hi, a poster said that someone was going to write a true crime book about this case but he would not say who. He also said that Jupiter Films ( I think that's right) made a show (?) about this case and they are trying to find a network who will air it.
GUILTY TN - Chris Newsom, 23, & Channon Christian, 21, murdered, Knoxville, 6 Jan 2007 #20
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hi, a poster said that someone was going to write a true crime book about this case but he would not say who. He also said that Jupiter Films ( I think that's right) made a show (?) about this case and they are trying to find a network who will air it.
I know of one person (who told me in a private email) who is definitely going to write a book on the Christian-Newsom murders. This same individual told me of being interviewed by Jupiter Films for a show.
Another individual I am in contact with is thinking of writing a book on the case, but it would have to be self-published.
David In TN
Thanks for the info. I'm looking forward to reading it.
Do you know when the book would get a possible release date?
GEORGIAGIRL69
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I agree with you about never being able to forget about these horrific crimes. I remember when I first heard about them on the web. I did not keep up with the trials or read about them because I just couldn't do that to my psyche. This case affected me in a way that most don't and it upset me terribly. I am not a very emotional person by nature, and most things don't get to me - but this one did. I can be going about my daily activities or working or playing and something that I read about in this case will just pop into my mind for no reason. I can think I'm having a very bad day and all of a sudden, I think of Shannon and Chris and what they endured and I realize that I'm not having a bad day after all. This case haunts me - what those poor kids went through at the hands of those demons. I often wonder how the families of Shannon and Chris get through every day? How do they even stay sane after knowing how their babies suffered? I have a daughter and I've gotta tell you, I don't know if I could get up every day and face the world, knowing what her last hours were like. I think the anguish, the bitterness, the intense hatred, would be just too much to bear for me. I admire those two families immensely for their courage and tenacity and I hope they are doing as well as can be expected, under the circumstances.
I happened to be browsing the threads on WS and saw this one on VC. I'm glad to know that she got 53 yrs and hope she doesn't get parole for a long time. I hope every one of those perps suffers miserably every single day of their useless lives.
I'm shocked that only 1 got the DP. ALL 5 should have gotten the DP.
I just Do Not understand how a jury can listen to the M.E. in Graphic detail, tell what Channon & Chris went through for SEVERAL hours (Longer for Channon) and be shown Horrible, Horrible Autopsy Photos and still not sentence all to Death Row.
These young adults went through PURE Hell and for only one jury to sentence LD to death but not all the others, is imo, a slap in the face to Channon & Chris's Family & Friends.
I just Do Not understand how a jury can listen to the M.E. in Graphic detail, tell what Channon & Chris went through for SEVERAL hours (Longer for Channon) and be shown Horrible, Horrible Autopsy Photos and still not sentence all to Death Row.
These young adults went through PURE Hell and for only one jury to sentence LD to death but not all the others, is imo, a slap in the face to Channon & Chris's Family & Friends.
I'm a first time poster here and I just wanted to say that I agree with everything you have said, Georgia Girl.
I heard about the murders of Channon and Christopher when they were first reported in the media, on another website.
Due to the heinous nature of the murders, I really couldn't read much coverage, but never forgot about them.
About a fortnight ago, I found the trial threads and decided to read through them in their entirety. Thank you to all of you who posted on the threads, it was a fascinating but incredibly heartbreaking read, but one I felt I had to do.
It just beggars belief what those scumbags did to those poor young people. It just blows my mind that people could inflict such suffering on people, let alone people they did not know, who had never done anything to them and really were just minding their own business. I just can't fathom it. I just can't even begin to imagine what would go through their heads and how they would justify their own actions in their own minds.
I have the deepest respect for the two families. How they have just kept going and been there every step of the legal process, just astonishes me. Their strength and dignity is amazing. I hope that they will be able to find some peace in the future.
I think the Prosecution did a fantastic job with trying the cases. I am just sorry that Chris Newsom did not get the justice he so badly deserves in some of the trials and that certain juries did not understand the meaning of criminal culpability. VC got off lightly IMHO, I think she was up to her neck in that crime and happy to join in. Her journal and her court room demeanour shows what sort of person she really is and I hope she does not see fresh air for many, many years to come.
RIP Channon Christian & Christopher Newsom
I believe there will be an appeal hearing for the first defendant convicted, Letalvis Cobbins, on Friday, January 28. Cobbins received "life without parole." He will be in for a long time, but as long as an inmate is breathing, he can walk out of prison. All it takes is a lame-duck governor to commute a sentence.
The verdict for Cobbins seems to be appeal-proof. He got a jury from Nashville, testified, and didn't receive the death penalty (which appellate courts scrutinize more closely) Cobbins, by the way, was found "not guilty" of Chris Newsom's murder, only of "facilitation" regarding Newsom.
David In TN
The verdict for Cobbins seems to be appeal-proof. He got a jury from Nashville, testified, and didn't receive the death penalty (which appellate courts scrutinize more closely) Cobbins, by the way, was found "not guilty" of Chris Newsom's murder, only of "facilitation" regarding Newsom.
David In TN
So this first appeal hearing will be this coming Friday then.
I'm British, so I am not very knowledgeable about the USA's Legal System. Will this be a hearing behind closed doors? Or is it open to the public and the media to televise?
As you say, I'm not sure as to what grounds he has to appeal his conviction on. His Jury (as you said) was from Nashville and from what I read, the Judge made every effort to ensure that Cobbins understood the implications of his taking the stand against his Attorney's advice and what he was agreeing to.
I would hope that should any of them come up for parole, there would be a tide of public opposition to the Parole Board.
They all seem to be very tight lipped about their treatment of Chris Newsom. I don't think that the full truth has come out there and I don't think justice has been done for him yet.
I can't help thinking that there were more people involved in this horrible crime.
The proceeding I mentioned is a hearing on motions for a new trial. It will be held in open court. I don't think it will be streamed live, but a local TV station may carry a report.
None of them admitted to seeing what happened to Chris Newsom for obvious reasons. There were two unidentified specimens of semen found on Channon Christian's undergarments.
David In TN
Thanks for coming back to me on this.
I will keep an eye out for any details or reports on the hearing. I thought it was unlikely that it would be televised though.
It was those unidentified specimens which unfortunately makes me think more were involved too. So one day we may end up seeing others brought to justice too.
Wasn't Chris raped by one of the guys and possibly a chair leg as well?
makes me SICK to think that poor Channon was repeatly raped by Cobbins, Davidson and possible two other guys.
It would not surprise me if there were other trials. This whole case is just awful, awful, awful.
SuziQ
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IIRC, since the perps were so brutal, it's been theorized that this probably happened. But there is no proof of this. None of the evidence points to this, and none of the perps will admit to Chris being anywhere but just inside the door of the house for a short period of time.
Also IIRC, the Medical Examiner testified that this was her opinion as to what happened to Chris.
The four suspects each claimed to have either "seen nothing" or if they did see anything, somebody else was doing it. You can't take anything the suspects said at face value. We don't know for certain how many individuals were even in the Chipman St. house.
The horrific injuries inflicted on the victims showed what happened to them. That less was said by the suspects about Chris Newsom is revealing in itself.
David In TN
I wrote about this case for Trials & Tribulations. According to the medical examiner, Chris Newsom was raped with an object hours before he was killed. His bare feet were bound and he had been led or dragged to the railroad track by a dog collar around his neck. Chris' face was wrapped in a sweatshirt with a hole showing in it where he was shot in the head. His hands were tied behind his back and he was gagged with socks. He was shot three times, the third to his head caused death.
He was dead when set on fire at the railroad track.
When Chris Newsom's body was found, his mother, a genteel lady, wanted to see it. The police would not let her. She put her arms around the body bag.
David In TN
Sadly I dont see any network touching this story for the same reason network coverage in the news was nill.
Irredeemibly evil black perpetrators and white victims?
Never happen.
I may be a liberal but this kind of 'political correctness' makes me ill.
robinparten
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The only way I can get through the knowledge of crimes like this is by reminding myself that the victim's pain is over, it is done. Their families will have to live with horrible pain the rest of their lives, but death must have been a welcome release for those two young people.