Christian, Newsom families satisfied with Blackwood recusal
10:50 PM, Oct 25, 2012

The parents of murder victims Channon Christian and Chris Newsom said they were satisfied with the order to pull judge Jon Kerry Blackwood from three retrial cases Thursday.

"Getting closer to the justice for Chris and Channon," said mother Mary Newsom.

Both families had concern over whether Judge Blackwood had impartiality over the hearings for retrials for Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins, George Thomas, and Vanessa Coleman. Late last year, they were granted retrials in the double murders of the young Knoxville couple.

"We waited for, what was it, over a year now where we had to sit there and listen to all these motions?" questioned Deena Christian, Channon's mother.

The order stated that Judge Blackwood was to be recused from the three male defendants, but will still preside over the Vanessa Coleman retrial.

Both families say the judge was biased as a 13th juror following the removal of the trial's original judge, Richard Baumgartner.

"And his excuse in the courtroom was, in the motion hearings, was he did not have all the facts. How can you not have all the facts and make decisions?" Deena added.

...more at link
http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.as ... yid=239506

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Chief Justice appoints new judge to oversee 3 Christian/Newsom cases
4:33 PM, Oct 31, 2012


Senior Judge Walter C. Kurtz

A retired Davidson County judge who has been serving as a senior judge will oversee the cases of three men previously convicted in the murders of a young Knox County couple.

Wednesday, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Gary R. Wade appointed Senior Judge Walter C. Kurtz to see the cases of Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins, and George Thomas to their conclusions.

Judge Kurtz has served as senior judge since 2008, when he stepped down from the Circuit Court bench in Davidson County, a position he held for more than 25 years. Senior judges are former trial and appellate court judges who may be assigned on a temporary basis to any state court.

Kurtz served as presiding judge from 1987 to 1989, and has presided over both civil and criminal cases, including numerous death penalty cases.

Recently, he presided over the trial of Jessica Kennedy, who was found guilty of facilitating the murder of Monroe County election commissioner, Jim Miller.

Judge Kurtz took another 4-year appointment as a senior judge in early 2012, with the understanding that he would retire at the end of this year. He has agreed to extend his time on the bench to see these cases through to a resolution.

...more at link
http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.as ... yid=240127

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Nancy Grace is covering the case.


Torture-slaying suspect to get a new hair-do in jail?
By HLNtv.com Staff
updated 5:02 PM EST, Thu November 08, 2012

Interview with Jamie Satterfield, Knoxville News-Sentinel.Overview of the case.


Link to Video
http://www.hlntv.com/video/2012/11/08/t ... ew-hair-do





Murder victim dad: 'It's like waking up to a nightmare'
By HLNtv.com Staff
updated 5:02 PM EST, Thu November 08, 2012

Gary Christian - Channon's Dad

Link to Video
http://www.hlntv.com/video/2012/11/08/d ... speaks-out

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Channon Christian, Chris Newsom slaying spawn unending agony
By Jamie Satterfield
Posted November 25, 2012 at 4 a.m.




It was an unthinkable crime — a young Knox County couple out on a date kidnapped by strangers, bound, beaten, tortured, raped and slain.Christopher Newsom, 23, a Halls High School graduate and gifted tradesman, was led barefoot to a set of railroad tracks in East Knoxville, shot execution-style and his body set on fire. 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.

A small army of federal, state and local law enforcers soon rounded up five suspects in the January 2007 torture-slayings, four charged in the slayings and a fifth suspected but charged only as an accessory.

With the defendants all black and the victims white, the case quickly drew the attention of white supremacist groups, who staged demonstrations in downtown Knoxville. Authorities pushed back, noting there was no evidence the crimes were racially motivated. Accused ringleader Lemaricus Davidson, whose Chipman Street home proved a house of horrors for Christian and Newsom, dated a white woman. So, too, had his brother Letalvis Cobbins and his friend George Thomas.

Eric Boyd was the first to stand trial. Although authorities have long suspected his involvement in the rape and slaying of Newsom, Boyd never admitted being at the Chipman Street house, and the burning of Newsom's body destroyed DNA evidence. He was convicted in a federal court of accessory to a fatal carjacking and sentenced to 18 years in prison.

....more at link
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/nov/2 ... ing-agony/

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Knox News new feature - Chat with Jamie Satterfield


Reporter chat with Jamie Satterfield - Nov. 28, 2012

News Sentinel staff writer Jamie Satterfield has covered the trial and retrial of Vanessa Coleman, who was convicted last week on the facilitation of felony murder of Channon Christian, 21, in a January 2007 torture-slaying.

Today you will have the opportunity to ask Satterfield, who covers courts for the News Sentinel, questions on the previous Channon Christian and Chris Newsom torture-slaying trials and the possibility of new trials for Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins and George Thomas.

She’ll try to answer any questions on topic that you may have.




http://www.knoxnews.com/reporterchat/sa ... /11282012/

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Gun linked to Eric Boyd proves a bust for Knoxville police
By Jamie Satterfield
Posted December 11, 2012 at 5:30 a.m.


Eric Dewayne “E” Boyd


It looked like the break authorities had long waited for — a gun of the same caliber used to execute a torture-slaying victim linked to the one suspect police believe has gotten away scot-free.
...SNIP.....
Authorities believe it was Boyd who raped Newsom and fired at least one of the three shots that felled Newsom. Boyd has staunchly denied it, and there has been no forensic evidence linking him to the crimes. He is serving an 18-year federal sentence as an accessory after the fact.

The gun, authorities hoped, would change that.

It didn't.

....more at link
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/dec/1 ... or-police/

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Judge to decide whether to move forward with Christian-Newsom re-trials
4:49 PM, Dec 12, 2012



On Thursday a senior judge will decide whether to move forward with the re-trials of three defendants in the Christian-Newsom murders.

Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins and George Thomas will appear before Senior Judge Walter Kurtz at hearings in Knox County. The state supreme court appointed Judge Kurtz to the case after the court of criminal appeals removed Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood.

Former Judge Richard Baumgartner presided over the original trials, but in 2011 he pleaded guilty to official misconduct and admitted to pain pill abuse. That's what prompted the request for new trials.

A jury initially convicted the three defendants in the kidnap, torture, rape and murders of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom.

Davidson received the death penalty, and Cobbins and Thomas were sentenced to life in prison. Because of the double jeopardy rule, none can be found guilty of any higher crime in a re-trial.

The fourth defendant, Vanessa Coleman, has already had a new trial. Last month a jury found her guilty of facilitation of murder in the death of Christian. Her sentencing is set for February 1.

Thursday's hearings begin at 9 a.m. We will stream the hearings here on WBIR.com live.

http://www.wbir.com/rss/article/245342/ ... um=twitter

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Judge hears motions for Christian-Newsom murder retrials
Posted: Dec 14, 2012 2:01 AM Updated: Dec 14, 2012 6:33 AM
By STEPHANIE BEECKEN
6 News Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) - A new judge is hearing motions on whether three of the Christian-Newsom murder defendants will get new trials.

A hearing began at 9:00 a.m. for LeMaricus Davidson with Judge Walter Kurtz, who was put on the case earlier this year.

Letalvis Cobbins and George Thomas are also scheduled to present similar motions for retrials.

During a presentation to the judge on why Davidson should get a new trial, his attorney tried to raise a claim he made during Davidson's first trial.

Attorney David Eldridge argued that Channon Christian and Chris Newsom were in the Chipman Street neighborhood to buy drugs on the night they were murdered and could have been in the house willingly.

The judge noted that in Davidson told police he had never seen the couple before that night. Judge Kurtz asked if Eldridge wanted to discredit his own client's statement to police.

Eldridge said Davidson made that statement without an attorney present.
....SNIP.....
Davidson will be back in court on Jan. 10, 2013, when the judge will weigh an argument made by his attorney that a religious service held by the jurors during his initial trial may have influenced their ruling with regard to the death penalty.

Next up were attorneys for George Thomas.

They also argued for a new trial based on the credibility of witnesses and Judge Baumgartner's ability to act as 13th juror.

...more at link
http://www.wate.com/story/20334675/judg ... r-retrials

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Hearing ended today.

Judge "the matter is under advisement"

So.... Judge will consider ruling on whether the 3 retrials will proceed

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Judge to decide in mid-January on new trials in Christian/Newsom slayings
By Jamie Satterfield
Posted December 13, 2012 at 3:08 p.m.

KNOXVILLE — A judge today said he would decide by "mid-January" whether three defendants in a January 2007 torture slaying should have received new trials.

"These motions for new trials don't need to fester any longer," Senior Judge Walter Kurtz said today in Knox County Criminal Court.

Kurtz spent most of the day hearing arguments for and against the granting of new trials in the kidnapping, rapes and slayings of Channon Christian, 21, and Christopher Newsom, 23.
...SNIP....
Lawyers on both sides argued their respective positions today.

Kurtz said he would issue a written ruling in January.

The state did not challenged a new trial for Coleman since former Judge Richard Baumgartner has admitted taking Xanax, a narcotic sedative, during her May 2010 trial.

...more at link
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/dec/1 ... trials-in/

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Channon Christian's family invites public to memorial service
Submitted by WBIR Web Staff
Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013, 8:55pm

An East Tennessee family has spent the last nearly six years of their lives grieving in the public eye. Now, for the first time ever, they're inviting the community to be a part of that process.

Next week marks the six-year anniversary of the day Channon Christian's family learned their daughter was dead. She was raped and murdered in 2007 alongside her boyfriend, Chris Newsom.

Each year, Christian's family meets at her graveside to remember their daughter and her life.

Now, as they potentially face more re-trials for their daughter's accused killers, the family is inviting the public to be a part of Channon's memorial service.

The memorial is set for Monday at Highland West Memorial Park in West Knoxville. It's slated to begin at 5:30 p.m., and everyone is invited.

Christian and Chris Newsom's family have already faced one re-trial in their children's murders. They could face three more. They should find out about the status of those in the coming weeks.


....more at link
http://westknox.wbir.com/news/news/4653 ... al-service

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Chris Newsom's family invites public to memorial service
Submitted by WBIR Web Staff
Thursday, January 3rd, 2013, 5:17pm



Next week marks six years since the deaths of murdered Knox County couple Channon Christian and Chris Newsom.

The couple was carjacked, raped and tortured on January 6, 2007. They were killed separately the next day.

We told you previously the family of Channon Christian is inviting the public to join them for a memorial service at Highland West Memorial Park.

Now the family of Chris Newsom is extending the same invitation.

The Newsoms will hold a memorial service Sunday afternoon at 3 at Woodhaven Memorial Gardens in Claxton. The family is encouraging everyone who comes to bring a balloon to release in his memory.

Channon Christian's memorial service will be at 5:30 Monday night at Highland West Memorial Park in West Knoxville.

....more at link
http://westknox.wbir.com/news/news/4654 ... al-service

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Such a sad case and didn't get around in the news as much as cases like the TM/GZ case

From news of Lemaricus Davidson thread
viewtopic.php?f=41&t=403&p=19753#p19753

Kurtz said he would issue a written ruling next week on the greater issue in the case - whether Davidson and suspects Letalvis Cobbins and George Thomas should be awarded new trials in the fallout from a drug scandal involving the judge who presided over their original trials.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Ruling in torture-slaying case: Convictions stand for ringleader, brother; friend to get new trial

By News Sentinel staff
Posted January 15, 2013 at 12:04 p.m., updated January 15, 2013 at 1:56 p.m.


Lemaricus Davidson arrives in court on Thursday for a hearing to request a new trial, which was
denied by Senior Judge Walter Kurtz. The judge said Davidson failed to show jurors were influenced
by religion in their decision to convict him and sentence him to death in the slayings of Channon
Christian, 21, and Christopher Newsom, 23. (J. MILES CARY/NEWS SENTINEL)

KNOXVILLE — A senior judge today denied new trials for two brothers convicted in the brutal 2007 slayings of a Knox County couple but granted a new trial for a third defendant.

Senior Judge Walter Kurtz denied a new trial for alleged ringleader Lemaricus Davidson, who was convicted of the kidnapping, rape and murders of Channon Christian, 21, and her boyfriend Christopher Newsom, 23.

He received the death penalty.

His brother, Letalvis Cobbins, who is serving a life without parole sentence, also was denied a new trial.

A third defendant, George Thomas, however, will get a new trial under Kurtz's order.

....more at link
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jan/1 ... christian/


Judge Kurtz's Court Order (PDF 34 pages)
http://www.wbir.com/pdf/11513_new_trials.pdf

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Horror of Christian/Newsom killings in focus: What happened on Chipman Street

By Jamie Satterfield
Posted May 19, 2013 at 8:59 p.m.



Six years and seven trials later, one question remains — what happened on Chipman Street?

In one of Knoxville’s most horrific crimes, Channon Christian, 21, and boyfriend Christopher Newsom, 23, were carjacked, kidnapped, raped and slain in January 2007. Five suspects were identified. One was tried federally as an accessory. Four others were tried in Knox County Criminal Court.

A drug scandal involving the judge in those state court proceedings would upend the convictions against two of those suspects. New trials were held, the most recent of which occurred last week.

Through it all, details of the horrors this young couple suffered have eked out. But with each suspect pointing the finger of blame at the other and jurors limited by law in what they are allowed to know, the real story of what happened when the couple were taken hostage and ultimately slain has proved just as elusive as the court cases convoluted.

The News Sentinel has covered this case since its beginning. With the aid of interviews, trial coverage and transcripts of each defendant’s statement to authorities, the newspaper can now offer up a snapshot of not only what happened to these two innocents but exactly who did what to them.

....more at link
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/may/1 ... -in-focus/

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

H/T The Trial File for alerting me to this interview

Parents of Channon Christian Christopher Newsom Speak On Glenn Beck

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Woman convicted in Christian Newsom killings could face early parole hearing
Posted: Aug 08, 2014 3:48 PM
By WHITNEY GOOD, 6 News Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) - A woman convicted for aiding in the torture, rape and murders of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom could be getting out of prison much earlier than expected.

Vanessa Coleman was convicted on charges of facilitating first-degree murder, second-degree murder, theft, rape, and kidnapping less than two years ago, and now she could be eligible for parole before the end of the year.

....more at link
http://www.wate.com/story/26229268/woma ... le-hearing

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Channon Christian's mother upset that woman convicted in her death could get early parole
Posted: Aug 09, 2014 10:26 AM
By STEPHANIE BEECKEN, 6 News Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) - Vanessa Coleman, the woman convicted in connection with the gruesome murders of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom, could be out of prison by the end of the year. Deena Christian, Channon's mother, says the news made her very upset.Previous story: Woman convicted in Christian Newsom killings could face early parole hearing

Coleman was tried twice in the deaths of Christian and Newsom. She was ultimately convicted of facilitating murder, theft, rape, and kidnapping.

Extended Coverage: Christian-Newsom Murder Trials

Coleman will be eligible for parole in October and could be free by the end of this year. The Christians and Newsoms say they had no idea this was possible. They thought Coleman wouldn't be eligible for parole for at least another three years.

...more at link
http://www.wate.com/story/26236481/chan ... rly-parole

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light