"[17], The defendants in the four state cases from the 2000s all appealed their convictions. #searchlist h2 a:hover {color:#222; border-bottom: 1px dotted #222;} True Crime Diva 2010-2022. He then used Christian's vehicle to deal drugs and wiped it clean. "I had a car," he said. 14. 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. Turns out, the clothing and the ring belonged to Christian, who authorities believe was being held captive at that moment by Coleman in the bathroom. 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. They never made it. [1][2][3] Four males and one female were arrested, charged, and convicted in the case. It[']s going to be a long interesting year! He said Davidson later explained, "They had her tied up in the back room.". Prior testimony has suggested Boyd was at the house while the couple was being held captive. He had been shot three times; the killers delivered the final shot execution-style. He was also sentenced to another 90 years for other crimes, including especially aggravated kidnapping, robbery and rape. Boyd said Davidson pinned the killings on Thomas. Shanann's autopsyconcluded that her cause of death was asphyxiation due to manual strangulation. "[12] The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed Davidson's conviction and death sentences in 2016. On appeal, Boyd alleges 1. The fatal shot was fired with the gun's muzzle against his head above his right ear, and it severed his brain stem. [85] Judge Richard Baumgartner allowed Thomas and Cobbins to be tried by juries from Davidson County (which includes Nashville). "Starting a petition to indict Eric Boyd for his part in those horrible murders of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom, I thought it was the right thing to do," said Cowans. [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. [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. A journal was recovered after the arrests of Thomas, Cobbins, and Coleman. [26][28], Police Chief Sterling Owen IV said there was no indication that the crimes were racially motivated. August 2009, Rome was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Channon & facilitation of murder in connection to the death of Chris; he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He said yes. Eric Boyd initially spotted the couple and later alleged he and Lemaricus Davidson only intended to rob them. 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. They were met by more than 300 law enforcement officers. Channon's abandoned vehicle was found nearby. 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.. They forced Christian and Newsom into the vehicle at gunpoint and bound them. Further, Mr. Newsom had been sodomized and was not wearing pants. "I asked him (Davidson) if he had anything on him as far as a weapon," she said. [42] As Christian was suffocating to death, Davidson left to spend time with his girlfriend and gave her Christian's personal items. [25][118] In 2015, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals upheld Thomas's conviction. They were kidnapped by five Blacks (four males and one female), who then took them to a house where . She will be up for parole again in 2020. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Channon was tied up and removed to a trash can. On Saturday, January 6, 2007, Channon and Chris planned to have dinner together and then spend the . They were kidnapped the evening of January 6, 2007 when Christian's vehi Show more Show more. Coleman was up for parole because she had served eight years in prison in December 2014. [130] In 2021, Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Timothy L. Easter also denied Boyd a new trial. After they forced Newsom into the back of Christians SUV, the assailants took him to a secluded area next to nearby railroad tracks. Davidson's prints were also found on a box of garbage bags. [28][145] The District Attorney denied most of the original reports containing misinformation; the source was a federal deputy US Marshal after the suspects' arrest in Kentucky.[145]. Christian, who was naked except for her camisole and sweater, was tied in a fetal position, placed inside a residential waste disposal unit, and covered with sheets. 20, Photos: ET Farmers Markets celebrate 40 years, Rooms with exclusive views: Three Sisters project will be closely aligned with Blackberry Farm, From slave to landlord: Mystery of Hade Black solved. Performance & security by Cloudflare. 08-6402 . Friends and family. Christians ordeal was far worse, if you can imagine. [3][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46], Both Christian and Newsom were raped. We see this as a cold-blooded murder. They had only been dating for a few months, but they were . "They had sex with her, but he choked and killed her. [11][99] In June 2010, Davidson was sentenced to 80 years for other charges related to the murders. When Newsom was murdered, his hands were bound behind his back, and his feet were bound together. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a1745f29e39c2e6 He said he was scared. Five suspects were arrested and charged in the case. This Actress's Murder Changed Stalking Laws, 40 People Heard Kitty Genovese Being Murdered, Facts About The Murder Of Channon Christian And Chris Newsom. The car slowed down for about 20 seconds as if the occupants were "checking him out". 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. [82][103], On May 13, 2010, Coleman was acquitted of first-degree murder and found guilty of lesser charges. There was a blood stain on her shirt and a camisole underneath the shirt. Rallied in violation of channon autopsy report or the comments. Boyd and Davidson did not put up a fuss, she said. [94] He was sentenced to a maximum of 18 years in federal prison. Theassailantsset fire to the scene. About twice as many counter-protesters as protestors attended, including the "Coup Cluts Clowns", an activist group which mocks the Ku Klux Klan. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses . Her thighs were bound to her chest with a pink curtain. 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. The perpetrators attacked the couple in a parking lot near an apartment complex in Knoxville, TN. 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. When Sutton tried to approach the bathroom from another door, Davidson again blocked her, she said. She was still alive when they placed her body into black garbage bags, wrapped her head in a white plastic grocery sack, and stuffed her body inside a trash can, where she eventually suffocated to death. He denied seeing her or knowing she was there. You took my opportunity to say yes to a young man one day. Chris was tied up and removed to the train tracks. Christian's and Newsom's mothers and Christian's father gave statements to the board opposing parole. Police also recovered an envelope from the vehicle that yielded fingerprint evidence leading them to LeMaricus Davidson of 2316 Chipman Street, an address two blocks from Christian's car. "Something was bothering him. That's all he'd say.". [3][7], Channon Gail Christian (born April 29, 1985, in Nacogdoches, Texas) moved from Louisiana to Tennessee with her family in 1997. Davidson, he said, denied raping Christian but admitted choking her. Four males and one female were arrested, charged, and convicted in the case. "(Boyd) was not his normal self," she testified. The couple had only been dating a few months when they decided to go out on a date the night of January 6, 2007. After a week of testimony, Eric Boyd was sentenced Tuesday to life with the possibility of . The victims families notified authorities the next day about the missing couple. The assailants brought him from the vehicle and into the house while he was bound. 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. A memorial scholarship is given annually in his name to a graduating Halls High School baseball player. Police seized a computer on which Thomas and Cobbins had been viewing news coverage of the murders. "His eyes were really big, like he knew what she was telling me.". "It appeared to be contact, which means the muzzle of the gun had touched the head," she said. [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. Update 2/10/15: One of my readers commented below that Coleman had a new trial and was re-sentenced. He saw four black men in the car. [128], Vanessa Coleman, the only female charged and convicted in the crimes, is held at the Tennessee Prison for Women, now known as the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, in Nashville. Most news reports came from local media and online news sites. His sentence ends in May 2053. Authorities discovered Newsomfirst - on Sunday, January 7, 2007, hours after his death. [133] Serving a 35-year sentence, Coleman was eligible for parole in 2017 and her sentence expires on April 18, 2036. The Death of Theresa Parker: husband convicted but is he guilty of murder? and wrote that she 'loved her life!'. [149], After the protest, columnist Leonard Pitts dismissed claims that the crime was under-reported. Those who committed this crime were unjust in doing so, and they should pay the penalty. [15][101] The jury returned a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole on each of the four capital convictions. After the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville opened in 2012, they were transferred to that facility. During sentencing, Blackwood commented that "the psychological torture of this unfortunate victim was immense." Those fingerprints led them to Davidsons residence at 2316 Chipman Street. [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. During sentencing, Judge Baumgartner said the crime was "one of the most incredibly outrageous, cruel and inhumane cases this court has ever seen." And so did all their friends. Privacy Policy. A woman accused him of trading legal favors for sex during breaks in court sessions. Upon searching the premises, police found Christian and determined the attacks against Christian and Newsom occurred in the house. They then sought help from Christian's mobile phone provider and learned that her phone had last pinged at a Cherry Street phone tower. [76] Coleman admitted to being present in the house during the crimes, claiming that she had been held hostage by the other defendants.[77]. This will be the gruesome autopsy photos. [48][53][54][57] Her injuries were consistent with being raped with an object. Newsom is believed to have been raped inside Davidson's house. But she allowed Davidson to stay at her friend's apartment and had sex with him. "He said he didn't.". A small white plastic bag was pulled over head. 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. They were kidnapped the evening of January 6, 2007 when Christian's vehicle was carjacked, and taken to a rental house, where both of them were raped, tortured, and murdered. Cobbins denied having any sexual intercourse with the female victim. On Jan. 9, 2007, fingerprints in the car led to a house at 2316 Chipman St. A body was found, but not immediately identified. Evil at Sea: The Disappearance of Amy Bradley. [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. [30][31][32][33] She was a graduate of Farragut High School (2003), and a senior majoring in sociology at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Her head was forced down onto her knees. During the autopsy of Channon Christian, the medical examiner found that Ms. ul.searchbrowse li {margin:0 0 5%; font-size:0.75em; /* 12/16 */ } There, police found Newsom's size 9 Nike Shox athletic shoes and a .22-caliber High Standard revolver. He described the Jan. 7, 2007, encounter between the carjacking suspects and slain couple as entirely random. [49][50][51][52][53][54], Christian was held prisoner inside Davidson's house, mostly in the north bedroom. [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. bodily injury and death in violation of 18 U.S.C. In testimony this afternoon, Danielle Lightfoot said that Boyd and Davidson showed up on her Ridgebrook Apartments doorstep late on Jan. 9, a Tuesday. 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. The floorboard was covered with mud, inconsistent with how Christian maintained her vehicle. 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