You took my (wedding) dance away. Christian suffered extensive hemorrhaging to her head and groin. [3][51], Several items were missing from Christian's vehicle, including a teddy bear and photographs Christian kept there and her phone charger and iPod. The couple's friends and families tried to find them, checking local hospitals and filing missing person reports. On January 6, 2007, 21-year-old Channon Christian and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Christopher Newsom, were minding their own business. I had one HELL OF AN ADVENTURE since I've been in the big T.N. After they forced Newsom into the back of Christians SUV, the assailants took him to a secluded area next to nearby railroad tracks. He denied seeing her or knowing she was there. I have not heard Mr. Lomonaco argue these facts are not relevant.". In 2014, new laws named after the victims were introduced in Tennessee. Channon Christian, 21, a Farragut High School graduate and University of Tennessee senior, was hog-tied and stuffed alive inside a trash can, where she slowly suffocated. [5][141] Davidson was sentenced to death on October 30, 2009,[142] and is incarcerated at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. On December 8,2009, George Thomas was sentenced to life . "We have no evidence to support the notion that this was a race-based crime. With Bill Graves, Kendra Maples, Scott Brooks, Channon Christian. By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel. ", 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. 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. Her face was tightly covered with a small trash bag, and her body was stashed in five large trash bags. Davidson met her at the door and followed her inside. "I did not know for sure he killed somebody," Sutton testified. "Something was bothering him. After receiving phone calls between Davidson and Boyd, they asked Boyd for information regarding Davidson's whereabouts. He denied being involved in the carjacking or being at the Chipman Street house following it. 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. 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? They were on their way to a birthday party when two unknown, armed assailants carjacked them for Christian's Toyota 4-Runner in the parking lot of her friends apartment complex. 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. 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. She left, but not before he gave her a bag of clothing and a ring. Channon Gail Christian, 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom, Jr., 23, were from Knoxville, Tennessee. 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. [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. Her thighs were bound to her chest with a pink curtain. Three days later, the body of his 21-year-old girlfriend, Channon Christian was found stuffed inside a trash can in a nearby. I didn't want to believe it.". he asked Boyd in the videotaped interview. Knoxville investigators did not find Christian until the following Tuesday. Blackwood sentenced Coleman to 35 years in prison on February 1, 2013, minus credit for time already served. 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. Channon Gail Christian, 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom, Jr., 23, were from Knoxville, Tennessee. Palm prints on channon christian christopher autopsy photos . [82][103], On May 13, 2010, Coleman was acquitted of first-degree murder and found guilty of lesser charges. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Medical examiners determined Christian was alive when the assailants placed her in plastic trash bags. Get True Crime Diva's blog posts delivered to your inbox! Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a1745f29e39c2e6 The car slowed down for about 20 seconds as if the occupants were "checking him out". The foundation holds an annual memorial baseball tournament at the Halls Community Park. [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. [20], All of the state convictions were initially set aside because of misconduct by the presiding judge, who has since been disbarred. The baffling disappearance of Jordan Alexander Holling. The trial continues Monday. She was nude from the waist down, as was Newsom. 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. After high school, he attended Pellissippi State Technical Community College and became a carpenter. He said he returned to the house about 20 minutes later to find Christian, who told him she did not want to die. Update: She wasdenied again in December 2020. Performance & security by Cloudflare. [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. We and the Newsoms have lost our . The company's intent was to replace the house with a memorial dedicated to Newsom and Christian. 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. Davidson asked if he and Boyd could stay the night at her apartment. "(Boyd) was not his normal self," she testified. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Hugh Christopher Newsom, Jr., 23, and his girlfriend Channon Gail Christian were both brutally murdered after being kidnapped early on the morning of January 7, 2007. Unfortunately for Christopher, the neck gunshot didn't work, and he suffered through the sharp pain as they fatally shot him in the head. On January 6, 2007,Channon Christian, 21 years old, a graduate from Farragut High School in Knoxville, TN. "We've been through the worst. At some point, they were approached by an ex-con named Lemaricus Davidson. [25][118] In 2015, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals upheld Thomas's conviction. [47][48][49][50] He was then taken to a set of railroad tracks where he was forced to walk barefoot to the location where he was murdered. During sentencing, Judge Baumgartner said the crime was "one of the most incredibly outrageous, cruel and inhumane cases this court has ever seen." Forensic evidence indicated both Davidson and Thomas fired shots, and Davidson was ultimately responsible forNewsom's demise. That changed how I acted.". Another slaying suspect, George "G" Thomas, "was rolling a blunt," which is slang for a cigar-style marijuana cigarette, she said. [51][53][54], On January 7, Christian failed to answer calls from her mother and friend. The assailants then covered her in bleachin what forensic investigators believe wasan effort to conceal DNA evidence. Those who committed this crime were unjust in doing so, and they should pay the penalty. Rev. When Sutton tried to approach the bathroom from another door, Davidson again blocked her, she said. Her testimony capped the end of the state's weeklong case against suspect Letalvis Cobbins. [149], After the protest, columnist Leonard Pitts dismissed claims that the crime was under-reported. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses . Judge Thomas T. Woodall wrote in his opinion: "The facts at trial showed that (Coleman) was in the (Chipman Street) house for nearly two days where (Christian) was confined and brutally raped before she was tied up, wrapped in five plastic trash bags and stuffed into a garbage can, where she died from asphyxiationIn journal entries (written after the slayings, Coleman) described 'one hell of an adventure in the big T.N.' On appeal, Boyd alleges 1. A small white plastic bag was pulled over head. 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 . He was a member of Beaver Dam Baptist Church and a graduate of Halls High School, Class of . Channon Christian (21) and Chris Newsom's (23) lives were taken on January 7, 2007 at the hands of five vicious criminals in Knoxville, TN while on a date. Channon Gail Christian, 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom, Jr., 23, were a couple from Knoxville, Tennessee. Her ankles were bound with strips of bedding. Upon searching the premises, police found Christian and determined the attacks against Christian and Newsom occurred in the house. [121][122][123][124] On August 13, 2019, a jury found Boyd guilty on nearly all charges, including premeditated first-degree murder and rape against both victims. [7][33][34] A foundation has also been established in Newsom's name. "[28][146] The assailants brought him from the vehicle and into the house while he was bound. Newsom survived this shooting initially, but later was shot again in the head. "They told me thank you, gave me a hug and left," she testified. [148] Newsom's mother also disagreed with the assertion that the offenders were not motivated by racism. While searching for Christian, authorities found her SUV abandoned near railroad tracks in East Knoxville - not far from where Newsom was discovered. [47], After finding Christian's body and discovering the presence of Davidson's semen on her clothing and in her body cavities, police undertook a manhunt for Davidson. "Sexual trauma was present," she testified. 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. But when the investigators would seek specific information, including phone numbers or addresses for people he listed as alibi witnesses, he backed off his assertion that he could provide a specific alibi. Coleman is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence set to end in 2036, officials said. [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. Further, Mr. Newsom had been sodomized and was not wearing pants. "If this wasn't a hate crime, then I don't know how you would define a hate crime," said Newsom's mother. To do the things they did, they would have to hate them to do that. Channon suffered a similar fate. On not really around my best lifetime. 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. Hours later, Newsoms body was found alongside railroad tracks near Chipman Street in East Knoxville. At one point, he said he went into the living room where he could see Davidson's girlfriend in the kitchen. But I love the fun adventures [and] lessons that I've learned. The decision to hold retrials for them was affirmed in a two to one decision by the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals on April 13. [30], Facing the same charges as in her first trial, on November 20, 2012, Vanessa Coleman was convicted by a jury of the facilitation of aggravated kidnapping, facilitation of rape, and the facilitation of the murder of Channon Christian, but not of Christopher Newsom. Four black males and one black female were arrested and charged in the case. Refresh the page, check. "I may go to Labor Ready occasionally so I can get a little more buzz money.". 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. Appeals upheld Thomas 's conviction in plastic trash bags dedicated to Newsom and Christian that... ], after the victims were introduced in Tennessee Davidson met her at the Halls Community Park ]! 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