Tipton and McKnight pressed him for an alibi. Boyd claims he has no personal knowledge of the slayings of the young couple, but he offered up details of the crime anyway in a videotaped statement to police played in court today. He denied being involved in the carjacking or being at the Chipman Street house following it. He also called the crime "the most horrible" murder case he had seen. Jamie Satterfield is an award-winning journalist specializing in the law and crime. he asked Boyd in the videotaped interview. Your IP: #searchlist h2 a {color:#222; text-decoration:none; } The men repeatedly raped and sodomized her; they savagely kicked or had beaten her in her genital area with an object. The perpetrators attacked the couple in a parking lot near an apartment complex in Knoxville, TN. On June 4, 2013, Judge Kurtz sentenced Thomas to two life sentences (consecutive) for the murders and 25 years (multiple concurrent) for the rapes. He faces death if convicted. But Channon's hell was just beginning. Although Christian sustained multiple blows to the head and other trauma, she ultimately suffocated after being placed in the plastic bags. She recalled crime-scene footage on an 11 p.m. newscast but insisted she paid it no mind. 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 . CHRIS NEWSOM OBITUARY. A Knox County jury has found a man guilty in the brutal murders of a couple 12 years ago in Knoxville. "He just acted like he didn't know what was going on. 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. [14], On October 28, 2009, Lemaricus Davidson was found guilty. They never made it. [4][5][6][7][8] Also in 2007, Eric DeWayne Boyd was indicted by a federal grand jury of being an accessory to a carjacking, resulting in serious bodily injury to another person, and misprision of a felony. 4. In exchange for his testimony, Thomas was allowed to have his first-degree murder convictions reduced to second-degree murder, his aggravated rape convictions reduced to aggravated assault, and his sentence reduced from life in prison with the possibility of parole to 50 years (two 25-year terms with the opportunity to reduce his sentence by up to 15 percent based on good behavior during incarceration). [1][2][3] Four males and one female were arrested, charged, and convicted in the case. Boyd directed them to a vacant house. 10-Years Before Today: Charcoal Cyber criminals Wipe out, Do it yourself Channon Orlando in addition to Captain christopher Newsom. "There is absolutely no proof of a hate crime," said John Gill, special counsel to Knox County District Attorney Randy Nichols. "He said he didn't.". Their vehicle had been carjacked. Davidson asked if he and Boyd could stay the night at her apartment. We Asked, You Answered: What Would You Pick For Your Last Meal On Death Row? Boyd's request for a new trial was denied by Knox County Criminal Court Judge Bob McGee in 2019. But I love the fun adventures [and] lessons that I've learned. "[28][146] The next day, her mother phoned with news that Christian's body had been found inside a trash can in the Chipman Street house. 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. "Something was bothering him. The parole hearing was rescheduled from October to December. Four black males and one black female were arrested and charged in the case. Boyd was transported from a Federal Correctional Institution in Yazoo City, Mississippi, and booked into the Knox County Jail, where he was held on a $1 million bond. Does that make sense to you?" According to Cobbins, Davidson took the woman into a bedroom once they arrived at the residence, and Boyd drove away with the man. One of the men sprayed bleach down her throat to destroy DNA evidence. "I asked him if he had a gun on him and he said yeah. After high school, he attended Pellissippi State Technical Community College and became a carpenter. The president of Criminal Justice Journalists, an association of crime, court, and prison writers, editors, and producers, said: I can't say that this one would have had any more coverage if five whites had been accused of doing these things to two blacks, absent a blatant racial motive as bad as this crime is, the apparent absence of any interest group involvement or any other 'angle' might also explain the lack of coverage. Many people believed that the crimes were ignored because the victims were white while the perpetrators were black. [43][47][53][55] Davidson's sperm was found in Christian's vagina and anus while Cobbins' sperm was found in her mouth. He was re-sentenced to life in prison by the jury, but with the possibility of parole after 51 years. [64][65][66], Newsom's body was discovered near a set of nearby railroad tracks on January 7 at 12:20 pm by a Norfolk Southern Railroad employee. Instead of finding him guilty of especially aggravated armed robbery, the jury found Boyd guilty of aggravated armed robbery. [114] Retrials were denied for Cobbins and Davidson, and granted for Thomas and Coleman. [82][103], On May 13, 2010, Coleman was acquitted of first-degree murder and found guilty of lesser charges. [19][143] Boyd is incarcerated at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex. The medical examiner testified at trial that there was evidence that Christian slowly suffocated to death. A single mother, Sutton, 22, testified Friday that she left Davidson the day before Christian and Newsom were kidnapped because he had abused her. [148] Newsom's mother also disagreed with the assertion that the offenders were not motivated by racism. He told five different stories, first claiming that he had left the house on Friday and knew nothing of the crimes. 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. Eric Boyd initially spotted the couple and later alleged he and Lemaricus Davidson only intended to rob them. [77], Coleman's lawyers argued that she should receive a 20-year sentence, while prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence of nearly 50 years. The men tied Christian up with bed sheets andforced her into large trash bags, ultimately suffocating her. It's not a black-and-white issue. Unfortunately for Christopher, the neck gunshot didn't work, and he suffered through the sharp pain as they fatally shot him in the head. [95][96], On August 25, 2009, Letalvis Cobbins was found guilty of the murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. 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. A journal was recovered after the arrests of Thomas, Cobbins, and Coleman. The Newsoms hope . So horrific and evil. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}355928N 835427W / 35.99113N 83.907514W / 35.99113; -83.907514, Channon Gail Christian, aged 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom Jr., aged 23, were from Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. The autopsy report said that Shanann had a "history of being reported missing and subsequently found unresponsive in obvious state of death in a shallow grave." The cause of death was. He had been shot three times; the killers delivered the final shot execution-style. Christians ordeal was far worse, if you can imagine. They were last seen at the Washington Ridge Apartments. 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. Click to reveal They had only been dating for a few months, but they were . Channon Christian, 21, and her boyfriend Chris Newsom, 23, did not arrive at a friend's party on January 6, 2007, and never returned home to their parents. "That really had me worried.". That's all he'd say.". "[12] The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed Davidson's conviction and death sentences in 2016. Newsom survived this shooting initially, but later was shot again in the head. The Board of Parole has also denied granting Coleman parole in the past. The bags had Davidson's prints. Channon suffered a similar fate. [19][20][125][126][127][128][129] Armstrong insisted he could not remember what they talked about if anything. Newsom is believed to have been raped inside Davidson's house. Sutton said she headed toward the bathroom. forensic - autopsy stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images. 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. Co-defendant George Thomas testified as a witness in the Boyd trial. We stayed w/a crackhead that is cool as hell. On March 20, 2018, eleven years after the murders, a Knox County grand jury returned a thirty-six-count indictment charging Eric DeWayne Boyd with first-degree felony murder, first-degree premeditated murder, especially aggravated robbery, especially aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated rape in the murders. It[']s going to be a long interesting year! Davidson then drove the stolen SUV - with the couple in the back - to Davidsons nearby house. "It appeared to be contact, which means the muzzle of the gun had touched the head," she said. On appeal, Boyd alleges 1. 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. We see this as a cold-blooded murder. [5] Thomas is incarcerated at the Northeast Correctional Complex. 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. The baffling disappearance of Jordan Alexander Holling. [18][93] Boyd was the first to go to trial, the only suspect not charged with murder. "Sexual trauma was present," she testified. The assailants lit his body on fire to cover up their tracks. Then, they covered his head with a sweatshirt that they fastened around his neck with shoestrings. Both victims have also had memorials and scholarships named after them. "His eyes were really big, like he knew what she was telling me.". You took my opportunity to say yes to a young man one day. [11][12] Cobbins and Thomas were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Channon's abandoned vehicle was found nearby. Channon Gail Christian, aged 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom Jr., aged 23, were from Knoxville, Tennessee, United States.They were kidnapped on the evening of January 6, 2007, when Christian's vehicle was carjacked.The couple were taken to a rental house. [16], Vanessa Coleman, the last defendant to face trial,[102] was granted immunity by federal authorities for testimony in the federal case of the carjacking, but the state courts ruled that the federal grant of immunity could not extend to the state charges of murder and rape. Medical examiners determined Christian was alive when the assailants placed her in plastic trash bags. They were unable to locate Christian's SUV. Manage Settings Upon discovering the corpses of Christopher Newsom, 23, and his girlfriend, Channon Christian, 21, on January 7 and 8, 2007, respectively, Knoxville, Tennessee authorities stonewalled the media as to the cause of death and the bodies' condition. Another witness who lived around one block from 2316 Chipman Street heard three pops from the direction of the train tracks at about 1:45 am. A memorial scholarship is given annually in his name to a graduating Halls High School baseball player. bodily injury and death in violation of 18 U.S.C. [34][35] She planned on graduating in December 2007. One of the charges against the 41-year-old Moore is torture. It snowed a lil bit but it's already melted. The BEST of the worst true crime and macabre stories guaranteed to haunt your nightmares. 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. [42] As Christian was suffocating to death, Davidson left to spend time with his girlfriend and gave her Christian's personal items. [98] The jurors unanimously found Davidson should receive the death penalty on the four capital charges, two first-degree felony murder charges, and the two premeditated first-degree murders of Christian and Newsom. "It may have started out as a carjacking, but what it developed into was blacks hating whites. [47] "They had sex with her, but he choked and killed her. Coleman was convicted of facilitation only in the rape . ON January 6, 2007, 15 years ago this week, a young White couple, Christopher Newsom and his girlfriend Channon Christian, went to visit a friend in Knoxville, Tennessee. [133] Serving a 35-year sentence, Coleman was eligible for parole in 2017 and her sentence expires on April 18, 2036. Newsom and Christian were later found brutally carjacked, raped . [147], The house at 2316 Chipman Street was bought by Waste Connections, a national garbage collection company with a depot on the next lot. Armstrong reluctantly acknowledged that he feared he might become a carjacking victim. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses . [61], On January 11, Thomas, Cobbins, and Coleman were arrested in Lebanon, Kentucky. 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. [9], Four of the five defendants (Eric Boyd, Letalvis Cobbins, Lemaricus Davidson, and George Thomas) had multiple prior felony convictions. [25][118] In 2015, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals upheld Thomas's conviction. Both of them were raped, tortured, and murdered. Update 2/10/15: One of my readers commented below that Coleman had a new trial and was re-sentenced. Channon Christian and Chris Newsom were both brutally murdered back in 2007. [23] The Coleman and Thomas retrials resulted in convictions, but with a reduced sentence for Coleman and the same sentence for Thomas. The medical examiner had just begun to describe were the most significant injuries located in the vaginal region when Varlan delayed her testimony. He initially insisted he could provide one with no problem. "They just, I guess, a car was coming pushed them in right in the car because dude (Newsom) was giving girl (Christian) a kiss.". Over eight months, each was tried independently on 46 charges including the kidnap, rape, and murder of Channon and Chris. You took my opportunity to hold her child, my grandbaby. Photographs of the crimes caused some people in court to pass out. Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan testified that Newsom, 23, was shot and would have been dead when his body was set on fire. ", Victim's father: "One down, four to go" (extensive details of the crimes), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murders_of_Channon_Christian_and_Christopher_Newsom&oldid=1142067307, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 09:34. Evil at Sea: The Disappearance of Amy Bradley. 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. He insists, however, that she escaped prosecution because she, unlike Boyd, Davidson and three others implicated in the slayings, is white and the niece of Knoxville Police Department Officer Dennis R. Bible. The couple were taken to a rental house. In response, white supremacist Internet radio host Hal Turner set in motion rumors that the . 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