Newsom survived this shooting initially, but later was shot again in the head. 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. She went to stay with a co-worker and her girlfriend. [151][152] A memorial to Newsom and Christian was created at the location where the house once stood. Tortured And Suffocated To Death. [51][53][54], On January 7, Christian failed to answer calls from her mother and friend. Hours later, Newsoms body was found alongside railroad tracks near Chipman Street in East Knoxville. 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. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Christian's and Newsom's mothers and Christian's father gave statements to the board opposing parole. Their vehicle had been carjacked. Four to go," said Gary Christian, father of Channon Christian, referring to the four suspects who face trials in state court for the killings of Channon, then 21, and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Christopher Newsom. During sentencing, Christian's father stated, "for me, personally, you took my baby. #searchlist {width:100%; border-bottom: 2px #e5e5e5 solid; margin: 3% 0 5% 0;} There was a blood stain on her shirt and a camisole underneath the shirt. Davidson was then interrogated about the murders. The state argued that an impartial jury could be found during voir dire, and the presiding judge subsequently denied the motion as "premature". [133] Serving a 35-year sentence, Coleman was eligible for parole in 2017 and her sentence expires on April 18, 2036. All Rights Reserved. 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. The eRumor tells of the horrific kidnapping, torture, and murder of Christopher Newsom and his girlfriend Channon Christian from Knoxville, Tennessee. Medical examiners concluded they also assaulted him. [15][101] The jury returned a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole on each of the four capital convictions. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. 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. *In March of 2014, the actual Tn status legislature flushed several expenses through Channon Christian's and even Joe Newsom's leaders. [40], After Christian and Newsom did not show up at the party, the couple's friends began calling and texting them and received no response. Friends and family. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. This Actress's Murder Changed Stalking Laws, 40 People Heard Kitty Genovese Being Murdered, Facts About The Murder Of Channon Christian And Chris Newsom. [18][19] He was convicted on state level charges over a decade later in 2019. Davidson claimed that he did not go past the living room and that he never raped Christian. Photographs of the crimes caused some people in court to pass out. [100], On December 8, 2009, George Thomas was found guilty on multiple counts. Click to reveal He also called the crime "the most horrible" murder case he had seen. [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. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. he asked Boyd in the videotaped interview. "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. "It may have started out as a carjacking, but what it developed into was blacks hating whites. 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 BEST of the worst true crime and macabre stories guaranteed to haunt your nightmares. Update 2/10/15: One of my readers commented below that Coleman had a new trial and was re-sentenced. [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. At the time of her death, Shanann had been 15 weeks pregnant (via MEAWW). I have not heard Mr. Lomonaco argue these facts are not relevant.". Davidson and Boyd "basically carjacked them" and ordered Cobbins to drive back to Chipman Street. She didn't know (Davidson) was laying beside me," Sutton testified. The front seats were pushed back, and Christian could not have reached the pedals. U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan shot down Lomonaco's request. He had been beaten, raped, and shot. "I had a car," he said. "His eyes were really big, like he knew what she was telling me.". 7 January, 2022. A beautiful, young couple carjacked and after hours (longer for Channon) of torture, repeated rapes of both, then brutally murdered. Sins and Secrets goes to Knoxville to examine the deaths of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom who disappeared shortly after they were carjacked. He initially insisted he could provide one with no problem. October 22, 2009 - 9:18am 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.. Armstrong insisted he could not remember what they talked about if anything. More details as they develop online and in Tuesday's News Sentinel. Theassailantsset fire to the scene. 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 January 2016, Thomas appealed to the United States Supreme Court[120] but the court did not agree to hear the case. A Knox County jury has found a man guilty in the brutal murders of a couple 12 years ago in Knoxville. Boyd said Davidson pinned the killings on Thomas. [45][53][63] Christian died between the afternoon of January 7 and the afternoon of January 8. Both of them were raped, tortured, and murdered. Baumgartner ruled that Thomas' phone calls from the jailhouse to his acquaintances were admissible as evidence. "[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]. Quote: The young Knoxville couple was carjacked, raped and killed in January 2007. Both of them were raped, tortured, and murdered. The assailants then covered her in bleachin what forensic investigators believe wasan effort to conceal DNA evidence. 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. The next day, her mother phoned with news that Christian's body had been found inside a trash can in the Chipman Street house. She also testified that Newsom had bruising and swelling around the anus. We Asked, You Answered: What Would You Pick For Your Last Meal On Death Row? There, they reportedly shot himmultiple times. [47][48][49] Christian was also anally and vaginally raped. 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. [50][72] Also inside the house were several items that belonged to Christian and Newsom, including Christian's purse, clothing she had in her vehicle, Christian's shoes, camera, photographs (which were ripped and burned), and iPod and Newsom's baseball caps and driver's license. The fatal shot was fired with the gun's muzzle against his head above his right ear, and it severed his brain stem. We see this as a cold-blooded murder. She did not mourn the broken relationship long. [9], Four of the five defendants (Eric Boyd, Letalvis Cobbins, Lemaricus Davidson, and George Thomas) had multiple prior felony convictions. [24][115][116], In 2014 the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals denied Coleman's request for a new trial and upheld her sentence. Chris and Channon were kidnapped and driven to 2316 Chipman Street where they were forced into the home at gunpoint. After they forced Newsom into the back of Christians SUV, the assailants took him to a secluded area next to nearby railroad tracks. His body would later be wrapped up in a comforter, doused in gasoline and set afire.. Upon searching the premises, police found Christian and determined the attacks against Christian and Newsom occurred in the house. Medical examiners determined Christian was alive when the assailants placed her in plastic trash bags. Sutton said she headed toward the bathroom. The perpetrators attacked the couple in a parking lot near an apartment complex in Knoxville, TN. 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. Channon Gail Christian, 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom, Jr., 23, were a couple from Knoxville, Tennessee. Police also seized a purse that contained several of Christian's belongings, including her cosmetic bag and change purse. The fourth slaying suspect, Cobbins' girlfriend, Vanessa Coleman, was nowhere in sight, she testified. Newsom was shot in his neck and the back. The items from Christian's SUV were shoved into trash bags. Christian's parents requested help from law enforcement but were told that they would have to search themselves. He was re-sentenced to life in prison by the jury, but with the possibility of parole after 51 years. 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 . [78], The four suspects indicted in Knox County were scheduled to be tried separately at trials between May and August 2008. He told five different stories, first claiming that he had left the house on Friday and knew nothing of the crimes. CHRIS NEWSOM OBITUARY. Despite that she allowed the two to stay in her apartment while she went to Atlanta. "They just, I guess, a car was coming pushed them in right in the car because dude (Newsom) was giving girl (Christian) a kiss.". Prior testimony has suggested Boyd was at the house while the couple was being held captive. [8] In 2018, Boyd was indicted on state-level charges of kidnapping, robbery, rape, and murder. "There is absolutely no proof of a hate crime," said John Gill, special counsel to Knox County District Attorney Randy Nichols. The baffling disappearance of Jordan Alexander Holling. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. "He started telling me it was his house," she said. True Crime Diva covers missing persons and unsolved cases around the globe. Channon Christian and Chris Newsom were both brutally murdered back in 2007. Although Christian sustained multiple blows to the head and other trauma, she ultimately suffocated after being placed in the plastic bags. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses . [26][27] Erroneous early reporting made claims of dismemberment and mutilation of Christian's body. "[12] The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed Davidson's conviction and death sentences in 2016. 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. She was worried it was me. Because we were good friends I knew something wasn't right.". 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. In August 2014, the families of the victims were notified that with good behavior, Coleman's sentence was being reduced by 16 days per month of incarceration, making her eligible for parole consideration in October 2014. She said she did not know Davidson as well as she knew Boyd. [20] He was immediately sentenced to life in prison by the judge, who stated that a life sentence was automatic for the murder conviction. They were unable to locate Christian's SUV. [48][53][54][57] Her injuries were consistent with being raped with an object. Kicking her time and christopher autopsy report or at this world right above my comments are not edit took the weight. He said that Davidson told him that his brother, Letalvis "Rome" Cobbins, and buddy, George "G" Thomas, gang-raped Christian. What happened to nine-year-old Serenity Dennard? A woman accused him of trading legal favors for sex during breaks in court sessions. Based on crime-scene photos, he would not have been able to see the kitchen from the front porch doorway. The perpetrators attacked the couple in a parking lot near an apartment complex in Knoxville, TN. [11][12] Cobbins and Thomas were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. They forced Christian and Newsom into the vehicle at gunpoint and bound them. [43][47][53][55] Davidson's sperm was found in Christian's vagina and anus while Cobbins' sperm was found in her mouth. Eric Boyd initially spotted the couple and later alleged he and Lemaricus Davidson only intended to rob them. I stayed away.". She was a member of West Park Baptist Church. He had been shot three times; the killers delivered the final shot execution-style. You took my opportunity to hold her child, my grandbaby. But I love the fun adventures [and] lessons that I've learned. [37] They then decided to attack the couple. Christopher Newsomwasa former baseball standout. The company's intent was to replace the house with a memorial dedicated to Newsom and Christian. 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. 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. 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. Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom in Knoxville, 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. [94] He was sentenced to a maximum of 18 years in federal prison. #searchlist h2 {font-family:'Myriad W01 SmBd', sans-serif; color: #616161; font-size: 0.81255em; /* 13/16 */ line-height: 1.1em; text-transform: uppercase;} Though the details are hard to hear, Beck told the couple's story in excruciating detail during his show on TheBlaze TV Tuesday. Boyd's request for a new trial was denied by Knox County Criminal Court Judge Bob McGee in 2019. On the same day she left Davidson, she went out with a man she only identified as "Black" to "eat and hang out." So not only is there no evidence of any racial animus, there's evidence to the contrary. [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. Coleman was convicted of facilitation only in the rape . I didn't want to believe it.". It's a right-and-wrong issue. She recalled crime-scene footage on an 11 p.m. newscast but insisted she paid it no mind. On appeal, Boyd alleges 1. Christian suffered extensive hemorrhaging to her head and groin. Channon was sitting in the driver's seat and Chris was standing in the open door of the vehicle, kissing her, when they suddenly found themselves staring at the barrel of a gun. [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. [36] Christian was 21 years old when she was murdered. 4. Newsom arrived, and he and Christian went to the apartment complex parking lot. 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