[130] In 2021, Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Timothy L. Easter also denied Boyd a new trial. They then sought help from Christian's mobile phone provider and learned that her phone had last pinged at a Cherry Street phone tower. These bills are better known as the Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. He's testifying about items recovered from the medical examiner's officer after Channon Christian's autopsy, including the rape kit, the camisol she was wearing, and floral fabric found in the garbage bags with her in the trash can where her body was found. Additionally, Christian suffered bruises and carpet burns on much of her body. Prosecutors conceded Baumgartner had been impaired during Coleman's trial but appealed the decision to retry Davidson, Cobbins, and Thomas. We and the Newsoms have lost our . [144], According to the Associated Press, some bloggers and media critics claimed that the national media ignored the murders because the victims were white while all five suspects were black. [5] Thomas is incarcerated at the Northeast Correctional Complex. [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. Assistant U.S. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. After they forced Newsom into the back of Christians SUV, the assailants took him to a secluded area next to nearby railroad tracks. "If this wasn't a hate crime, then I don't know how you would define a hate crime," said Newsom's mother. "It may have started out as a carjacking, but what it developed into was blacks hating whites. But I love the fun adventures [and] lessons that I've learned. Blackwood sentenced Coleman to 35 years in prison on February 1, 2013, minus credit for time already served. Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan testified that Newsom, 23, was shot and would have been dead when his body was set on fire. "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. To do the things they did, they would have to hate them to do that. and our Upon searching the premises, police found Christian and determined the attacks against Christian and Newsom occurred in the house. You took my opportunity to say yes to a young man one day. [39][43], A witness, who worked as a driver for Waste Connections, arrived at work on Chipman Street at around 12:30 am on January 7. Fifteen years ago today, a train conductor passing through Knoxville, Tennessee, made a shocking discovery on the railroad tracks on Ninth Avenue: the bound, burned body of 23-year-old Christopher Newsom. Her testimony capped the end of the state's weeklong case against suspect Letalvis Cobbins. The witness later observed the 4Runner drive slowly by him. They were both raped, tortured and murdered after being kidnapped early on the morning of January 7, 2007. On January 6, 2007, 21-year-old Channon Christian and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Christopher Newsom, were minding their own business. A Knox County jury has found a man guilty in the brutal murders of a couple 12 years ago in Knoxville. [77], Coleman's lawyers argued that she should receive a 20-year sentence, while prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence of nearly 50 years. Davidson asked if he and Boyd could stay the night at her apartment. "We've been through the worst. While Channon was forced to watch, her boyfriend was raped prison style. [114] Retrials were denied for Cobbins and Davidson, and granted for Thomas and Coleman. [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 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. Further, Mr. Newsom had been sodomized and was not wearing pants. I had one HELL OF AN ADVENTURE since I've been in the big T.N. Hours later, Newsoms body was found alongside railroad tracks near Chipman Street in East Knoxville. [30], Hugh Christopher "Chris" Newsom Jr. (born September 21, 1983, in Knoxville) was a former baseball player for the Halls High School Red Devils, graduating in 2002. Police also seized a purse that contained several of Christian's belongings, including her cosmetic bag and change purse. They forced Christian and Newsom into the vehicle at gunpoint and bound them. Neither Lightfoot nor Armstrong voluntarily reported any of their contacts with Boyd and Davidson to police. 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. 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. He is greatly missed by his family and many friends. [134][135][136][137] At the December 2014 hearing, Coleman was denied parole and her next parole consideration date was set for December 2020. Among homicide victims in 2019 where the race was known, 54.7% were black or African-American, 42.3% were white, and 3.1% were of other races. When they arrived, they saw an SUV with a female in the driver's seat. [15][101] The jury returned a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole on each of the four capital convictions. Newsom arrived, and he and Christian went to the apartment complex parking lot. The Greatest Rock Stars Who Died Before 30. 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. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Boyd's account of his visit to the house on Sunday also proved replete with contradictions. Boyd was found guilty of lesser charges on two counts. The floorboard was covered with mud, inconsistent with how Christian maintained her vehicle. Horror of Christian/Newsom killings in focus: What happened on Chipman Street.Knoxville News-Sentinel, August 24, 2017.https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2017/08/24/archives-horror-christian-newsom-killings-focus-what-happened-chipman-street/597805001/. #searchbrowse-left {width:45%; float:left; margin: 0 2%; background: transparent;} "They had sex with her, but he choked and killed her. Channon suffered a similar fate. I told him to go to the police. [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. [18][93] Boyd was the first to go to trial, the only suspect not charged with murder. So not only is there no evidence of any racial animus, there's evidence to the contrary. [131][132] In March 2022, the Tennessee Supreme Court denied Boyd another appeal of his convictions. In 2014, new laws named after the victims were introduced in Tennessee. 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. She didn't know (Davidson) was laying beside me," Sutton testified. Her head was forced down onto her knees. "He wanted a ride. This Actress's Murder Changed Stalking Laws, 40 People Heard Kitty Genovese Being Murdered, Facts About The Murder Of Channon Christian And Chris Newsom. 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. "That really had me worried.". This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. "They told me thank you, gave me a hug and left," she testified. On Sunday, she talked to Davidson, who asked her to come back to their Chipman Street house so he could give her some clothing he had bought for her, she said. About twice as many counter-protesters as protestors attended, including the "Coup Cluts Clowns", an activist group which mocks the Ku Klux Klan. Coleman is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence set to end in 2036, officials said. "[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]. After the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville opened in 2012, they were transferred to that facility. Who Murdered Four-Year-Old Jessica Phelps in 1997? He initially insisted he could provide one with no problem. [45][53][62] [26][27] Erroneous early reporting made claims of dismemberment and mutilation of Christian's body. He saw four black men in the car. [22] The orders for retrials of Davidson and Cobbins were subsequently overturned by the Tennessee State Supreme Court, and their convictions and sentences stand. "[12] The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed Davidson's conviction and death sentences in 2016. Five suspects in total - Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins, George Thomas, Eric Boyd, and Vanessa Coleman - then assaultedand killed Christian and Newsom. These convictions were on lesser charges than her initial convictions. [36] Christian was 21 years old when she was murdered. [47][48][49][50][59][60] According to Davidson's confession, during Christian's captivity, she said she "didn't want to die. [25][118] In 2015, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals upheld Thomas's conviction. "There is absolutely no proof of a hate crime," said John Gill, special counsel to Knox County District Attorney Randy Nichols. The fatal shot was fired with the gun's muzzle against his head above his right ear, and it severed his brain stem. He also called the crime "the most horrible" murder case he had seen. He also admitted that Boyd later called him, asking Armstrong to give the pair a ride "down west.". Coleman was convicted of facilitation only in the rape . Christopher Newsomwasa former baseball standout. {{bottomLinkPreText}} {{bottomLinkText}} This page is based on a Wikipedia article written by contributors (read/edit). The judge immediately sentenced Boyd to life in prison as this was automatic for a murder conviction. [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. Five suspects were arrested and charged in the case. 7 January, 2022. "(Boyd) was not his normal self," she testified. [34][35] She planned on graduating in December 2007. 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