"No No NO, God Damn America!" 'Reverand', ex Nation of Islam, Wright.
“For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country," Michelle Obama. Howard Zinn. NEA. Johnson and the Great Society.
Posted on 04/10/2008 5:48:31 AM PDT by Leisler
A 21-year-old University of Tennessee student was gang-raped, choked and bound in January 2007 before being stuffed inside a trash can while still alive, a federal prosecutor told jurors in opening court statements today.
"The evidence will be when she went into that trash can, she was alive," Assistant U.S. Attorney David Jennings said this afternoon in U.S. District Court. "Probably, mercifully, Channon Christian died (later that evening)."
Jennings revealed details about the killings of Christian and her 23-year-old boyfriend, Christopher Newsom, as a jury was seated in the trial of Eric Dewayne "E" Boyd.
Boyd is charged with helping hide out Lemaricus "Slim" Davidson, the alleged ringleader in the carjacking and killing of Christian and Newsom. Jennings also told jurors that Newsom, who had been raped by his assailants, was shot three times.
"These people tie him up, gag him, wrap him in cloth material ... shot him in the back, shot him in the neck, and they shot a kill shot to his head. Then, his body was doused with gasoline and set on fire."
Christian's body was later found in a trash can in a house on Chipman Street. Newsom's body was found nearby along railroad tracks.
Defense attorney Phil Lomonaco told jurors today the slayings were horrific but had nothing to do with Boyd, who he said only learned of the killings hours before he led police to Davidson.
"What you will hear Mr. Boyd say is he told Davidson to turn himself in. You will hear Mr. Boyd say, 'When he told me what happened, I didn't want anything to do with him. That's when I left.'"
Lomonaco contends that Boyd thought Davidson had "child support issues" from which he was running. The lawyer said his client never intended to help him evade police in the federal carjacking.
Although Boyd did not go to police once he learned about the Christian-Newsom homicides and Davidson's alleged roles in them, Lomonaco said Boyd wound up being stopped by the police a few hours later anyway. He then immediately led them to a vacant house on Reynolds Street where Davidson, wearing Newsom's tennis shoes, was hiding.
Earlier today, lawyers chose 12 women and four men to sit as Boyd's jury. The panel includes four alternates.
All are white except for one black woman. Only two black prospective jurors were in the pool of 36 called this morning. One of those was a black man who was excused.
He said he had a son who had been arrested by the Knoxville Police Department, the lead investigative agency in this case.
No reason was given why he was excused, but lawyers don't have to give a reason for whom they choose to stay or let go at this stage of the process.
As the day's proceedings began, Boyd asked to address U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan about an encounter Tuesday with the relatives of Christian.
On Tuesday Boyd looked back at the Christian family, smiled and appeared to mouth the words, "Bring it on."
Christian's father, Gary Christian, left the courtroom visibly upset but returned a short time later.
Lomonaco told Varlan today that Boyd had written a statement about the incident and wanted to address the judge.
Lomonaco said he believed it would be better if Lomonaco rather than Boyd read the statement.
Jennings immediately rose from his seat and asked for a private discussion with Varlan and Lomonaco at the court bench. Boyd remained at the defense table.
After a few minutes, Lomonaco returned to the defense table, made no further comment, and jury selection continued.
Asked later what Boyd had intended to tell Varlan, Lomonaco said, "It's a private matter between Mr. Boyd and the judge."
However, Lomonaco alleged that Gary Christian initiated Tuesday's encounter by pointing at Boyd.
Gary Christian typically stares intently at all of the suspects charged in the fatal carjacking case. At Boyd's first federal court appearance in January 2007, he made a shooting gesture with his hand at Boyd after Boyd looked directly at him and grinned.
Since then Christian has not made any overt gestures toward Boyd, and the family on Tuesday disputed the notion that he prompted Boyd's actions.
Channon Christian was held captive for hours in January 2007 inside a Chipman Street home leased to Davidson's girlfriend.
Davidson and three others are charged in Knox County Criminal Court with the actual slayings. Boyd is not charged in those slayings or the carjacking that authorities say set the stage for the rape and torture that followed inside a Chipman Street house.
However, Jennings and Tracy Stone must prove Davidson's role in the fatal carjacking in order to prove Boyd guilty of being an accessory.
The case has roiled racial waters, spurring waves of dissension between those who believe the black-on-white crime should be labeled a case of racial hatred and Boyd supporters who contend that authorities gave Davidson's white girlfriend a prosecutorial pass.
"No No NO, God Damn America!" 'Reverand', ex Nation of Islam, Wright.
“For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country," Michelle Obama. Howard Zinn. NEA. Johnson and the Great Society.
Oh, never mind.
Some animals just need to be put down. Does Tennessee still have capital punishment?
Yeah. I rape guys and then set them on fire for stuff like that all the time, as well.
Long rope - wax it - longer drop
Whether or not he gets out of prison one day, this Boyd individual has got to go.
???
Eric Dewayne Boyd
I hope Tennessee has the death penalty.
Was this case reported in the MSM? I don’t remember hearing about it.
Boyd is small poatoes. Let’s get to the main show.
Good for him. I hope he makes them all feel as uncomfortable as possible. Too bad he has to suffer their grins and obvious lack of remorse.
Sadly very little has been reported by the MSM.
We should inquire as to their motivations?
Yes, it must take a tremendous amount of strength to sit through that every day.
Is Tennessee still prevented from exercising the death penalty by that G-D liberal federal judge (Kennedy?) in Cincinnati?
If so, it’s time to revive the lynching...
Her father should avenge his daughter.
It generated a lot of discussion here on FR. The actual crimes took place while the so-called Duke rape case was in all the headlines. Do you see a double standard?
No, Tennessee is still sending them to the promise land. We shipped one just a couple of months ago
I don’t know how the families do it. They inspire me. I think you almost need superhuman strength and I don’t think I could handle it. Just like the folks in the Wichita trial several years ago. Not to mention countless others like it.
This scumbag, like the others directly involved, already had records as long as your arm. If they were in prison where they belonged perhaps this wouldn’t have happened.
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