GUILTY TN - Chris Newsom, 23, & Channon Christian, 21, murdered, Knoxville, 6 Jan 2007 #20

[RayStar]

Now this mess with the judge is just down right awful.

 

[iluvmua]

If I 4 get new trials...... I hope this case finally gets the attention it so deserves.

I would love 48 Hours, Dateline, 20/20 to do a story on Channon & Chris' heartbreaking death.

I think this is far from over....... and eventually all 4 will get new trials and hopefully get what they so deserve which is the DP.

 

[iluvmua]

Update: the Defendants in the Christian/Newsom case have until September 30 to file new motions in order to get a new trial; none of them have yet to do so.

There is one defendant who is seeking a new trial (unrelated to the Christian/Newsom case).

 

[JeannaT]

It seems unjust that this hate crime, carried out by white jerks, was given national attention on CNN and the Christian/Newsome case was ignored by national media.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/20/justice/mississippi-hate-crime-charge/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

 

[iluvmua]

It seems unjust that this hate crime, carried out by white jerks, was given national attention on CNN and the Christian/Newsome case was ignored by national media.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/20/justice/mississippi-hate-crime-charge/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

I think it was partially ignored by the MSM is because of what Channon & Chris had to endure.

of course all murders are going to have gore to some extent, this one just happens to have a lot of very graphic gore.

I have know idea why this case was virtually swept under the rug........

 

[iluvmua]

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/oct/06/judge-tbi-file-on-baumgartner-will-be-included/

 

[HMSHood]

All the scumbags who killed Chris Newsom and Channon Christian deserve the worst spot in Hell along with 9/11 Terrorists and Adolf Hitler. :furious:

 

[iluvmua]

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/oct/15/attorney-in-carjack-slayings-says-trial-flawed/

 

[darnudes]

The right people are in prison (nearly all of them) what purpose would new trials serve?

I hope the sentances stand and this is the end of it.

 

[joe jones]

http://www.volunteertv.com/news/headlines/131892008.html

some of them back in court, I wonder what Vanessas lawyers want to speak to the journalist about

and I would love to read the report on the Judge and his drug activities,

 

[PrairieWind]

Impossible at this point to know where this will go. Davidson has nothing to lose by seeking a retrial, and I dont think Thomas probably does either. But I think Coleman and Cobbins will have to think long and hard about this. While a new trial could work to their benefit, it could also leave them with worse sentences.

 

[SuziQ]

Reporter Matt Lakin and photographer Michael Patrick's "Pill Sick: The series."
Tennessee's most damaging drugs now come from a pharmacy safe instead of a street corner. Prescription narcotics initially dispensed under the control of doctors and druggists dominate most deals on the street.
An investigation by the News Sentinel found:
- Pills prescribed to relieve anxiety and chronic pain have mostly replaced crack, methamphetamine and heroin among hard-core drug addicts. Dealers boast of profits higher than 2,000 percent.
- A new generation of dealers has replaced the stereotypical drug pusher with faces as familiar as the grandpa next door.
- Prescription drugs of every kind pour daily across state lines into East Tennessee. A doctor's signature translates into a license to carry pills.
- New time-release formulas meant to prevent abuse of painkillers haven't stopped addicts. They simply switch to new drugs and new methods.
- A statewide task force relies on a volunteer staff and zero public funding to coordinate training and support for overworked local agencies.
- Accidental drug overdoses — almost all due to abuse of prescription drugs — have become a leading cause of death across East Tennessee, dwarfing homicide and car wrecks and rivalling natural causes in some communities. Dealers who provide the deadly dose typically go unpunished.
- Rural East Tennessee counties consistently report higher drug-induced death rates than cities 20 times their size do. Local coroners and medical examiners believe even those numbers undercount deaths due to flaws in the state's reporting methods.
- Millions of dollars spent on drug-prevention education haven't stopped teenagers and younger children from experimenting with narcotics. Some kids get their first high from pills stolen out of Mom's medicine cabinet.
- Babies born addicted to painkillers crowd hospital maternity wards, creating new challenges for doctors in an unexplored field — and new dilemmas for parents still hooked on the same drugs.

Pill Sick: The series
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/nov/02/pillpromo/

Day One

• Tennessee drug task force waging lonely war on Rx diversion
• Law enforcement battling to cut off pain drug pipeline
• Drug war's new front makes for unlikely targets
• Living for the needle: Addict's life a daily, desperate struggle
• Prescription pills are East Tennessee's 'new crack'
• A year of pills: Drugs leave trail of damage, crime
• Summary findings from the News Sentinel investigation into the pill trade

Day Two

• Dying to get high: East Tennessee choking on accidental drug overdoses
• Who's counting? State, local drug death tallies don't add up
• Drug death hits close to home
• Ricky Lee Clark case shows difficult of prosecuting suspects
• Prosecuting overdose cases requires cultural change
• Pharmacide: Every 17 days, overdoses kill in Roane County

Day Three

• New life, new beginning: Center offers addicted moms second chance
• Drug-addicted babies difficult to treat
• Parents work to spread word of drug dangers
• Generation Oxy: Pills attract, addict teens

 

[iluvmua]

Can't believe it's been almost 5 years.

they should not have new trials because as I understand it, all 4 of them will get the exact same sentence or they will get less time.

LD will still get the DP and I think the other 3 will be getting the same sentence they originally got but I'm not sure about that.

what I'm more concerned about is why Dateline, 20/20 & 48 Hours Mystery have not touched this story with a ten foot pole.

 

[PrairieWind]

I'm pretty sure if there are retrials that slim would still get the DP. I however would not be surprised that Cobbins could also get a death sentence this time around. Thomas would probably still get life. Vanessa.... who knows. I think she was likely far more involved in the injuries to Channon than she portrayed, but the evidence is thin. Her best option would have been to testify against the others as part of a deal. But I dont know if any deal was offered or if she would accept if it was.

 

[PrairieWind]

http://www.volunteertv.com/news/headlines/131892008.html

some of them back in court, I wonder what Vanessas lawyers want to speak to the journalist about

and I would love to read the report on the Judge and his drug activities,

Vanessa potentially has the most to gain, and the most to lose, from retrials. She could find herself with a life sentence. However, if ALL are retried, should could try to made a plea deal in exchange for testimony.

 

[iluvmua]

I'm pretty sure if there are retrials that slim would still get the DP. I however would not be surprised that Cobbins could also get a death sentence this time around. Thomas would probably still get life. Vanessa.... who knows. I think she was likely far more involved in the injuries to Channon than she portrayed, but the evidence is thin. Her best option would have been to testify against the others as part of a deal. But I dont know if any deal was offered or if she would accept if it was.

Was Vanessa the one who was suspected of repeatedly kicking Channon in her private area? or did the others take part as well?

 

[iluvmua]

A hearing has been scheduled for December 1 to argue motions for retrials.

 

[iluvmua]

I'm pretty sure if there are retrials that slim would still get the DP. I however would not be surprised that Cobbins could also get a death sentence this time around. Thomas would probably still get life. Vanessa.... who knows. I think she was likely far more involved in the injuries to Channon than she portrayed, but the evidence is thin. Her best option would have been to testify against the others as part of a deal. But I dont know if any deal was offered or if she would accept if it was.

I'm thinking your right, esp. since there is hardly any evidence tying him to the rapes/torture/murders of Channon & Chris.

 

[PrairieWind]

Was Vanessa the one who was suspected of repeatedly kicking Channon in her private area? or did the others take part as well?

Exactly how and by whom those injuries were inflicted was never ascertained as far as I recall. Personally, just based on my own speculation, I thought it more likely that those injuries were inflicted by Vanessa than by one of the men. But whoever inflicted those injuries, they didnt do it without help from others.

 

[LancelotLink]

Murder ReTrial Hearing Today at 9AM.
http://www.wate.com/category/200206/live-coverage
From WATE
Special Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood will hear arguments Thursday and Friday by lawyers representing the defendants in the January 2007 slayings of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. The defendants, Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins, George Thomas and Vanessa Coleman, are asking for new trials based on evidence showing the judge who heard their cases bought prescription painkillers from a felon. Former Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner resigned after hearing the four separate trials of the defendants.

Davidson is currently serving time on death row. Thomas and Cobbins were sentenced to life without parole. Coleman was sentenced to 53 years for her role in the murders. 6 News is presenting the hearing in streaming video while court is in session.