The perpetrators attacked the couple in a parking lot near an apartment complex in Knoxville, TN. [9], Boyd finally went to trial on the state charges in August 2019. Sutton said Davidson first blamed the killings on Cobbins, and also claimed that Cobbins had forced Christian to shoot Newsom. On Jan. 9, 2007, fingerprints in the car led to a house at 2316 Chipman St. A body was found, but not immediately identified. The Horrific Torture & Murders of Channon Christian & Christopher Newsom | by Criminal Matters | Jan, 2023 | Medium 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. Her thighs were bound to her chest with a pink curtain. [20], All of the state convictions were initially set aside because of misconduct by the presiding judge, who has since been disbarred. Stickers Christian kept on the outside windows had been removed. The police eventually discover their raped and brutally beaten bodies and trace the murders to five black suspects setting off racial . [24][25], Controversy arose due to differing interpretations regarding the media's coverage of the murders. That's all he'd say.". When none of Christian's friends and family heard from her, they became worried and alerted the authorities. We Asked, You Answered: What Would You Pick For Your Last Meal On Death Row? Christopher Newsom was either forced to walk barefoot or partially dragged with his ankles bound to the scene of his death, Knox County's acting medical examiner testified late this afternoon. Letalvis Cobbins followed them. "They weren't able to carjack them, so they ordered them to drive," Boyd said in the statement. I have not heard Mr. Lomonaco argue these facts are not relevant.". 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. After killing Newsom, the assailants set his body on fire. He was found guilty of facilitating the murder of Newsom, but he was acquitted of Newsom's rape. 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. In testimony Friday, Davidson's former girlfriend, Daphne Sutton, said she suspected the man was a killer but slept with him anyway. After high school, he attended Pellissippi State Technical Community College and became a carpenter. Instead of finding him guilty of especially aggravated armed robbery, the jury found Boyd guilty of aggravated armed robbery. She was a graduate of Farragut High School and a senior at the. 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. I stayed away.". NEWSOM, CHRIS - age 23 of Halls, went to be with the Lord Sunday, January 7, 2007. Just watched and read about the case. Update 8/13/19:Eric Boyd was found guiltyof Channon and Christophers 2007 murder. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Your IP: For more information, please see our At one point, he said he went into the living room where he could see Davidson's girlfriend in the kitchen. Tortured And Suffocated To Death. 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. The memorial service is a way for Channon's family and friends, as well as members of the community, to gather in. No. [43][47][53][55] Davidson's sperm was found in Christian's vagina and anus while Cobbins' sperm was found in her mouth. Davidson's prints were also found on a box of garbage bags. The trial continues Monday. 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. Coleman is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence set to end in 2036, officials said. Based on crime-scene photos, he would not have been able to see the kitchen from the front porch doorway. However, she wasdenied paroleat the hearing. Neither Lightfoot nor Armstrong voluntarily reported any of their contacts with Boyd and Davidson to police. The bags had Davidson's prints. He described the Jan. 7, 2007, encounter between the carjacking suspects and slain couple as entirely random. {{bottomLinkPreText}} {{bottomLinkText}} This page is based on a Wikipedia article written by contributors (read/edit). [25][118] In 2015, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals upheld Thomas's conviction. [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. Her head was forced down onto her knees. She will be up for parole again in 2020. After murdering Christopher, the five criminals returned to torture Channon. The Newsoms hope . He denied a change of venue but allowed for jurors to be brought in from outside Knox County. On January 7, 2007, the young white coupleChannon was 21, her boyfriend Chris was 23was abducted, beaten, raped, tortured, and murdered. The men tied Christian up with bed sheets andforced her into large trash bags, ultimately suffocating her. After a week of testimony, Eric Boyd was sentenced Tuesday to life with the possibility of . Continue with Recommended Cookies. [53][58] According to the medical examiner, the sexual attack Christian endured was "extreme" and "much more than a simple sexual assault. Rev. Most news reports came from local media and online news sites. He was sexually assaulted and forced to walk barefoot to the railroad tracks, where the thugs shot him in the neck and back. 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. Boyd and Davidson did not put up a fuss, she said. [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. Boyd directed them to a vacant house. Coleman was up for parole because she had served eight years in prison in December 2014. 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. "They had sex with her, but he choked and killed her. After the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville opened in 2012, they were transferred to that facility. Cobbins faced the possibility of the death penalty because he was convicted of first-degree felony murder in the case of Christian. [5] Thomas is incarcerated at the Northeast Correctional Complex. Several of the victims' belongings had Davidson's prints. Boyd's account of his visit to the house on Sunday also proved replete with contradictions. One of the charges against the 41-year-old Moore is torture. [133] Serving a 35-year sentence, Coleman was eligible for parole in 2017 and her sentence expires on April 18, 2036. Chris and Channon were kidnapped and driven to 2316 Chipman Street where they were forced into the home at gunpoint. His body would later be wrapped up in a comforter, doused in gasoline and set afire.. 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 then sought help from Christian's mobile phone provider and learned that her phone had last pinged at a Cherry Street phone tower. [13][97] On August 26, Cobbins was sentenced to life without parole. 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. Thanks to lobbying from the families of the victims, two new laws were introduced in 2014 as a result of the case: Murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom, Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 09:34, Pellissippi State Technical Community College, Federal Correctional Institution, Yazoo City, Federal Correctional Institution in Yazoo City, Mississippi, Federal Correctional Institution, Beckley, "Grand jury presentment in Christian/Newsom case", "5 things to know about the Christian-Newsom torture slayings", "Murders of Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian", "Transcript: Davidson says he told Christian he would 'make sure she got out', "10 years later: Remembering Christian-Newsom", "Fifth person charged in gruesome 2007 murders of young Knoxville couple", "Fourth suspect arrested in corpse-burning case", "4 death sentences for LeMaricus Davidson in Christian-Newsom murders", "Lemaricus Davidson gets 80 more years in torture-slaying case", "Cobbins convicted of first-degree murder", "Torture-slayings trial, Day 9: Victims' families: Jury 'let us down' with Letalvis Cobbins verdict", "The verdicts in the George Thomas trial", "George Thomas gets life without parole for Christian-Newsom murders", "Coleman gets 53 years; judge rejects innocent defense", "Newsoms thank George Thomas for testifying against Eric Boyd as judge approves reduced sentence", "LIST: Here's what Eric Boyd was found guilty of in deaths of Channon Christian & Chris Newsom", "Special judge grants new trials for torture-slaying defendants, cites Baumgartner's conduct", New trial dates set for Channon Christian/Chris Newsom defendants in Knoxville, "Tennessee Supreme Court overturns new trial rulings in Christian-Newsom murders", "Judge sentences Vanessa Coleman to 35 years", "Judge's order ensures George Thomas will die in prison for 2007 torture-slayings", "Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian Brutally Murdered As the Nation Looks on", "Critics say news media ignoring Knoxville couple slaying", "Media criticized in slayings with racial overtone", "Time no cure for pain in torture slayings of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom", "From rage to restoration, murder victim's father finds faith", "Christian, Newsom memorialized with scholarships", "The Last Suspect: 'I've Always Had a Mother's Instinct That He Was The One Who Murdered My Son', "Judge warns victim's family about comments to defense attorneys", "Timeline of the Channon Christian-Christopher Newsom murders", "TENN. MAN FACING FOUND GUILTY OF 36 CHARGES IN HORRIFIC 2007 KIDNAPPING, RAPE AND MURDER OF YOUNG COUPLE", "In torture slaying trial, each side interprets evidence differently", "Consent argued in torture-slaying trial", "Graphic details emerge in Christian-Newsom killings", "Christian-Newsom Torture Murder Case: Attending Vanessa Coleman's Retrial", "Horror of Christian/Newsom killings in focus: What happened on Chipman Street", "Guilty again: New trial, similar outcome for Coleman in slaying", "Young Couple, Gruesome Murder, Was it A Hate Crime? "I was shocked (to see Davidson) because (Davidson's) house was on the news," Armstrong said. "[12] The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed Davidson's conviction and death sentences in 2016. Sutton testified. They were kidnapped the evening of January 6, 2007 when Christian's vehi Show more Show more. "His eyes were really big, like he knew what she was telling me.". 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. "He said he didn't.". She was nude from the waist down, as was Newsom. Because we were good friends I knew something wasn't right.". So not only is there no evidence of any racial animus, there's evidence to the contrary. and a student at the University of Tennessee and her boyfriend, Chris Newsom, 23 years old, a former baseball player and a graduate of Halls High School, had dinner plans together at a local restaurant but never made it. He pleaded guilty to official misconduct. [153], The Channon Gail Christian Foundation and the Channon Gail Christian Memorial Golf Tournament were established in Channon Christian's memory to provide a scholarship for a Farragut High School Senior to attend the University of Tennessee. In January 2016, Thomas appealed to the United States Supreme Court[120] but the court did not agree to hear the case. Who Murdered Four-Year-Old Jessica Phelps in 1997? [11][99] In June 2010, Davidson was sentenced to 80 years for other charges related to the murders. Christian also did not attend work. "I did not know for sure he killed somebody," Sutton testified.

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