Posted on 04/06/2007 9:17:19 AM PDT by Verax
February 1, 2007
KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- Four suspects, including a woman arrested in Kentucky Wednesday night, are now facing murder, rape and kidnapping charges in the double slaying of a young Knoxville couple.
But the location of the carjacking that began the series of charges in the investigation and why it happened is still being kept quiet.
The suspects were indicted Thursday in Knox County, separate from the federal charges some of the men already face relating to the carjacking. The rape charges involve both murder victims, Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom.
Lemaricus Davidson faces 46 counts including felony murder, premeditated murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape and theft.
Letalvis Cobbins faces 46 counts including 16 counts of felony murder, two counts of premeditated murder, two counts of especially aggravated robbery, four counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, 20 counts of aggravated rape and two counts of theft.
George Thomas faces 46 counts including 16 counts of felony murder, two counts of premeditated murder, two counts of especially aggravated robbery, four counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, 20 counts of aggravated rape and two counts of theft.
Vanessa Lynn Coleman, 18, faces 40 counts including 12 counts of felony murder, one count of premeditated murder, one count of especially aggravated robbery, four counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, 20 counts of aggravated rape and two counts of theft.
Although there were two murder victims in this case, three of the suspects face 16 counts of felony murder each. That's because Davidson, Cobbins Thomas are accused of killing Christian and Newsom while committing other crimes.
And all of those add up. For example, kidnapping a victim and then killing him is one count.
Raping a victim and killing him is counted separately. All three are accused of kidnap, rape, robbery and theft while committing murder.
One suspect charged in the federal case does not face charges in the Knox County indictment. He is Eric Boyd.
The new charges are in a 46-page indictment released Thursday evening at a press conference by the Knox County District Attorney General's Office.
District Attorney General Randy Nichols says he is working closely with the U.S. Attorney's Office since the suspects are charged both locally and federally. He says he doesn't expect any more arrests in this investigation.
When asked if he expected change of venue motions from the defense due to media coverage, Nichols said, "I personally would like the opportunity for 12 citizens of Knox County to hear this evidence and make a decision on the guilt or innocence of these individuals. That is my goal."
Vanessa Coleman hasn't been charged in this investigation until now. She was arrested in Lebanon, Kentucky around 11:30 Wednesday night.
Coleman was arrested on a warrant as a fugitive from justice in another state. She's being held in the Marion County, Kentucky Detention Facility without bond.
An extradition hearing is scheduled for Coleman Friday morning in Kentucky. She could waive the hearing and be brought back to Tennessee immediately. Or she could fight extradition and a hearing would be set.
Coleman is one of three suspects arrested in this case in Lebanon, Kentucky. Letalvis Cobbins and George Thomas were also arrested there.
Coleman was identified but not charged in an affidavit and search warrant released to the public on January 25 as part of federal charges. 6 News did not reveal her identity at that time because she was not charged. (In the affidavit attached to this report, her name is covered.)
The murdered couple was last seen on a date on the night of January 6. They were carjacked by sometime early the next morning.
Christopher Newsom's body was found the next day. It was bound, shot and burned, along the railroad tracks near 9th Ave.
Investigators say Newsom's body smelled of gasoline.
Channon Christian's body was found three days after the couple disappeared. Investigators say it was in a large plastic garbage can in Davidson's house on Chipman Street. Her body was in five separate dark trash bags.
There was evidence that Christian had been bound, physically assaulted and raped. Also, the Knox County medical examiner found apparent carpet fibers in her hair.
Vanessa Coleman told investigators she was at the Chipman Street house while Christian was being held there. She said she witnessed Christian's mouth being cleaned with a bottle of some type of cleaner.
Coleman also told investigators she saw clothes that were stained with blood and smelled of gas being put in the washing machine at the house.
The next step in court process will be an arraignment of the suspects. No specific date has been set but the DA it should occur in the next week to 10 days.
6 News Reporter Sonu Wasu and Anchor/Reporter John Haney contributed to this report.
WARNING WHAT YOUR ABOUT TO READ IS GRAPHIC:
Is this account true??
Authorities know that he was raped, his penis cut off, and beaten before being set on fire and shot several times. It is believed they forced his girlfriend, Channon Christian, to watch.
An equally cruel fate awaited her!
Reports state that Channon Christian, was beaten and gang-raped in many ways for four days by all five assailants, including an eighteen year-old female named Vanessa Coleman. They also took turns urinating on her. Then they cut off her breasts and put a chlorine-based cleaning product in her mouth, ostensibly to eradicate any DNA evidence, then murdered her and left her body in a garbage can inside a house once occupied by two of the assailants.
These sick creatures are sexually are turned on by this stuff.
There's no cure, just administer the death juice now to these defective beings, burn the bodies and any trace that they existed.
Human sexuality is simply the most bizarre and powerful of all human traits. Sometimes it's horribly wired.
Jeez, these guys were extra gruesome in their murders. Wonder what the MO was? How much more is there to this story?
Anybody know?
Authorities know .............
Seldom is the statement so strong.
I feel sick.
Man if there’s one thing the French got right, it was executing scumbags. These people need to be guillotined and the blade should be rusty and grimy.
I don’t see any hate crime charged. Wouldn’t that be normal if the victims were a minority?
The hell with lethal injection.
A bullet in the head is too good for these dirtbags.
Stories like this make me wish we could execute these scum, then dig ‘em up and execute them again!
Yeah, I too wonder why it's not being widely reported </SARCASM>
Anyone remember the Carr Brothers and the Wichita Masacre? That didn't get much play either, did it? But don't worry the MSM will tell you all you need to know. Now go drink your pablum.
WARNING: IF YOU CHOOSE TO READ THAT WICHITA STORY I LINKED TO, THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE IT'LL RUIN YOUR DAY.
Owl_Eagle
If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.
I've always favored a small caliber bullet in the spinal column. Enough to make them paraplegics for a year and then burying them alive.
http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/classics/carr_brothers/index.html
No “hate” there.
/sarcasm
Anyways, here are their pictures:
I favor executing all relatives of these animals. Make the penalty for this type of nonsensical crime so high, that no family would ever allow thugs like this to thrive.
Whoa. I wasn’t expecting that.
Having mutlipe, multiple friends in Knoxville and having grown up in the area, from all accounts, yes, it’s true. And it’s infuriating.
And race is the only reason that I can think of why it hasn’t appeared in the news.
Thanks, but no thanks, sis.
I'll never forget the first time I read that story. I literally wanted to vomit for several hours after and the feeling of pulsing disgust didn't lift for the rest of the day.
Can you imagine being on that jury?
It's a testament to Western Civilization that we don't have a word to describe that stuff, for lack of use.
Owl_Eagle
If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.
Do you mean that the “girl” is really a man?
These despicable animals need to be put down like the mad dogs they are.
You know, given that outsourcing is all the rage, I believe that it’s time that we outsource that portion of our criminal justice system that deals with violent felons. To Saudi Arabia.
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