Trial in the Channon Christian - Chris Newsom murders a year away

Eager to find out if the four major defendants in the Channon Christian / Chris Newsom murders are as guilty as they seem? Well, you've got a year to wait.

Twenty-four year old Letalvis Cobbins will lead this merry band of (alleged) rapists and murderers to court on May 12, 2008. His girlfriend, nineteen year old Vanessa Coleman will come next (June 16th), followed by the alleged ringleader, twenty-five year old Lemaricus Davidson (July 14), and the state will conclude with the case against twenty-four year old George Thomas, whose trial begins on August 11th. The fifth defendant, charged only as an accessory after the fact, is, according to Jamie Satterfield of KnoxNews (News Sentinel), likely to be in court later this year.

I'm no lawyer, but I really don't understand the long delay...they've got all the physical evidence from the bodies, of course, and have multiple confessions as these four brainiacs have done nothing but sell each other out since they were apprehended back in January. I'm guessing that this will spur more conspiracy discussion; if they drag the wait out long enough, we'll just forget about it, right? Wrong. We're watching now, and we'll be watching in 2008. I'm sure commentary (including my own) will slow down along with the news, but we'll be back - they can count on that. Maybe this is just standard operating procedure...like I said, I'm no lawyer and I sure don't plan on becoming one. I did, however, do a little research on these crimes in regard to capital punishment. When considering current circumstances in relation to Tennessee law, it does seem that prosecutors are aiming for the death penalty - not a surprise. Several of the charges against the four standing accused are "aggravated" offenses, which the prosecution can use to push for death. Further to that, three of the four defendants have lawyers who are qualified to assist in death penalty cases - and all four have two lawyers, which Tennessee requires in death penalty cases. Unfortunately for the families, should the trials result in a verdict of death the defendants are likely to sit on the Tennessee death row for years, perhaps even decades. State law requires review by the Court of Criminal Appeals and the state Supreme Court. There will, of course, also be appeals, delays, red tape...if convicted, we the taxpayers will be footing the bill for all of that. Nice.

Okay, people - keep checking back. I will continue to comb through the government documents and news reports and post what I feel to be the most pertinent information right here. I also encourage you to flag Satterfield's reports as s/he (Jamie...can't be sure) has been doing a great job of covering this case so far.

Other than that, keep following the case; we need to make sure it's known that inbred white racists in the south aren't the only ones paying attention.

The Channon Christian - Christopher Newsom Murders

On January 7th, 2007, twenty-one year old Channon Christian and twenty-three year old Christopher Newsom left a restaurant in Tennessee after having what would be their last dinner together. While en route to a the home of a friend, the two were carjacked...apparently Channon's 4-Runner wasn't enough, as they were then abducted, raped and murdered.

I've actually spent a disturbing about of time reading true crime reports, and this one was shocking even to me. However, the reader should keep in mind that this information is all coming from local Knoxville papers and interviews - until the actual trial begins, who knows what will continue to change.

Chris was raped first, while Channon was made to watch. After finishing with Chris, the perpetrators allegedly shot him three times, wrapped him in a blanket/comforter, set his body on fire and left him next to some railroad tracks.
Channon was, of course, also raped, although how long it lasted is as yet unclear. Channon's dismembered body was found in their trash can - INSIDE THE HOUSE - by police on Tuesday...tower signals from Channon's cell phone led Knoxville PD right to the shithole.

Evidence tying those currently awaiting trail includes a finger print on an envelope in Channon's car, a lease on the home her body was found in and apparently a confession. Police in Knoxville (who really must be given props for their quick handling of this case) are understandably reticent regarding the details.

Here's the kick: there's quite a bit of controversy regarding the fact that this case hasn't been given any national media attention (I heard about it from snopes.com, which I have as a displayed module on my Yahoo home page). The "problem" is that the five alleged murderers are black, and the two victims were white.


Let me begin by saying that this case makes me rethink my stance on the death penalty. I was - and I remain - so disgusted by this case that I cannot get it out of my mind for more than an hour at a time...I bet that's an hour more than Chris or Channon’s parents. How would you deal with that, knowing that the last hours of your child's life were spent like this? That they were being tortured, humiliated, raped...and, most likely, knowing that when it was over they would die? I understand the fury many people are feeling; I understand the drive for vengeance. I read that Gary Christian, Channon's father, was making shooting gestures at Boyd (one of the alleged perpetrators) while in court...I can't blame him. In fact, that seems quite restrained to me.

Now…time for a reality check. People, this isn't an issue of the national media ignoring a story because it's black on white crime. Seriously you morons, what was the most covered trial in our lifetimes? OJ Who? Hmm.....wasn't that one about a black man who killed a white woman? If the intrigue is there, the media will report it. However, as pointed out by snopes, this story lacks the ratings trifecta: celebrity, mystery or extraordinary sympathy (as we get in crimes against very small children, like JonBenet). The fact is, while these five are awaiting trial, there just isn’t that much news to report. I too hope that the media will pick up a little bit in order to, at the very least, ensure the harshest possible penalty should these five turn out to be as guilty as they seem. One already found an attorney who was willing to fight extradition from Kentucky (where she had fled to), so who knows what they’ll try next. All have entered pleas of not guilty. Pfft.

Still…the racism that has surfaced since this crime has simply amazed me. Though, it is good to see white men finally standing up to say they're just not going to take it anymore! Yeah, white boys - you've been down for so long...glad you're able to exploit the deaths of Channon and Chris in order to vent your vile sentiments. Shut the fuck up - you would have fared well in Montgomery back in ‘54...anymore, not so much.

Man…sometimes I really hate people.

To those of you with a basic level of decency, should you devote any of your own time whatsoever to thinking about this case, let it be in memory of Channon and Christopher. I've had the weirdest thoughts the past week, especially about Channon. I guess since I'm a college student myself, I have a special sympathy for her. I keep thinking of all those tests she took, all those papers she wrote, all that time she spent working on her degree in Sociology - she was a senior at the University of Tennessee - and it was all for nothing. These five people (allegedly) stole Channon's future from her. They stole Chris's future from him. There will be no happy ending to this story.