Rape, Mutilation and Murder

A Horror Story Hidden from National Attention

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.

The District Attorney General of Knox County later announced the arrests of the following five suspects and the charges they’d face:

Lemaricus “Slim” Davidson, age 25 faces a total of 46 charges. Davidson was indicated on 16 counts of Felony Murder growing out of rape, robbery, kidnapping and theft of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. Two counts premeditated murder of Christian and Newsom, 4 counts especially aggravated kidnapping of Christian and Newsom, 20 counts aggravated rape of Christian and Newsom and 2 counts of theft from Christian and Newsom.

Latalvis “Rome” Cobbins, age 24, faces a total of 46 charges. Cobbins was indicted on 16 counts of Felony Murder growing out of rape, robbery, kidnapping and theft of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. Two counts especially aggravated robbery from Christian and Newsom, 4 counts especially aggravated kidnapping of Christian and Newsom, 20 counts of aggravated rape of Christian and Newsom and 2 counts of theft from Christian and Newsom.

George “Detroit” Thomas, age 24, faces a total of 46 charges. Thomas was indicated on 16 counts of Felony Murder growing out of rape, robbery, kidnapping and theft of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. Two Counts of premeditated murder of Christian and Newsom, 2 counts especially aggravated robbery from Christian and Newsom, 4 counts especially aggravated kidnapping of Christian and Newsom, 20 counts of aggravated rape of Christian and Newsom and 2 counts of theft from Christian and Newsom.

Vanessa Coleman, age 18, faces a total of 40 Tennessee State charges. Coleman was indicated on 12 Counts of Felony Murder growing out of rape, robbery, kidnapping and theft of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. One count premeditated murder of Christian only, 1 count of especially aggravated robbery of Newsom only, 4 counts especially aggravated kidnapping of Christian and Newsom, 20 counts of aggravated rape of Christian and Newsom and 2 counts of theft from Christian and Newsom.

Eric “E” Boyd, age 24, was arrested in connection with the carjacking, but faces only federal charges as an accessory after the fact.

I wasn’t aware of this incident until a friend brought it to my attention May 9th.

Until then I’d never heard even a single comment regarding this brutal crime mentioned by any of our national news media.

We had the death of Anna Nicole Smith shoved down our throats by ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC and FOX News (if we cared to watch) for hours on end over a period of several weeks. I didn’t give a rat’s ass about some overweight, drugged out, has-been bimbo who was apparently willing to crawl into bed with any man who had anything vaguely resembling a pulse. Yet, I couldn’t turn on the television without some new twist in the Anna Nicole saga being discussed. The only victim in this entire matter is the poor baby who was used as a pawn by everyone with dollar signs in their eyes.

Just about the time the Anna Nicole Smith epic was winding down we had Don Imus and the “Nappy headed hos” comment that grabbed headlines around the world. So, for another two or three weeks we were bombarded with cries of insensitivity and racism while Al Sharpton frantically tried to arouse the fires of racial hatred.

Why wasn’t the nation informed of the brutal rape, mutilation and murder of Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian? Was it because they were white and the suspects black? That certainly seems to be the opinion among thousands who have very angrily commented on this case in daily blogs. There are accusations that the press has a double standard when race is a component of crime. One example given was how often do we hear about a suspect wanted for a crime described as a “white male,” but when the suspect is black no mention of race is made? Like it or not, I’ve heard this quite often from the Baltimore and Washington television stations. Though I will also report that I’ve heard the race given when the suspect is black. I don’t know if it’s station policy or the beliefs of particular reporters broadcasting the news when it comes to the offering of a full description of a suspect or not. But, in my opinion, when you air a broadcast and ask the public to provide information regarding a suspect and his or her whereabouts, you should publish the complete description and that includes race—no exceptions.

The murders of Chris Newsom and Channon Christian have brought a firestorm of criticism directed toward the national media and rightly so. There are glaring gaps in the reporting of crimes when race is an issue. We need only to look at Duke University and the accusations leveled against members of the lacrosse team. The media went wild in reporting the alleged rape of a black woman by white team members. The press couldn’t wait to put Duke University, the players, the lacrosse team coach and the white race in general on trial for this reported atrocity. Not only did the press put them on trial, but also convicted everyone involved before all the evidence had been collected and analyzed and the investigation completed. Of course, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton couldn’t wait to jump in front of any and all cameras available and go on the attack. This was their moment to shine once again by standing tall for the rights of the “victim” and scream racism. They had the privileged white boys of Duke in their sights and were going to mow them, their families and friends down. And seizing the opportunity to hype his political aspirations was District Attorney Mike Nifong. He declared the players guilty and the media was damn near choking on their exuberance to build the gallows and braid the hangman’s noose. Plastered on every televised news report and on the front page of every newspaper across the nation are the photographs and names of the accused players. By God, there’s a good old fashioned lynching brewing and those privileged white boys are gonna be hangin’ by their rich necks. Oops. It seems somebody forgot the evidence. You know, the proof needed to confirm beyond a reasonable doubt the guilt of the accused players. Crystal Gail Mangum, the alleged victim of the rape, had seven different DNA samples on her body and clothing and none of the DNA belonged to even one of the Duke Lacrosse players. The repercussions from the false allegation of rape by Mangum are still reverberating throughout the entire community. But media attention dwindled to almost nothing very quickly when the “race card” died and there was nothing left for them to sensationalize. To the lacrosse players and Duke University the media said, “screw you and the fact that we did our best to ruin your reputations. Our ratings skyrocketed and that’s all that matters.”

As far as the rape, mutilation and murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom, some in the media are saying this case doesn’t represent a hate crime. Well, it sure as hell doesn’t symbolize a night of love and bonding between the young couple and those who butchered them. Was the cutting off of Chris’ penis an act of human kindness? Was the cutting off of Channon’s breast and pouring bleach down her throat an act of compassion and love? This was pure hatred, nothing less. How could any person of sound mind and thinking look at this case and say with absolute certainty that hate wasn’t involved in the commission of the atrocities against Christian and Newsom?

Reading over dozens of pages on the Christian and Newsom murders and other cases I noted many angry comments one of which said the media has a recent history of “blacking out” certain news stories when race is involved. The Wichita Massacre was referenced as one of these. The Carr brothers executed four white victims, after forcing them to kneel naked in a frozen field in Kansas. A fifth intended victim lived when a bullet fired toward her head knocked her unconscious instead of killing her. She was able to identify her attackers who were arrested and charged with other violent crimes as well.

Yet, their vicious crimes were treated to a media “black out.” Here cries of bias are raised because the murder of James Byrd, a black man, dragged to death by three white men received top media billing. But the Byrd case was only one of the examples used to point out the disparity in reporting.

I won’t attempt to write a lengthy commentary on this issue. Instead I’ll refer you to the various web sites that can be found detailing all of these cases. You need only enter the names Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom to open the dozens of sites and blogs that tell of and talk about these crimes. But be forewarned that you will find some shocking and sickening incidents of violence. And maybe your views will be similar to mine after you read about these events—the perpetrators, white and black, are indeed a subhuman culture and should be erased permanently from society. They should become nothing more than a bad memory in a faded photograph.

I’ve always believed the motto “No one is above the law, nor is anyone below it.” I’ve held a belief that the law was and is for everyone, regardless of race, religion or ethnic background and when it comes to crime and justice everyone should be treated equally. I don’t care if a person accused of a crime is considered privileged because of wealth and fame or they’re from a row home in the city, the law should apply equally.

I feel the same about media coverage of crimes. If you’re going to beat the drums

loudly, point fingers and cry racism or hate, do it without bias. Bang your drums and point your fingers, but make sure you cover all races with equal fervor. When the media tires to play the game of “politically correct” by concealing facts regarding the race of suspects in a case, they are guilty of inciting racial prejudice. We can find enough of that in our society without the media further fanning the flames of bigotry.

Maybe Doctor Martin Luther King said it best. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

UPDATE 7-14-07

This post is getting a ton of attention so I figured I would update it with what’s new.  Which isn’t a whole lot.  The killers attorneys appeared in court five days ago:

Attorneys for the four suspects in the brutal rape and murder of a Knoxville couple appeared in court Monday.

Lemaricus Davidson; his brother, Letalvis Cobbins; and George Thomas were indicted on 46 counts, including first-degree murder.

Vanessa Coleman was indicted on 40 counts, also including murder, in connection with the deaths of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom.

The suspects won’t be in court until July 30th and only one trial date has been set so far.  That one is for Letalvis Cobbins and the date for that one is May 12th, 2008.

UPDATE 8-08-23

I saw this story somewhere and decided to look into what the outcome of the trials were:

Trials

The four suspects indicted in Knox County were originally scheduled to be tried separately, at trials scheduled between May and August 2008. However, the trial date for the subjects indicted in Knox County was moved back to 2009 in February 2008. In an apparent attempt to force the prosecution to try the case with the least forensic evidence first, the attorneys for Thomas filed a motion for a speedy trial, arguing there was no forensic link between their client and the crime scene. Thomas was granted the motion and was scheduled to go on trial on August 11. Judge Baumgartner ruled that Thomas’ phone calls made from the jailhouse to his acquaintances were admissible as evidence.

District Attorney Randy Nichols announced that the state would seek the death penalty for both Cobbins (the first to go to trial) and Coleman if convicted. Davidson was also indicted for a second robbery which was committed after the murders. The publicity against the accused led the defense to argue that a change of venue was required in order to ensure a fair trial. However, the state argued that an impartial jury could be found during voir dire, and the presiding judge subsequently denied the motion as “premature”.

Verdicts

On April 16, 2008, Eric Boyd was found guilty in Federal court of being an accessory to a fatal carjacking and for failing to report the location of a known fugitive. Boyd’s was the first case to go to trial, and he was the only suspect not charged with murder. He was sentenced to the maximum of 18 years in Federal prison. He is currently incarcerated at Beckley FCI.

On August 25, 2009, Letalvis D. Cobbins was found guilty of the murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. Cobbins faced the possibility of the death penalty because he was convicted of first degree felony murder in the murder of Christian. He was found guilty of facilitation of murder for Newsom but he was acquitted of Newsom’s rape. The jurors worked about 10 hours Monday and on Tuesday morning before reaching a verdict. They never asked Judge Richard Baumgartner any questions during their deliberations. On August 26, Cobbins was sentenced to life without parole.

On October 28, 2009, Lemaricus Devall Davidson was found guilty on all counts. He was found not guilty on three counts of the aggravated rape of Christopher Newsom but was found guilty of the lesser included charges of facilitation of rape. The sentencing hearing began on October 29, 2009 at 9am EST. The sentence hearing ended the next day October 30, 2009 at approx 3pm EST when a jury, after deliberating approx 3 hours, sentenced Lemaricus Davidson to death on 4 of the conviction counts.

On December 8, 2009, George Thomas was found guilty on all counts, including the ones the other defendants were acquitted of despite his case being based solely on circumstantial evidence and testimony. The sentencing hearing began December 8th, 2009 and ended on December 10th, 2009 at approx 10:45 am EST when the jury, after approx 3 hours of deliberation, returned a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole on each of the 4 capital convictions.

The convictions of Boyd, Cobbins, Davidson and Thomas left Vanessa Coleman as the last defendant to face trial. Coleman’s case is complicated by the fact that, while she was granted immunity by federal authorities for testimony in the federal case on the car-jacking, the state courts have ruled that the federal grant of immunity does not extend to the state charges on murder and rape. On May 13, 2010, Coleman was acquitted of first degree murder but found guilty on lesser charges. On July 30, 2010, she was sentenced to 53 years behind bars.

Tennessee Supreme Court denies appeal in 2007 Knox County torture slayings

The Tennessee Supreme Court this week shot down an appeal bid by the fifth and final suspect to be convicted in the 2007 torture slayings of a Knox County couple.

The high court’s decision–made public late Monday–to deny Eric Boyd another appeal of his convictions effectively ends what was a 12-year quest by the families of slaying victims Channon Christian, 21, and Christopher Newsom, 23, to put him behind bars in the killings.

…Davidson and three others–Letalvis Cobbins, Davidson’s brother; Vanessa Coleman, Cobbins’ girlfriend; and George Thomas, Cobbins’ friend–each admitted they were inside the Chipman Street house while the couple was being held captive, but all denied any active role in the crimes.

All four were indicted in the slayings and underlying crimes, including rape and kidnapping. Davidson, Cobbins and Thomas were convicted of all crimes committed against the couple, while Coleman was acquitted of crimes involving Newsom and deemed a facilitator only in the crimes committed against Christian.

Davidson is now on death row. Cobbins is serving life without parole. Coleman is serving 35 years.

Thomas was serving a 127-year sentence in the case–until he secretly agreed in 2018 to testify against Boyd in return for a 50-year sentence. Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen then did what her predecessor refused for years to do–seek a murder indictment against Boyd.

Thomas’ agreement to testify came as the direct result of lobbying by Newsom’s parents, Hugh and Mary Newsom. Newsom’s parents had long believed it was Boyd who raped their son, put a dog collar around his neck and forced him to walk barefoot to nearby railroad tracks, where he was then executed. They enlisted the help of a private investigator, repeatedly begged prosecutors for an indictment and directly appealed to both Cobbins and Thomas to turn on their co-defendants.