Christian-Newsom Murders: Judge Warns Family about Comments to Defense Lawyers
A Knox County judge this afternoon threatened to remove relatives of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom from the courtroom if they make any more derogatory comments to or about attorneys representing alleged ringleader Lemaricus Davidson.
“I understand that during the recess one of the Newsom family (members) addressed themselves to Mr. (Doug) Trant in a derogatory manner,” Judge Richard Baumgartner said.
“Ladies and gentelmen, I will not tolerate that. They are officers of the court. This is their obligation.” The judge went on to say that he also had been told that relatives of Christopher Newsom and Channon Christian had criticized Trant and co-counsel David Eldridge in broadcast media interviews.
“If you want to go home and talk about them in your living room have at it,” he said. “You’re not to do that in this court or on the air waves. You will not be allowed to be in this courtroom if you do that.”
In addition to a courtroom full of the victims’ families, Lemaricus Davidson is by choice facing a panel of jurors who are from Knoxville and familiar with details of the case.
Newsom was raped, beaten, bound and blindfolded, forced to walk barefoot across gravel, shot execution-style and his body set on fire. Christian was kept alive for hours, repeatedly raped by more than one suspect, beaten and kicked, forced to swallow some unknown cleaning fluid, hog-tied and left to die slowly from suffocation inside a trash can.
The jury that convicted Davidson’s brother Letalvis Cobbins last month for the same crime was brought in from Davidson County.
Davidson also faces prosecutors armed with a mountain of forensic evidence linking Davidson to the crimes. Forensic testing yielded Davidson’s fingerprints on many of the couple’s belongings and his DNA on Christian’s clothing and inside her battered body.
Defense attorneys David Eldridge and Doug Trant have kept their strategy, including the reasoning behind demanding a local jury, close to the vest. However today during opening statements Davidson’s defense made clear that they will seek to blame Letalvis Cobbins, George Thomas and Cobbins’ girlfriend Vanessa Coleman.
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Read complete trial coverage by Jamie Satterfield at knoxnews.com:
I am crushed and heartbroken for every member of your families.
You will see Channon and Chris again. That is how you can keep on Living. This is NOT the end. You will be away from them for a little while but you will be with them for eternity. You will see them again.
They are in the hands of a Loving God who has washed all their tears away. They’ve endured the kind of torture that Jesus endured. He truly understands. They beat him and he was unrecognizible as a human being. He understands. All of Knoxville’s heart is broken for both of your families. Remember Vengence is mine sayeth the Lord, HE WILL REPAY. Gary and Deana I’ve watched you hurt and the Newsom family. I have two daughters and a son, I’ve imagined in my mind if it had been my children. The pain is incomprehensible. I know your children are your heartbeat. Channon is still alive, even though she has left her body. She has a new body, and she is still living according to God’s Word. She is absent from her body and absent from this world, but she is alive in a beautiful world and with Jesus where my mom and dad are and where we all are going. She is in Paradise. I don’t know where Chris’ faith was in the Lord, but I have heard that Channon had a relationship with the Lord. I know you feel her even though she is away and you must feel that blessings are still coming your way because of her. I’m sorry you’re having to relive this over and over and it is as if it happened yesterday because of the trials. This is not fair and justice will be done. God will see to it. Just wait and see. We just love you both so much and lift you up in prayer often. Anyone who has a child has a broken heart because of this, but remember, this is not the end. You will see her again. I feel the same for the Newsome family even though I don’t know them personally. May God give you the grace, mercy and favor you need to keep you above water. Certainly this is every parent’s nightmare. Children are precious no matter what age. We will continue to pray. gp