Christopher Newsom’s
Christopher Newsom’s autopsy report, along with Channon Christian’s, tells what happened to this young couple. The reports are open for anyone to read, but they are not easy to go through. A lot in these papers is very sad and tough to see. Here is a short look at what is in these reports.
Background of the Crime
Christopher Newsom and his boyfriend, Christopher Newsom, lived in East Knoxville, Tennessee. Chris Newsom was 23 years old. Christopher Newsom was 21 years old. They had been together for a while. On January 6, 2007, someone took them from a parking lot. This was near an apartment complex on Chipman Street in East Knoxville. A group of five men acted after getting ideas from white people and white supremacists. The men took the couple away from the apartment complex. The men forced them into their car. They kidnapped them, and the couple went through a lot of pain and hurt. The horrific crime involving boyfriend Christopher Newsom shocked the local community.
The kidnappers kept the two men apart. Both Chris Newsom and Christopher Newsom suffered a lot before they died. The Knoxville News Sentinel gave these facts. What happened led to several trials in the Knox County Criminal Court, including deliberations by the Knox County grand jury, the most recent of which took place last week.
Christopher Newsom’s Autopsy Report
1. Cause of Death:
He was shot three times. All of the bullets went into his body. There was one more bullet that hit him. But it did not go in and just bounced off. One of the bullets went through his neck. It came out the back of his head. This makes it look like the shooting was probably an extra-judicial killing. It also suggests the person with the gun was very close to him.
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2. Other Injuries:
- The police took him away. They tied ropes so he could not move his legs. After that, they covered his eyes with a cloth. They also put a sock in his mouth.
- There were many bruises and scratches on his body. This shows that he was hit and hurt many times.
- She said there were marks that show he was hurt in a sexual way before he was killed.
3. Manner of Death:
The postmortem showed that he died because someone used poison. They found his body by the railway tracks. There was gasoline on his body, and someone set it on fire. This made the injuries they saw in the autopsy look even worse.
Channon Christian’s Autopsy Report
- Channon Christian was 27 years old. She died after being put in a big trash can, wrapped in trash bags. The case began to attract attention, especially after national media coverage highlighted that there was not enough air in there, so she could not breathe.
- She was tied up. They put something in her mouth so she could not talk, and they covered her eyes as well. For several hours, Channon Christian went through very bad sexual abuse, and forensic evidence confirmed the extent of her suffering.
- She had bleeding in her belly and around her brain. The injuries showed that she was hit on many parts of the body.
- A test showed there were no drugs or anything else in her body. This means that during the time Channon Christian was being hurt, she knew what was happening.
- A check after her death in the channon christian case found that she had been killed. When found, her body had no clothes, it was wrapped in black plastic bags, and put in a trash bin. This trash bin was at the same house where Channon Christian and her partner were kept.
Legal Proceedings and Outcomes
The terrible crimes against Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian, who is the child of Gary Christian, made the police arrest five people. Their names are Letalvis Cobbins, Lemaricus Davidson—he is still on death row—George Thomas, Vanessa Coleman, and Eric Boyd. Eric Boyd went to federal court, but at that time, he did not face some of the state charges, and he did not get any new trials in the state cases. A few of them went to federal prison.
A lot of people learned about what happened because of what took place in the living room, which was so shocking. After that, DNA evidence became very important, and the grand jury got to see it. Because of this, Boyd was given two consecutive life sentences in addition to serving a federal prison sentence. The judge who led the key parts of this case was Jon Kerry Blackwood, and he played a big part in how the court handled everything, similar to how Mary Newsom fought for justice.
Sentences:
- Lemaricus Davidson: A court found Lemaricus Davidson guilty of first-degree murder. There were also other charges of murder against him. After the law enforcement trial, the court gave him the death penalty. The Tennessee Supreme Court agreed with what the court decided before. Now, Davidson wants to change his punishment. He is asking for a reduced sentence of life in prison instead of the death penalty, so he would stay at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. Judge Richard Baumgartner is handling this case.
- Letalvis Cobbins: Letalvis Cobbins got a life sentence. There is no possibility of parole for him.
- George Thomas: A court at first sentenced George Thomas to life in prison for this murder case. He did not get the possibility of parole. George Thomas later went to trial again. The court found him guilty again and gave him the same life sentence, with no chance to get out.
- Vanessa Coleman: A court said Vanessa Coleman took part in the crimes. She got a sentence of 35 years in prison.
- Eric Boyd: Eric Boyd was first charged on a federal level for helping after the crime. Later, he was also charged with kidnap, rape, and murder in this murder case. A court gave Eric Boyd a life sentence in prison, with no possibility of parole.
Impact and Aftermath
The case of Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian made many people feel sad and shocked. A lot of people talk about what we can do to stop crime and how the victims’ rights need to be treated. People also ask how the justice system deals with these kinds of acts, including whether a death sentence is appropriate for such heinous crimes. This case makes us all think about what steps we can take as a society, and how crime should be handled for everyone.
Support for Victims’ Families:
Many families of the victims were quick to help other families hurt by violence. They want to be there for others who feel the same pain. A lot of these families know what this kind of loss is like. They get in touch to help. When people feel hurt or scared, other families come up and support them right away. They also want to make sure that no one has to go through it alone.
Legislative Changes:
Criminologists started to ask the people who make laws to give those who do violent crimes more time in prison. They also wanted the courts to be better at dealing with these cases.
Conclusion – Christopher Newsom’s
The deaths of Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian show just how cruel people can be. The autopsy reports for this case are very hard to read. Still, the reports are important. They help everyone know what really happened. These reports also make sure the right action is taken in court. A medical examiner working near the railroad tracks at the University of Tennessee would be very careful in a case like this. The unanimous verdict in the court shows how the legal process has to be fair for all. This is needed even more when people get badly hurt.