At one point, he said he went into the living room where he could see Davidson's girlfriend in the kitchen. Christian was then hog-tied and covered with several bags before she was placed in a disposal bin, where she slowly suffocated to death, Mileusnic-Polchan testified. In the interview with Knoxville Police Department Investigators Patty Tipton and Greg McKnight, Boyd insisted everything he knew about the fatal carjacking came from Davidson. [20] He was immediately sentenced to life in prison by the judge, who stated that a life sentence was automatic for the murder conviction. "[147], Some commentators disagreed, claiming that such a crime represented motives of racial hatred. Those who committed this crime were unjust in doing so, and they should pay the penalty. Prosecutors conceded Baumgartner had been impaired during Coleman's trial but appealed the decision to retry Davidson, Cobbins, and Thomas. [15][101] The jury returned a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole on each of the four capital convictions. Cobbins denied having any sexual intercourse with the female victim. Four to go," said Gary Christian, father of Channon Christian, referring to the four suspects who face trials in state court for the killings of Channon, then 21, and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Christopher Newsom. 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. Unfortunately for Christopher, the neck gunshot didn't work, and he suffered through the sharp pain as they fatally shot him in the head. She did not mourn the broken relationship long. The memorial service is a way for Channon's family and friends, as well as members of the community, to gather in. During the autopsy of Channon Christian, the medical examiner found that Ms. The witness later observed the 4Runner drive slowly by him. Armstrong reluctantly acknowledged that he feared he might become a carjacking victim. He also admitted that Boyd later called him, asking Armstrong to give the pair a ride "down west.". He is greatly missed by his family and many friends. 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. Boyd was transported from a Federal Correctional Institution in Yazoo City, Mississippi, and booked into the Knox County Jail, where he was held on a $1 million bond. [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. [20], All of the state convictions were initially set aside because of misconduct by the presiding judge, who has since been disbarred. He was also sentenced to another 90 years for other crimes, including especially aggravated kidnapping, robbery and rape. Privacy Policy. Neither Lightfoot nor Armstrong voluntarily reported any of their contacts with Boyd and Davidson to police. They forced Christian and Newsom into the vehicle at gunpoint and bound them. 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. Boyd's request for a new trial was denied by Knox County Criminal Court Judge Bob McGee in 2019. On January 7, 2007, the young white coupleChannon was 21, her boyfriend Chris was 23was abducted, beaten, raped, tortured, and murdered. [73] On January 11, Davidson was arrested in the vacant house. She returned from Atlanta later that night. [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. So horrific and evil. #searchbrowse-left {width:45%; float:left; margin: 0 2%; background: transparent;} Her neck muscles had been bruised and the manner of death was deemed a homicide. ul.searchbrowse {font-family:'Myriad W01 Regular', sans-serif; color: #676767; margin:0; text-transform: capitalize;} Specifically, he sentenced her to 25 years for the facilitation of Christian's murder, six years for the facilitation of kidnapping, and four years for the facilitation of rape. They were both raped, tortured and murdered after being kidnapped early on the morning of January 7, 2007. After receiving phone calls between Davidson and Boyd, they asked Boyd for information regarding Davidson's whereabouts. [133][138][139] Coleman again went before a parole board on December 8, 2020. he asked Boyd in the videotaped interview. [133] Serving a 35-year sentence, Coleman was eligible for parole in 2017 and her sentence expires on April 18, 2036. The sentencing judge, Richard Baumgartner, one of Knox County's three Criminal Court judges, was forced to resign from the bench in March 2011, having admitted to drug addiction and purchasing prescription pain medication from convicts. [43][44][51][67][68][69][70], When police went to 2316 Chipman Street on Tuesday, January 9, they found the house unoccupied and Christian's body in a trash can in the kitchen. Upon discovering the corpses of Christopher Newsom, 23, and his girlfriend, Channon Christian, 21, on January 7 and 8, 2007, respectively, Knoxville, Tennessee authorities stonewalled the media as to the cause of death and the bodies' condition. The couple were taken to a rental house. "I said, 'Is Vanessa in there?' He is not charged, however, in either the carjacking or the killings. All four men denied culpability in Newsoms death. Get True Crime Diva's blog posts delivered to your inbox! The pair were abducted from the Washington Ridge apartment complex in Knoxville, Tennessee. Both were forced into the backseat of Christian's SUV at gunpoint, had their hands tied behind their backs, and were taken to Davidson's house at 2316 Chipman Street. He then used Christian's vehicle to deal drugs and wiped it clean. She was a graduate of Farragut High School and a senior at the. "There is absolutely no proof of a hate crime," said John Gill, special counsel to Knox County District Attorney Randy Nichols. [131][132] In March 2022, the Tennessee Supreme Court denied Boyd another appeal of his convictions. By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The Death of Theresa Parker: husband convicted but is he guilty of murder? When none of Christian's friends and family heard from her, they became worried and alerted the authorities. It was days before police found Christians body. The Knoxville News-Sentinel reported, As Christopher lay paralyzed on the ground, the muzzle of a .22-caliber gun was placed against his covered head and fired. In August 2014, the families of the victims were notified that with good behavior, Coleman's sentence was being reduced by 16 days per month of incarceration, making her eligible for parole consideration in October 2014. Stone countered that he and Jennings must prove Boyd knew about Davidson's crimes in order to prove he was an accessory to carjacking. She was, an autopsy indicated, alive while the torture and degradations occurred. Attorneys David Jennings and Stone allege Boyd knew about the fatal carjacking when he allegedly took steps to help Davidson avoid arrest. 10-Years Before Today: Charcoal Cyber criminals Wipe out, Do it yourself Channon Orlando in addition to Captain christopher Newsom. [34][35] She planned on graduating in December 2007. 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. [5] Eric Boyd, who had been serving his sentence of 18 years at Federal Correctional Institution, Beckley, a medium-security prison near Beaver, West Virginia, was potentially eligible for release in 2022, but found guilty on charges of rape and first-degree murder on August 13, 2019. One of the men sprayed bleach down her throat to destroy DNA evidence. The assailants observed Christian and Newsom standing close to Christian's vehicle in an embrace. The next day, a train conductor reported a body near the railroad tracks and 9th Avenue in East Knoxville. He was sexually assaulted and forced to walk barefoot to the railroad tracks, where the thugs shot him in the neck and back. Horror of Christian/Newsom killings in focus: What happened on Chipman Street.Knoxville News-Sentinel, August 24, 2017.https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2017/08/24/archives-horror-christian-newsom-killings-focus-what-happened-chipman-street/597805001/. The front seats were pushed back, and Christian could not have reached the pedals. They then sought help from Christian's mobile phone provider and learned that her phone had last pinged at a Cherry Street phone tower. [9], Boyd finally went to trial on the state charges in August 2019. About twice as many counter-protesters as protestors attended, including the "Coup Cluts Clowns", an activist group which mocks the Ku Klux Klan. [74] He later told police that Cobbins and Thomas arrived at his house at around 10:00 pm on Friday or Saturday and informed him that they had carjacked some people who were in the vehicle. [56] After murdering Newsom, the assailants returned to Davidson's house where they beat and repeatedly raped Christian. [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. Medical examiners concluded they also assaulted him. "They had sex with her, but he choked and killed her. [13][97] On August 26, Cobbins was sentenced to life without parole. He was blindfolded with a bandana and gagged with a sock. 7 January, 2022. Does that make sense to you?" Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan testified that Newsom, 23, was shot and would have been dead when his body was set on fire. Davidson also used Newsom's cellphone and was seen wearing Newsom's shoes. Kicking her time and christopher autopsy report or at this world right above my comments are not edit took the weight. [11][99] In June 2010, Davidson was sentenced to 80 years for other charges related to the murders. Baumgartner ruled that Thomas' phone calls from the jailhouse to his acquaintances were admissible as evidence. and wrote that she 'loved her life!'. [119] "I asked him (Davidson) if he had anything on him as far as a weapon," she said. During sentencing, Judge Baumgartner said the crime was "one of the most incredibly outrageous, cruel and inhumane cases this court has ever seen." 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.. ", 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. autopsy later revealed that Christopher Newsom had been shot three times, once on the right side of the head, once on the right side of the neck, and once in the back. A memorial scholarship is given annually in his name to a graduating Halls High School baseball player. I didn't want to believe it.". [77], Coleman's lawyers argued that she should receive a 20-year sentence, while prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence of nearly 50 years. "He just acted like he didn't know what was going on. Continue with Recommended Cookies. [51][53][54], On January 7, Christian failed to answer calls from her mother and friend. Chris eventually shot to death before being set on fire, and Channon left to die with a plastic bag over her head in a trash can. But Channon's hell was just beginning. [149], After the protest, columnist Leonard Pitts dismissed claims that the crime was under-reported. The fatal shot was fired with the gun's muzzle against his head above his right ear, and it severed his brain stem. She will be up for parole again in 2020. [7][34][154], Channon Christian's father, Gary Christian, speaks at churches proclaiming how, in Spring 2017, he asked God to restore him from his pervasive anger. Shanann's autopsyconcluded that her cause of death was asphyxiation due to manual strangulation. That's all he'd say.". Upon searching the premises, police found Christian and determined the attacks against Christian and Newsom occurred in the house. Police also seized a purse that contained several of Christian's belongings, including her cosmetic bag and change purse. 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