TN - Chris Newsom, 23, & Channon Christian, 21, murdered, Knoxville, 6 Jan 2007 #8

[Muffet]

Price cross-examining the professional witness - mitigation specialist.

Gutter was born June 13, 1981... lived with Nell (his mother) and aunt Rose.

1983 Rose petitions for custody.

She gets full custody, but lets him stay with Nell at times.

Age 8, he moves to Milwaulkee to live w/.. rosie.

Comes back and lives in Memphis w/ his mother...

5th grade, w/ Nell

6th w/Aunt Rosie...

 

[lizzybeth]

Price couldn't spell Milwaukee so he said he would just use WI for Wisconsin. People in the courtroom laughed.

 

[jnTexas]

Sorry missed it, what was the levity moment, the 'comic relief?' Sudden outburst of laughter in the court.

arrot:

I think he was trying to spell the town in WI and said lets just call it WI.

 

[Muffet]

Sorry missed it, what was the levity moment, the 'comic relief?' Sudden outburst of laughter in the court.

arrot:

Witness corrected his spelling of Milwaukee... he tried to get it right, couldn't, then said, "Let's just say 'Wisconsin.'"

 

[jnTexas]

So I guess the defense is going to blame this on Moma and Auntie!! GRRR!!!

The changing of schools is BS! Military kids change schools all the time.

 

[lizzybeth]

Does anyone know where Price is going with this?

 

[Muffet]

I've lost track of the timeline, but Aunt Rose died when he was 15..

He moved to a group home when he was 16 1/2... Jan '98. Stayed there 11 months.

Goes to live with the Roads' - foster parents who had him until Feb 2000, when he was 18 1/2.

At 19, he gets sent to prison for ag robbery.

 

[lonetraveler]

Sorry missed it, what was the levity moment, the 'comic relief?' Sudden outburst of laughter in the court.

arrot:

I heard laughter too but missed why, I was busy trying to find out why my smoke alarm was beeping..............

 

[Muffet]

Davidson and someone else told her he was sexually abused. But he reported no problems as a result of it.

Davidson loved Rose, but loved his mother more.

Rose was a great caregiver, but had her hands full... religious lady, took him to church... strict disciplinarian, but no abuse...

 

[Muffet]

IQ was low normal. Bad grades in school, esp w/ reading & math... developmental reading d/o - needed math tutoring..

Wasn't solely a result of IQ.

 

[lovelabs]

I heard laughter too but missed why, I was busy trying to find out why my smoke alarm was beeping..............

Maybe your smoke alarm needs a new battery. Mine does that when it needs a new one.

 

[Muffet]

Group home was religious, boys 12-18, mixed race, very strict and structured, but with lots of love.

It was a real home, boys had their bedrooms (maybe shared some)- treated like family.

They liked Davidson - "dad" said he was most athletically gifted kid he'd ever seen... the "mother" said he had a good heart and soul...

Lots of religious instrction - became a leader at the Bible study group...

well behaved at group home...

 

[lizzybeth]

Dang! His childhood sounds better than mine.

 

[meggers]

Looks like the defense's plan backfired...

 

[Muffet]

After Group Home, he was taken in by Rudds (I can't get name right)... they wanted him to be part of their family...

Took him to games...

He went to a private Christian school...

He got tutoring...

Went to church...

Played sports... was a star on football team...

Coach pointed to LD, said "this is what we look for," as a good example of player...

His foster bro said LD was fun & involved w/ people and had incredible ability to fit in...

 

[Muffet]

Foster mother said she thought he'd be able to grad college, w/ football scholarship and tutoring..

 

[Muffet]

He had to leave because...

Although the Ruds tried to control him, they couldn't 24/7... and they found pot in his room...

We're now at May 2000... he's 18... so he was out of control of DCS...

So coach agreed to take him in and get him an $8 / hr job diggin fenceposts... this was June..

In september, he got the aggravated robbery charge.

 

[kiki the parrot]

I think the admission of LD's having been sexually abused as a boy only lends credence to the jury's contention that LD played some role or IMO likely responsible for rape of Chris. Like every form of abuse, that's learned.

arrot:

 

[PrairieWind]

Certainly looks like Slim had a great opportunity to turn his life around. But instead decided to throw it away. Also, his ability to charm some people in conjuntion with his ruthless violence would sure seem to indicate anti-social personality traits; sociopath.

 

[Muffet]

While in prison, he was "good".. but there were infractions...

Tampering w/ sec equip - put a block to stop security door from closing...

Several times caught w/Pot..

Twice for being "Out of place"

...found w/ drug paraphernalia... antidepressants...

Something about a sheet she didn't understand...