and our We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. The Greatest Rock Stars Who Died Before 30. After high school, he attended Pellissippi State Technical Community College and became a carpenter. [20] He was immediately sentenced to life in prison by the judge, who stated that a life sentence was automatic for the murder conviction. Five suspects in total - Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins, George Thomas, Eric Boyd, and Vanessa Coleman - then assaultedand killed Christian and Newsom. Prosecutors filed to have Judge Blackwood recused from the case, citing Blackwood's emotional involvement, his ex parte communication with the defense, lack of candor with the local media, and Supreme Court guidance that recusal should be considered before any other action. Newsom arrived, and he and Christian went to the apartment complex parking lot. They were last seen at the Washington Ridge Apartments. "She said, 'Oh, my God, Daphne, they found a body in your house.' 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. He admitted being at the Chipman Street house on Sunday when Christian was still alive. Sutton admitted she never told police and repeatedly lied to them in an effort to impede their manhunt for Davidson. [23], In June 2012, Judge Blackwood again granted new trials for Davidson, Cobbins, and Thomas, basing his decision on the "13th juror rule". Their vehicle had been carjacked. [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. 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 . Many people believed that the crimes were ignored because the victims were white while the perpetrators were black. During sentencing, Judge Baumgartner said the crime was "one of the most incredibly outrageous, cruel and inhumane cases this court has ever seen." Christian's parents requested help from law enforcement but were told that they would have to search themselves. She will be up for parole again in 2020. #searchbrowse-left {width:45%; float:left; margin: 0 2%; background: transparent;} [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. The fatal shot was fired with the gun's muzzle against his head above his right ear, and it severed his brain stem. The car slowed down for about 20 seconds as if the occupants were "checking him out". Channon Gail Christian, 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom, Jr., 23, were from Knoxville, Tennessee. 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. "[147], Some commentators disagreed, claiming that such a crime represented motives of racial hatred. Manage Settings [77], Coleman's lawyers argued that she should receive a 20-year sentence, while prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence of nearly 50 years. That changed how I acted.". There, police found Newsom's size 9 Nike Shox athletic shoes and a .22-caliber High Standard revolver. On appeal, Boyd alleges 1. Does that make sense to you?" [49][50][51][52][53][54], Christian was held prisoner inside Davidson's house, mostly in the north bedroom. They were unable to locate Christian's SUV. It's a right-and-wrong issue. October 22, 2009 - 9:18am The parole hearing was rescheduled from October to December. A memorial scholarship is given annually in his name to a graduating Halls High School baseball player. 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. [7][34][154], Channon Christian's father, Gary Christian, speaks at churches proclaiming how, in Spring 2017, he asked God to restore him from his pervasive anger. [18][19] He was convicted on state level charges over a decade later in 2019. Shanann's autopsyconcluded that her cause of death was asphyxiation due to manual strangulation. Christian suffered extensive hemorrhaging to her head and groin. 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. *In March of 2014, the actual Tn status legislature flushed several expenses through Channon Christian's and even Joe Newsom's leaders. His sentence ends in May 2053. These convictions were on lesser charges than her initial convictions. .searchbrowse-wrap {width:100%; margin: 0 0 10%; padding: 0 0 5% 0; border-bottom: 1px #e5e5e5 solid;} #boydtrial" Click to reveal He is not charged, however, in either the carjacking or the killings. "[12] The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed Davidson's conviction and death sentences in 2016. Three days later, the body of his 21-year-old girlfriend, Channon Christian was found stuffed inside a trash can in a nearby. She went to stay with a co-worker and her girlfriend. The following night, she had another date, this one ending in sex, she testified. In testimony Friday, Davidson's former girlfriend, Daphne Sutton, said she suspected the man was a killer but slept with him anyway. Christopher Newsomwasa former baseball standout. 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 . Both victims have also had memorials and scholarships named after them. Christian was bound in a hog-tied fashion with curtains and strips of bedding. [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. [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. All Rights Reserved. In testimony this afternoon, Danielle Lightfoot said that Boyd and Davidson showed up on her Ridgebrook Apartments doorstep late on Jan. 9, a Tuesday. ", "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? She recalled crime-scene footage on an 11 p.m. newscast but insisted she paid it no mind. [43][92], On April 16, 2008, Eric Boyd was found guilty in federal court of being an accessory to a fatal carjacking and of failing to report the location of a known fugitive. [53][58] According to the medical examiner, the sexual attack Christian endured was "extreme" and "much more than a simple sexual assault. The 32-year-old was convicted of facilitation of first-degree murder in the deaths of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom. "The guy was wantin a ride," Armstrong said. During sentencing, Christian's father stated, "for me, personally, you took my baby. Hours later, Newsoms body was found alongside railroad tracks near Chipman Street in East Knoxville. She was a graduate of Farragut High School and a senior at the. He said he was scared. The eRumor tells of the horrific kidnapping, torture, and murder of Christopher Newsom and his girlfriend Channon Christian from Knoxville, Tennessee. Co-defendant George Thomas testified as a witness in the Boyd trial. 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. 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. The victims families notified authorities the next day about the missing couple. The couple's friends and families tried to find them, checking local hospitals and filing missing person reports. "I had a car," he said. Davidson, he said, denied raping Christian but admitted choking her. Cobbins faced the possibility of the death penalty because he was convicted of first-degree felony murder in the case of Christian. She described the fatal wound as reminiscent of an execution. [25][118] In 2015, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals upheld Thomas's conviction. #searchlist h2 a {color:#222; text-decoration:none; } Additionally, police found Christian's overnight bag. When 21-year-old Channon Christian and 23-year-old Christopher Newsom of Knoxville, Tennessee failed to show up for their best friend's birthday party on Saturday, January 6, 2007, it would be . On Thursday, the pair presented surprise evidence suggesting that Boyd knew about the slayings because he was there at the Chipman Street house when the couple were being held captive and brutalized. However, a noon broadcast the following day commanded her full attention. "[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. forensic - autopsy stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images. [1] Boyd and. The baffling disappearance of Jordan Alexander Holling. The police eventually discover their raped and brutally beaten bodies and trace the murders to five black suspects setting off racial . 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. On the witness stand, she chalked it up to denial. 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. Tipton and McKnight pressed him for an alibi. [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. Theassailantsset fire to the scene. 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