Christian Newsom murderers on trial

Review from Rape, Mutilation, and Murder: The Christian/Newsom Story

On Saturday January 6, 2007 Hugh Christopher Newsom, age 23 and Channon Gail Christian, age 21, both students at the University of Tennessee went out on a date.

They were driving in Channon’s Toyota 4-Runner when they were carjacked at gunpoint. Suddenly the crime turned far more savage than an armed car theft. Chris and Channon were kidnapped and driven to 2316 Chipman Street where they were forced into the home at gunpoint. While Channon was forced to watch, her boyfriend was raped prison style and then his penis was cut off. He was later driven to nearby railroad tracks where he was shot and set afire. But Channon’s hell was just beginning. She was beaten; gang raped repeatedly in many ways, had one of her breasts cut off and bleach poured down her throat to destroy DNA evidence-all while she was still alive. To add to Channon’s degradation the suspects took turns urinating on her. They too set her body afire, apparently inside the residence, but for some reason left her body there-in five separate trash bags.

This Dec. 31, 2006 family photo shows Channon Christian, right, and her boyfriend Christopher Newsom, both of Knovxville, Tenn. The couple was carjacked, raped and slain Jan. 6-8, 2007, in Knoxville. The first of four defendants charged in their deaths, Letalvis Cobbins, stood trial beginning Monday, Aug. 17, 2009, in Knoxville. (AP Photo/Christian Family photo) (AP). He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

Attorney: Slaying Suspect a Coward, Not a Killer (Washington Post)

Riiight. When you read the vicious details of what they did to these two young people, it should be obvious to everyone that ALL OF THE PERPS, regardless as to their race…should hang or be shot.

A carjacking that went awry? Puleeez.

There is no reason on earth that people who were carjacked deserved the hours upon hours of torture and sadistic rape and sodomy that these two young people endured.

Christian had his penis cut off while he was still alive; Channon had her breast cut off and had bleach poured into her mouth and down her throat to ‘destroy the evidence’. And after they were dead, the vicious perps poured gasoline on Christian and sent him on fire; and sounds like they cut up Channon into pieces and put her in five garbage bags. The details of this crime are so unthinkable; so horrendously vicious that I can’t imagine in my wildest dreams that someone would want to keep the perpetrators alive.

This is a hate crime if ever I’ve seen one, but of course, “hate” is something that is only used against whites that commit crimes; not against blacks.

Notice the verbiage that is used in the article:

The victims were white and middle class, and the defendants are poor and black. Some conservative Internet commentators and white supremacist agitators accused the national media of reverse discrimination by failing to give the case the same attention paid to white-on-black hate crimes.

It’s only white-on-black crimes that are construed as hate crimes nowadays. Now white people are lumped in with “white supremacist agitators” if they dare point out descrepancies and inconsistencies in the application of the law.

But we’ve seen this many times before in racially charged cases like the Duke rape case that fit into their preconceived storylines of white racists, regardless as to whether or not it’s a REAL story.

It’s good to see media pay attention to what’s happening now with the Christian Newsom murders, but the only reason they’re doing that is because people who are poor and black are on trial for having committed these unthinkable crimes.

Cobbins was found guilty of first degree felony murder for the deaths of both Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian, on multiple counts; see the rundown, below. Judge Baumgartner asked the jurors individually if the verdict as read was in fact, their verdict. All agreed it was. Jurors will go into the penalty phase of the trial, after victim impact statements.

Cobbins’ penalty will be decided Wednesday at 9 a.m.

Rundown of the convictions

1. GUILTY: Facilitation of first degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during perpetration of robbery of Chris Newsom
2. GUILTY: Facilitation of first degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during perpetration of robbery of Channon Christian
3. GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during perpetration of robbery of Chris Newsom
4. GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during perpetration of robbery of Channon Christian
5. GUILTY: Facilitation of first degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during perpetration of kidnapping of Chris Newsom
6. GUILTY: Facilitation of first degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during perpetration of kidnapping of Channon Christian
7. GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during perpetration of kidnapping of Chris Newsom
8. GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during perpetration of kidnapping of Channon Christian
9. NOT GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during the perpetration of rape of Chris Newsom; not guilty of lesser included charges
10. GUILTY: Facilitation of first degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during perpetration of rape by oral penetration of Channon Christian
11. NOT GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during the perpetration of rape of Chris Newsom; not guilty of lesser included charges
12. GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during the perpetration of rape by oral penetration of Channon Christian
13. GUILTY: Facilitation of first degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during the perpetration of theft from Chris Newsom
14. GUILTY: Facilitation of first degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during the perpetration of theft from Channon Christian
15. GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during perpetration of theft from Chris Newsom
16. GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during perpetration of theft from Channon Christian
17. GUILTY: Facilitation of premeditated first degree murder of Chris Newsom
18. GUILTY: Premeditated first degree murder of Channon Christian
19. GUILTY: Especially aggravated robbery of Chris Newsom
20. GUILTY: Especially aggravated robbery of Channon Christian
21. GUILTY: Facilitation of especially aggravated kidnapping of Chris Newsom accomplished with deadly weapon (as pleaded to by defendant)
22. GUILTY: Facilitation of especially aggravated kidnapping of Chris Newsom accomplished with serious bodily injury (as pleaded to by defendant)
23. GUILTY: Especially aggravated kidnapping of Channon Christian, accomplished with a deadly weapon
24. GUILTY: Especially aggravated kidnapping of Channon Christian with serious bodily injury
25. NOT GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Chris Newsom by coercive anal penetration while armed with a weapon; not guilty of lesser included charges
26. NOT GUILTY: Facilitation of aggravated rape of Chris Newsom by anal penetration with bodily injury; not guilty of lesser included charges
27. NOT GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Chris Newsom by coercive anal penetration while aided and abetted by one or more persons; not guilty of lesser included charges
28. GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by coercive anal penetration while armed with a weapon.
29. GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by coercive oral penetration while armed with a weapon.
30. GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by coercive vaginal penetration while armed with a weapon
31. GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by anal penetration with bodily injury
32. GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by oral penetration with bodily injury
33. GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by vaginal penetration with bodily injury
34. GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by coercive anal penetration while aided and abetted by one or more persons
35. GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by coercive oral penetration while aided and abetted by one or more persons.
36. GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by coercive vaginal penetration while aided and abetted by one or more persons.
37. GUILTY: Theft of property of Chris Newsom, valued at $500 or less.
38. GUILTY: Theft of property of Channon Christian, valued at $10,000 or more but less than $60,000.

what’s next?

With one defendant convicted and three more awaiting trial, here’s a look at the progress on each case.

Letalvis Cobbins

Cobbins is now at the Charles B. Bass Correctional Complex in Nashville. He arrived there around 3:30 Eastern time for processing. He’s expected to be there until at least next week. That’s when it will be announced where he’ll begin serving his life sentence.

Riverbend Maximum Security Institution is one possibility. In 2008, the victims’ families toured that facility as one possibility. Most male death row inmates in the state are also imprisoned there.

Cobbins has been convicted on multiple counts, including the murder and rape of Channon Christian and facilitation of murder of Chris Newsom.

You can find a comprehensive list of counts on his conviction on wbir.com. The murder conviction with aggravating circumstances put the death penalty on the table as an option, but the jury brought in from Davidson County opted for life imprisonment without a possibility for parole.

Cobbins still faces sentencing on his other convictions in front of Judge Richard Baumgartner November 20.

Lemaricus Davidson

It’s been more than two years since the crimes occurred, but more delays may be in the works in Lemaricus Davidson’s trial.

Judge Richard Baumgartner has called for outside juries to be brought to Knox County for all the cases due to the intense level of publicity and widespread emotion about the case throughout East Tennessee.

But Davidson has exercised his right to request a jury from Knox County. Prosecutors worry it will be a source of further delay.

The court has sent jury summons to a thousand Knox County residents, in hopes of finding an impartial jury from that massive pool.

On September 1, the potential jurors will be brought together to complete a jury questionnaire at the Civic Coliseum. The court will work through the pool of potential jurors in voir dire starting on September 21. Davidson’s trial is set to start at that point.

The Court of Criminal Appeals is still considering Davidson’s appeal of Judge Baumgartner’s rejection of a motion to throw out the evidence gathered from the Chipman Street house.

On September 11, the court will hold a hearing on the relevance of Davidson’s prior criminal convictions.

George Thomas

Thomas is the next defendant scheduled for trial after Davidson. He is scheduled for October 28.

Judge Baumgartner plans to pull a jury from outside Knox County for this case, as he did with Cobbins’ case. Cobbins’ jury was pulled from Davidson County. The home location of Thomas’ jury has not yet been announced.

Baumgartner plans to send questionnaires to a pool of 200 potential jurors for that case.

Letalvis Cobbins’ testimony indicated that Thomas and Davidson were not close and that Thomas was primarily his friend, who came down from Kentucky with Cobbins to visit Davidson. Cobbins’ testimony indicated limited involvement of Thomas in the crimes, putting the blame almost entirely on Lemaricus Davidson.

Vanessa Coleman

Coleman was Cobbins’ girlfriend at the time of the crimes. Cobbins’ testimony also claimed a limited role for her in the crimes. Her trial date has not yet been reset.

The Court of Criminal Appeals is considering whether she should be immune from state prosecution because she testified before a federal grand jury in the crimes.