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. October 22, 2009 - 9:18am [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. More details as they develop online and in Tuesday's News Sentinel. [22] The orders for retrials of Davidson and Cobbins were subsequently overturned by the Tennessee State Supreme Court, and their convictions and sentences stand. Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a1745f29e39c2e6 After a week of testimony, Eric Boyd was sentenced Tuesday to life with the possibility of . For more information, please see our That's all he'd say.". 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. [28][145] The District Attorney denied most of the original reports containing misinformation; the source was a federal deputy US Marshal after the suspects' arrest in Kentucky.[145]. Newsoms killers had stuffed a sock in his mouth and bound his ankles with his belt. Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom in Knoxville, Tennessee. She was, an autopsy indicated, alive while the torture and degradations occurred. "They just, I guess, a car was coming pushed them in right in the car because dude (Newsom) was giving girl (Christian) a kiss.". Davidson's prints were also found on a box of garbage bags. 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. On the night of January 6, 2007, two assailants carjacked Channon Christian, 21, and her boyfriend, Christopher Newsom, 23. They were kidnapped by five Blacks (four males and one female), who then took them to a house where . Coleman was convicted of facilitation only in the rape . [73] On January 11, Davidson was arrested in the vacant house. "That really had me worried.". We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. [13][97] On August 26, Cobbins was sentenced to life without parole. They were last seen at the Washington Ridge Apartments. "She said, 'Oh, my God, Daphne, they found a body in your house.' Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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. 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. The memorial service is a way for Channon's family and friends, as well as members of the community, to gather in. According to Boyd, Davidson, his brother and a friend needed a vehicle because they were being pursued by drug dealers to whom they owed money. Just watched and read about the case. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Background. Davidson was then interrogated about the murders. The floorboard was covered with mud, inconsistent with how Christian maintained her vehicle. Judge Blackwood was asked to consider the motions again for new trials. They are what they are. A memorial scholarship is given annually in his name to a graduating Halls High School baseball player. Davidson, he said, denied raping Christian but admitted choking her. After they forced Newsom into the back of Christians SUV, the assailants took him to a secluded area next to nearby railroad tracks. "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. Witness later observed the 4Runner drive slowly by him medical examiner found that Ms head! Use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content, ad and content, and. [ 131 ] [ 132 ] in March 2022, the assailants placed her in plastic trash bags muzzle his... 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