Christian - Newsom Murder Trials
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On the night of January 6, 2007, Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom disappeared as their friends expected them to arrive at a party. Knoxville police later said they had been carjacked. The bound body of Chris was found the next day near some railroad tracks in East Knoxville. The medical examiner said he had been repeatedly raped, beaten and shot. His body was also burned. The bound body of Channon was found in a trash can in a nearby house two days later. The medical examiner said she was also repeatedly raped, beaten and bleach was poured down her throat. She suffocated in the trash can.
About a month after the bodies were found, LeMaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins (Davidson's half-brother), George Thomas (a friend of Cobbins) and Vanessa Coleman (Cobbins' then girlfriend) were charged with the murders of the couple. The four are being tried separately.
Cobbins was found guilty of Christian's murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole on August 26, 2009.
Davidson was found guilty of murdering Christian and Newsom and sentenced to the death penalty on October 30, 2009.
Another man, Eric Boyd, was convicted in federal court in October 2008 as an accessory after the jury agreed that he helped Davidson hide following the murders. Boyd was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
In a motions hearing for George Thomas Friday, attorneys battled over a racially charged comment he made while he was being interrogated. More>>
A jury of 12 members and six alternates was seated Wednesday evening in Chattanooga for George Thomas, the third defendant to stand trial in the Christian-Newsom murders. More>>
Jury selection continues Tuesday in Chattanooga for George Thomas, the third defendant to stand trial in the Christian-Newsom murders. More>>
Jury selection resumed in Chattanooga Monday for George Thomas, the third defendant to stand trial in the Christian-Newsom murders. More>>
Letalvis Cobbins won't learn his sentencing for his lesser charges in the Christian-Newsom murders until next year. More>>
The defense team for George Thomas, who's due to stand trial in December in the Christian-Newsom murders, wants to know what jail correspondence and recorded phone calls the prosecution will use. More>>
Letalvis Cobbins, the first defendant convicted in the Christian-Newsom murders case, has been moved to a maximum security prison, the West Tennessee State Penitentiary in Henning. More>>
LeMaricus Davidson, sentented to the death penalty by a Knox County jury on Friday for the murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom, has arrived at a maximum security prison in Nashville. More>>
LeMaricus Davidson was given four death penalty sentences in the Christian-Newsom murders case. More>>
The prosecution and the defense have argued their cases on LeMaricus Davidson's sentence, but the jury won't deliberate until Friday. More>>
The jury found LeMaricus Devall Davidson guilty of all the murder charges and several other crimes in the Christian-Newsom case. More>>
Before the verdict Wednesday, Gary and Deena Christian said the LeMaricus Davidson defense team and legal analysts have "dragged our kids through the mud." More>>
On the first day of deliberations Tuesday in the LeMaricus Davidson trial, the jury spent nearly five hours before breaking for the night. More>>
Closing arguments will continue Tuesday in the LeMaricus Davidson trial. He chose not to take the stand in the Christian-Newsom murders case. More>>
Defense witness Ethel Freeman told the jury she saw the Christian-Newsom murder victims at a gas station the night they were carjacked. More>>
An assistant with the DA's office fainted during the medical examiner's testimony about the gruesome deaths of the Christian-Newsom murder victims. More>>
A firearms expert told the jury in the LeMaricus Davidson trial she can't prove all the bullets found in Chris Newsom's body came from the same gun. More>>
On the witness stand, LeMaricus Davidson's ex-girlfriend said he gave her clothes that belonged to a victim in the Christian-Newsom murders. More>>
