the george thomas trial

Hamilton Co. jury sought for Knox Co. double murder trial
Yvette Martinez Updated: 8/30/2009 6:58:51 PM Posted: 8/30/2009 2:40:26 PM

Judge Richard Baumgartner is heading to Chattanooga to find another jury for an upcoming high profile double murder case that has captivated Knox County.

George Thomas is set to go to trial on October 28th. He is accused of torturing and killing Channon Christian and Chris Newsom in January 2007.

Last Wednesday, a Nashville jury convicted Thomas’ best friend Letalvis Cobbins to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing Christian.

Both Thomas and Cobbins were arrested at a house in Lebanon, Kentucky on January 11, 2007, just two days after Christian’s body was found in a trash can in Knoxville.

Investigators also took Cobbins’ girlfriend Vanessa Coleman in for questioning, but she wasn’t charged until the end of January 2007.

Coleman and Cobbins both surrendered at the house, but officers had to go inside to force Thomas to turn himself in to law enforcement.

On Monday morning, Judge Baumgartner will ask about 200 Hamilton County residents to fill out a lengthy questionnaire. They will be polled about their views on the death penalty and if they have been exposed to publicity about the double murders.

Thomas’ attorneys Thomas Dillard and Stephen Johnson, along with Assistant District Attorneys Leland Price and Takisha Fitzgerald will also make the trip to Chattanooga on Monday.

Dillard says they will use the same questionnaire used to poll nearly 170 Nashville jurors in preparation for Cobbins’ trial.

Cobbins told police that he overheard his older brother and co-defendant Lemaricus Davidson tell Thomas that he had to prove himself. Cobbins said the two left the house for hours the night that Newsom was shot, burned and left by the railroad tracks near Cherry Street.

Coleman told investigators that Thomas admitted to shooting and killing Newsom.

After the judge gets back from Chattanooga, he will start searching for a fair and impartial jury for Lemaricus Davidson’s trial.

On Tuesday, the judge will give nearly 1,000 potential Knox County jurors questionnaires to see if they have already formed an opinion abou the high-profile case.

Davidson has asked for a Knox County jury for a Knox County trial. Davidson is expected to go to trial on September 21st. However, Judge Baumgartner told attorneys he believes it could take at least 2 weeks to find a jury. He is unsure what he will do, if he still can’t find a panel after 2 weeks of searching.

Jury for Thomas trial being selected in Hamilton Co.

Posted: Aug 31, 2009 6:44 AM
Updated: Aug 31, 2009 10:40 AM

By HANA KIM
6 News Reporter

CHATTANOOGA (WATE) — The jury for George Thomas, the third defendant to stand trial in the Christian-Newsom murders, is being selected in Hamilton County. The process began Monday.

The county seat is Chattanooga and that’s where Knox County court officials summoned 410 potential jurors to the courthouse Monday morning to fill out questionnaires.

One woman was dismissed after telling the court she has three jobs and an unemployed husband who expects home cooked meals.

Thomas chose not to come to court like his friend Letalvis Cobbins did when the jury for his trial was selected in Nashville.

One question on the jury questionnaire asks whether the person knows the race of the defendants. All four are black. The two victims were white.

Other questions ask if the potential jurors have seen reports about the case on TV or if they’ve ever blogged or commented about it online.

In April, Judge Richard Baumgartner ruled to allow unrestricted media coverage in the trials. All four defendants had asked the court to order media outlets to prohibit people from posting comments about stories related to the case.

Jury selection for Thomas’ trial will continue on October 28, 29 and possibly on the 30th.

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The trial starts on December 1st.  I really cannot wait!  More justice will be served.  I wonder how Davidson is doing on death row?

Justice is served for the rape and torture killings of Christian Newsom

The Death Penalty:

I just want to say that I’m very happy with the verdict, regardless if you are for or against the death penalty, justice was served.  As a jury member, it was obvious to me the only choice they had was the worst possible sentence for a crime like this.  Death.

I’m happy for the family of Channon and Christopher.  I’m happy that justice was served.  Too bad it takes 10-20 years to execute someone.

I do hope Lemaricus finds peace with his maker as the judge said to him today.

#cntrial – the twitter lingo, you know

Anyway here I am sitting here at the edge of my seat waiting on this last break to end as the CLOSING ARGUMENTS are about to start.  The defense had a really shaky defense.  Really nothing to hang their hat on but just basically trying to paint a picture of perhaps some doubt that maybe Christian and Newsom were in the Cherry Street area to buy drugs.  They are trying to get the jury to maybe believe that they were in the area, and it was a drug deal gone bad.  Except for the fact that others can account for their whereabouts in the time in question and that Christian had no drug in her system.  Newsom had some marijuana and amphetamines, but very low levels that would indicate a casual user.  I have no qualms against casual users and believe this information in this trial is irrelevant.  The defense team of Eldridge and Trant in Knoxville, TN has done their best to try to put the victims on trial.

All this to say is that DNA evidence in her vagina, anus, and clothes is enough.  Surely the jury will give him the death penalty as he deserves.  Though I did read a death penalty prisoner costs more per day than a life without parole prisoner… but the hope is that he’d be executed within 10 years.  That’s the hope.

Also some other mistakes today would be when the defense’s TBA expert was on the stand talking about what half-life was.  She defined it wrong.  She also pointed out that oxycontin’s half life would be 5 hours.  That’s not true for oxycontin since it’s in a sustained release format.  Again, where’s the expert testimony of a medical professional?

I have watched so many you tube videos of this trial and even went back to Letalvis Cobbins’ trial, though he just now was transferred to his place for life — a prison in Whiteville, TN.  Hope you enjoy your diggs Letalvis!  Hope that someone gives you a taste of what you did to Christian while you are enjoying your stay!

I have enjoyed the trial and learning more about law though I have been disgusted with the crime beyond normal.  I’ve been disgusted that I haven’t seen any of this on the national news.  I’m not for sure it was a racially motivated crime since a couple of the perpetrators actually have white girlfriends.  Who knows?

Sending up prayers that very soon we will hear the verdict as the jury deliberates…  death by lethal injection.

Come on jury.  We need to get THIS ONE RIGHT.

Christian-Newsom trial

I almost spit out my coffee this morning as the state continues its case against the monster Lemaricus Davidson. Yesterday during the medical examiner’s testimony and graphic pictures showing Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom’s injuries, an assistant to the DA fainted. I didn’t even think a lot of it as I have personally fainted while watching an open heart surgery once. Sometimes fainting just happens as a reaction to things not seen before.

The scum bag defense attorneys David M. Eldridge and Trant asked for a mistrial.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????????

I really believe that defense attorneys can be the lowest of the low… almost selling their soul to the devil. Albeit some defendants can be innocently charged, in this case… come on!

Let’s start with the beginning of this case in January 2007. Channon Christian was apparently sitting in her 4-runner as her boyfriend of a few months, Christopher Newsom, was kissing her goodnight late in the apartment parking lot of a friend where they had just watched a movie or something else fun. Three black men carjack them, abduct, rape, and torture the both of them. Christopher was raped, bound and made to walk blindfolded with a sock in his mouth and a shirt over his head barefoot to some railroad tracks where he was shot several times and then burned. His body was found the next day.

Channon suffered far worse as she was tortured, raped, and beaten. You can google her and her boyfriend’s name to get the details because they are just too gruesome for me to retype.

Lemaricus Davidson is up on trial and the prosecution just rested. The defense is up in the next few moments. I know their tactic is going to paint these victims as kids looking for drugs, but everything else in the case points to what REALLY happened.

And what REALLY needs to happen here is for Davidson to get the death penalty.

It’s funny how the defense really tries to clean this thug up from this:

To this:

There are trying their darndest to make him look like a sweet college boy.  Not only that, no one can bring up the fact that he just got out of prison for carjacking and robbery of a woman in Jackson, TN a few years ago.  We can’t mention that he is in a gang (probably the crips).  It’s unreal how the justice system has more rights for the defendants than the victims!

the case in knoxville

I thought I’d pause for a moment and just express some thoughts I have on my mind besides just waiting on the first u/s next Monday.  There is a case out in Tennessee, Knoxville to be exact, where Lemaricus Davidson is standing trial for the abduction, rape, and murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom.  I’m appalled this didn’t make national headlines.  I’m sorry to offend anyone, but if this couple had been black and the perpetrators (there were 4-5 maybe more) white, it would have been all over the headlines… case in point, IMUS.  Give me a break!

Do we have reverse discrimination now?  I think so.  We play down race when it’s black on white.  Is this a hate crime?  Sure.  But my feelings are that all crimes are hate.  REGARDLESS of race.

I’m hoping Mr. Davidson gets what is coming to him.  He is up for the death penalty.