George Thomas,Murder:Channon Christian,Chris Newsom 8/08
UPDATE: New suspect, new charges in Knoxville double murder By: Katie Allison Granju, Producer Date created: 2/1/2007 11:55:39 AM Last updated: 2/1/2007 11:04:49 PM Four of the suspects in the deaths of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom are now facing state charges. Knox County District Attorney General Randy Nichols released the 46-count indictment late Thursday. "We're about to embark on our best efforts to see that this case moves to trial on the first day that it is set," Nichols said. "We will be prepared, and we anticipate putting our best foot forward and seeking conviction on every count levied in this indictment." Last month, police say Christian and Newsom were carjacked, kidnapped and murdered. Newsom's shot and burned body was found near railroad tracks off Cherry Street. Days later, Christian's body was found inside a Chipman Street house. The three male suspects -- Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins, George Thomas -- are facing 46 counts each in the indictment. They are: - 16 counts of felony murder, which carries possible penalties of death, life without parole or life with parole. - 2 counts of premeditated murder, which carries possible penalties of death, life without parole or life with parole. - 2 counts of aggravated robbery, a Class A felony carrying a possible penalty of 15 to 60 years. - 4 counts of aggravated kidnapping, a Class A felony carrying a possible penalty of 15 to 60 years. - 20 counts aggravated rape of Christian and Newsom, a Class A felony carrying a possible penalty of 15 to 60 years. - 2 counts theft. The latest suspect, 18-year-old Vanessa Coleman, was arrested Wednesday night in Lebanon, Ky. She is the woman who was identified in search warrants as saying she saw Channon Christian alive in the Chipman Avenue house where her body was eventually found last month. Coleman also allegedly told investigators she saw Christian's mouth being washed out with some sort of household cleaning solution. Coleman additionally said she saw blood-stained clothing that smelled like gasoline being placed in the house's washing machine. Coleman is facing 40 counts in the indictment. They are: - 12 counts felony murder, carrying possible penalties of death, life without parole or life with parole. - 1 count premeditated murder in the death of Channon Christian, carrying possible penalties of death, life without parole or life with parole. - 1 count aggravated robbery of Chris Newsom, a Class A felony carrying a possible penalty of 15 to 60 years. - 4 counts aggravated kidnapping, a Class A felony carrying a possible penalty of 15 to 60 years. - 20 counts aggravated rape of Christian and Newsom, a Class A felony carrying a possible penalty of 15 to 60 years. - 2 counts theft. Vanessa Coleman is expected to be extradited to Tennessee within one week. All of the suspects are expected to be arraigned on the new charges within seven to 10 days. District Attorney General Randy Nichols says he does not yet know whether he'll seek the death penalty. The other suspect, Eric Boyd, is not named in the indictment. However, he is still facing federal charges of being an accessory to a crime. Davidson, Cobbins and Thomas also are facing federal charges. http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=41845

Fed. charges may be dropped in Knoxville double murder case February 8, 2007 By ERICA ESTEP 6 News Reporter KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- A judge may clear the way for quicker murder trials by dismissing federal charges against 3 suspects in the double murder of a Knoxville couple. Prosecutors made the request in court Thursday before federal magistrate Judge Bruce Guyton. He will rule on it at a later date. The dismissal request involves the charges against Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins and George Thomas. They face charges of carjacking, possessing ammunition as a felon and being an accessory. That would allow the state to prosecute the murder, rape and kidnapping charges more quickly. Federal charges against a fourth suspect, Eric Boyd, will not be dismissed. He's charged as an accessory to the murders. But Boyd is not charged by Knox County in the case. The other three men are charged in Knox County with the murders, as well as a woman, Vanessa Coleman, said to be Cobbins' girlfriend. Also, Thursday the federal judge designated the case against Davidson, Cobbins Thomas as complex. That allowed attorneys for the three to ask that the March 28 trial date be delayed. Eric Boyd's case was also designated as complex and his trial date has been pushed back to July 9. The location of the carjacking that began the series of charges in the investigation and why it happened is still being kept quiet. The murdered couple was last seen on a date on the night of January 6. They were carjacked by sometime early the next morning. Christopher Newsom's body was found the next day. It was bound, shot and burned, along the railroad tracks near 9th Ave. Investigators say Newsom's body smelled of gasoline. Channon Christian's body was found three days after the couple disappeared. Investigators say it was in a large plastic garbage can in Davidson's house on Chipman Street. Her body was in five separate dark trash bags. There was evidence that Christian had been bound, physically assaulted and raped. Also, the Knox County medical examiner found apparent carpet fibers in her hair. Vanessa Coleman told investigators she was at the Chipman Street house while Christian was being held there. She said she witnessed Christian's mouth being cleaned with a bottle of some type of cleaner. Coleman also told investigators she saw clothes that were stained with blood and smelled of gas being put in the washing machine at the house. http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=6057763&nav=menu7_2

Christian, Newsom murder suspects in court By: Katie Allison Granju, Producer By: Yvette Martinez, Reporter Date created: 2/20/2007 12:30:48 PM Last updated: 2/20/2007 11:28:18 PM Three of the four suspects charged for the murder of a young Knox County couple faced a Knoxville judge Tuesday. Vanessa Coleman is still in Federal custody in Kentucky. Brothers, Lemaricus Davidson and Letalvis Cobbins were arraigned for the rapes and murders of Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian. George Thomas was also in court, but questions about a conflict of interest for his court appointed attorney postponed his arraignment. "We don't need to have that at this time, let's get the representation cleared up then we won't have a problem," Assistant District Attorney, Bill Crabtree said. Prosecuting Attorney Bill Crabtree works with investigator John Harwell in the District Attorney's office, so he does not want John's brother Ralph Harwell to defend George Thomas in what could become a capital murder case. "Mr. Crabtree today believes that in this case if the stakes are raised to, if they give the death penalty notice, and that causes a lot of litigation he's afraid it could cause a problem. I understand his thinking, it just has not ever occurred to me," Attorney Ralph Harwell said. Earlier this month, charges for defendants Davidson, Cobbins and Thomas were dismissed in Federal Court turning it over to State Prosecution. Attorney Don Bosch explains why. "The Federal Authorities are going to look very carefully at whether or not the interest of justice can be met by State Prosecution and if the answer is typically yes than often the Federal Authorities will step aside and allow the State to prosecute. With that being said the Feds could still bring their charges back if they feel that justice was not served at the state level." Davidson, Cobbins and Thomas all face a multitude of charges including 16 counts each of felony murder and 20 counts each of aggravated rape. "The number of counts of rape has no correlation to the number of rapes that necessarily occurred. It just outlines each and every way that a rape might be possible or might have occurred. They won't be able to convict on all of those counts but they will have a selection from those counts to choose from," Bosch said. Judge Baumgartner expects to arraign George Thomas when Vanessa Coleman is extradited from Kentucky. In two weeks, he will also decide if Ralph Harwell will be removed as Thomas' attorney. All the defendants are expected to be back in court for a status hearing on May 17th. http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=42504

More Evidence As Christian-Newsom Murder Suspects Appear In Court Posted: 11:25 AM Oct 11, 2007 Last Updated: 8:52 PM Oct 11, 2007 Reporter: Rob Pratt Knoxville (WVLT) -- They stand accused of one of the most disturbing crimes in recent memory. On Thursday, the four suspects in the car-jacking and murder of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom were back in court. Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins, George Thomas and Vanessa Coleman appeared before the judge to learn about the latest development in the case. Attorneys for the four suspects were supposed to have all of the state's evidence by now, but on Thursday morning, new evidence was still pouring in, causing a delay. Accused murderer George Thomas was the first of four to enter the courtroom. He was followed by Lemaricus Davidson, Vanessa Coleman and Letalvis Cobbins. One at a time, each suspect heard the latest developments in the case. It was supposed to be the deadline for the state to provide all evidence to defense attorneys, but the prosecutor still needs more time. “We received two more banker's boxes yesterday afternoon from the federal authorities,” said Attorney General Randy Nichols. “We have been most diligent in our discovery efforts, but it is voluminous." With two boxes of evidence ending up in prosecutor's hands just yesterday, none of the four defense attorneys made any objections to the state's request for more time. Judge Richard Baumgartner set the new deadline to January 10. That will fall exactly a year and three days after a railroad worker found Chris Newsom's body along the tracks between Ninth and Cherry Streets. It would be another two days before Channon Christian’s body was found two blocks away in a rental home on Chipman Street. Once defense attorneys receive the evidence they will begin filing motions. DNA evidence is expected to play a role in the case and defense experts will have plenty of work ahead of them. While the judge had no problem extending the discovery deadline, he made it clear that he wants the trials to take place on the current schedule if at all possible. Cobbins trial is set to go May 12th followed by Davidson’s on May 19th, Coleman’s on June 16 and Thomas’s on August 11, 2008. One of the suspects was arraigned on a new charge this morning. Davidson now faces charges in a separate robbery case. The state has filed a motion to have that case consolidated with the murder trial. Davidson's lawyer said he would need time to respond to that motion. http://www.volunteertv.com/home/headlines/10455687.html

First Christian-Newsom case in state court set for August By Jamie Satterfield (Contact) Originally published 10:20 a.m., May 15, 2008 Updated 10:20 a.m., May 15, 2008 George "Detroit" Thomas got his new trial date this morning: Aug. 11. His will be the first in a series of death-penalty cases against the four people accused in the January 2007 slayings of 21-year-old Channon Christian and her 23-year-old boyfriend, Christopher Newsom. Thomas petitioned the court for a speedy trial, a request granted by Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner last month, and the trial was set this morning. Thomas' lawyers, Tom Dillard and Steve Johnson, aren't asking for the trial to be moved out of Knox County, so they will at least attempt to seat a jury here. Letalvis "Rome" Cobbins; his girlfriend, Vanessa Coleman; his brother, Lemaricus "Slim" Davidson; and Thomas are accused in the carjacking abduction of Christian and Newsom, who were taken to a house on Chipman Street, off Cherry Street in northeast Knoxville, where both were raped and tortured before they were slain. District Attorney Leland Price last year announced the state's preferred trial lineup: Cobbins first, then Coleman, then Davidson, and finally Thomas. All had 2008 trial dates until Price filed notice against each suspect of the state's intent to seek the death penalty. That move prompted immediate bids for trial delays from Cobbins, Coleman and Davidson, all of whom then had only one defense attorney each. The law requires defendants in death-penalty cases to have a second attorney skilled in capital-case work. Thomas argued he already had two attorneys, since Johnson was working on the case as a member of Dillard's firm although he wasn't yet being paid by taxpayers, and he invoked his right to a speedy trial. Dillard contended that the state sought tactical advantage in its proposed trial lineup. Prosecutors have conceded they have no DNA evidence linking Thomas to the crimes. Coleman gave authorities a detailed statement that puts her at the crime scene, and there is DNA evidence linking Cobbins and Davidson to the rapes. More details as they develop online and in Friday's News Sentinel. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/may/15/first-christian-newsom-case-state-court-set-august/

Judge: Recordings can be used in fatal carjackings case By Jamie Satterfield (Contact) Originally published 12:15 p.m., June 25, 2008 Updated 12:15 p.m., June 25, 2008 Knox County prosecutors today revealed they will be using jail-house conversations against a suspect accused in the fatal 2007 double carjacking of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. At a hearing before Knox County Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner, Assistant District Attorney Takisha Fitzgerald confirmed that the state has collected 12 recordings of phone calls made by George Thomas soon after his arrest. She did not reveal the contents but by indicating the state's plan to use them as evidence she suggested they were incriminating. Thomas is to stand trial Aug. 11 and faces the threat of the death penalty. Defense attorneys Tom Dillard and Steve Johnson are trying to block the state from using the phone call recordings. "They have created a system that is likely to obtain statements from defendants," Johnson argued, referencing the county jail phone recording system. All inmates' phone calls are recorded, and inmates are advised of that both in writing and on placards placed above the jail phones. Fitzgerald countered that inmates are aware their chats may be used against them. "No one induced the defendant to talk on the phone or to talk about this case," she said. Baumgartner said the recording system is designed not to glean evidence for the state but to allow the jail to monitor any threats or escape attempts that might be plotted over the phone. The system, the judge ruled, does not entice a defendant to confess and therefore is not a violation of Thomas' right to counsel. "The defendant has no obligation to talk on the telephone," the judge said. Baumgartner is considering several other motions today in the run-up to Thomas' trial. Thomas is the first of four defendants to face trial and a possible death sentence in the January 2007 slayings of Christian, 21, and Newsom, her 23-year-old boyfriend. Thomas' co-defendants are Letalvis "Rome" Cobbins; his girlfriend, Vanessa Coleman; and his brother, Lemaricus "Slim" Davidson. Prosecutors allege the four were involved in a carjacking abduction that led to Christian and Newsom being taken to house on Chipman Street, off Cherry Street in northeast Knoxville, where both were raped and tortured before they were slain. More details as they develop online and in Thursday's News Sentinel. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jun/25/judge-recordings-can-be-used-fatal-carjackings-cas/