A young couple went out for a date night. By the time anyone found them, one case had already become a homicide investigation, and the other was still unfolding.
A Couple Carjacked at Gunpoint
On the evening of January 6, 2007, 21-year-old Channon Christian and her 23-year-old boyfriend, Christopher Newsom, left a friend's house in Knoxville, Tennessee, planning to grab food before a movie. While they sat in Channon's SUV, several men approached and carjacked them at gunpoint, taking them to a rental house on Chipman Street.
Both Channon and Newsom were widely described by people who knew them as warm, respectful, and well-liked. Newsom had played baseball at Halls High School. Channon was in her senior year of college, studying sociology.
What Happened at the House
We're not going to walk through the full extent of what was done to Channon and Newsom over the hours that followed — it's extensively documented in court records and news coverage for anyone who wants that level of detail, and repeating it in full here wouldn't serve any purpose beyond what's necessary to understand the case. What can be said plainly: both were bound and assaulted. Newsom was taken to nearby railroad tracks, shot, and his body set on fire. Channon was held for roughly a day and a half longer, repeatedly assaulted, before being killed and her body concealed inside trash bags in the kitchen of the Chipman Street house. The medical examiner's testimony described the violence inflicted on her as extreme, well beyond what's typically seen even in serious sexual assault cases.
A Trail of Evidence
Investigators found Channon's vehicle abandoned with several inconsistencies — the seats pushed back, mud on the floorboards that didn't match how she normally kept the car, and cigarettes inside despite neither she nor Newsom being smokers. An envelope recovered from the vehicle carried fingerprints that led police to a house two blocks away on Chipman Street, registered to Lemaricus Davidson.
When police searched the house on January 9, they found it empty — and found Channon's body. Newsom's remains were located separately near the railroad tracks. Forensic evidence, including DNA, tied multiple people to the scene.
Five People Charged
Four men and one woman were ultimately arrested and charged: Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins (Davidson's half-brother), George Thomas, Vanessa Coleman, and — charged separately, at the federal level — Eric Boyd, accused of helping hide Davidson after the killings.
Each defendant's case moved differently through the courts. Letalvis Cobbins was convicted in 2009 of facilitating Newsom's murder and of first-degree felony murder in Channon's death, though he was acquitted of raping Newsom; he received life without parole. Lemaricus Davidson was convicted later that year on the most serious charges, including premeditated first-degree murder of both victims, and a jury unanimously recommended the death penalty. Vanessa Coleman, who prosecutors say held Channon captive at points during the ordeal, was convicted of facilitation of murder and other related charges and given a 53-year sentence; charges against George Thomas were initially dropped for lack of forensic evidence tying him directly to the scene, though his case later played a role in the broader proceedings once other defendants began cooperating with prosecutors. Eric Boyd was convicted federally as an accessory and sentenced to 18 years; state prosecutors ultimately chose not to pursue a separate state indictment against him for the killings themselves.
A Judge's Misconduct Throws Everything Into Question
Years after the original convictions, the case took an unusual turn: Judge Richard Baumgartner, who had presided over the trials, was found to have engaged in serious personal misconduct during the proceedings, including illegal drug use. This led to new trial motions from multiple defendants, arguing the misconduct had compromised the fairness of their original trials.
The legal fallout from this was genuinely complicated and took years to fully resolve. A different judge initially granted new trials to several defendants; the Tennessee Supreme Court later stepped in and reversed some of those decisions, finding that a judge's personal misconduct outside the courtroom doesn't automatically invalidate a conviction unless it's shown to have actually affected the proceedings. In the end, most of the original convictions and sentences were ultimately upheld through this process. Vanessa Coleman's case took a different path — her new trial was not challenged by the state in the same way, and she was ultimately resentenced to 35 years, with credit for time already served.
Where Things Stand Now
This case remains active in the courts even now, more than 18 years after the killings. Lemaricus Davidson, still on death row, has continued filing legal challenges, including a 2025 motion attempting to disqualify the Tennessee Attorney General's Office from the case and arguing for a reduced sentence. As recently as December 2025, a Knox County judge denied several of these latest requests, and Davidson's appeals appear likely to continue.
Channon's father, Gary Christian, has spoken publicly and bluntly about the decades of appeals, expressing frustration at how long the legal process has dragged on. Channon's mother, Deena, has said plainly that she believes the evidence against Davidson was sufficient from the start, and that the prolonged appeals process has only added to the family's pain.
Letalvis Cobbins, George Thomas (in connection with related charges), and Eric Boyd remain incarcerated. Vanessa Coleman has, at points, become eligible for parole consideration, a development that has drawn organized opposition from people following the case who believe she should remain incarcerated for the duration of her sentence.
The case remains one of the most widely discussed and disturbing crimes in Tennessee's recent history, and nearly two decades on, it still hasn't reached a final, fully settled legal conclusion.
Sources
Murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom — Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Channon_Christian_and_Christopher_Newsom
Man who killed Knoxville couple challenges Tennessee law on death penalty cases — WBIR
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/crime/convict-who-murdered-knoxville-couple-challenges-2023-state-law-on-death-penalty-cases/51-c9d5ad8a-ee2f-4a09-9f32-bf55baeeca3e
Judge denies requests from Knoxville man sentenced to death in Christian-Newsom murders — WVLT
https://www.wvlt.tv/2025/12/12/judge-denies-requests-knoxville-man-sentenced-death-christian-newsom-murders/
Tennessee Supreme Court denies appeal in 2007 Knox County torture slayings — Tennessee Lookout
https://tennesseelookout.com/2022/03/29/tennessee-supreme-court-denies-appeal-in-2007-knox-county-torture-slayings/