192. Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom: The Judge, the Drugs, and the Retrials (Part III)

By January 2007, all five suspects were in custody. Prosecutors had charged them with 46 counts including murder, rape, kidnapping, and robbery. Between 2008-2010, four separate trials resulted in convictions. It seemed like justice had finally been served and the families could breathe. Then a scandal involving the judge, who presided over the trials, would rock their worlds. Because of his demons, the families would have to go through it all over again.


Support ResourcesFor Survivors of Violence:

• https://www.rainn.org/ - RAINN (1-800-656-4673)
• https://www.thehotline.org/ - National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233)
• https://www.crisistextline.org/ - Crisis Text Line (Text HOME to 741741)
• https://988lifeline.org/ - 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

For Families of Murder Victims:

• https://www.pomc.org/ - Parents of Murdered Children
• https://victimsofcrime.org/ - National Center for Victims of Crime
• https://www.ncvc.org/ - National Crime Victim Law Institute

Sources:

• https://www.newspapers.com/ (Historical archive - subscription required)
• https://www.knoxnews.com/ (Search "Christian Newsom" for extensive archive)
• https://abcnews.go.com/ (Search "Channon Christian")
• https://www.cnn.com/ (Coverage of trials and scandal)
• https://www.foxnews.com/ (Michelle Malkin coverage 2007)
• https://www.wbir.com/ (WBIR-TV extensive trial coverage)
• https://www.wate.com/ (WATE 6 On Your Side)
• https://www.wvlt.tv/ (WVLT Local 8 News)
• https://www.tncourts.gov/ (Tennessee State Courts)
• https://www.tsc.state.tn.us/ (Tennessee Supreme Court opinions)
• https://www.knoxcounty.org/criminal/ (Knox County Criminal Court)
• https://law.justia.com/cases/tennessee/ (Tennessee case law database)
• https://scholar.google.com/ (Search: "State v. Davidson" "State v. Cobbins" etc.)
• https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/uscourts (Federal case records)
• https://pacer.uscourts.gov/ (Public Access to Court Electronic Records - fee required)
• https://www.capitol.tn.gov/ (Tennessee General Assembly)
• https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/108/pub/pc0962.pdf (Chris Newsom Act - SB 2552/HB 2658)
• https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/108/pub/pc0963.pdf (Channon Christian Act - SB 2553/HB 2659)
• https://www.rainn.org/ (RAINN - Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
• https://www.pomc.org/ (Parents of Murdered Children)
• https://victimsofcrime.org/ (National Center for Victims of Crime)
• University of Tennessee Foundation: https://www.utfi.org/
• "The Christian-Newsom Murders: 10 Years Later" - Knoxville News Sentinel Special Report
• https://www.aetv.com/ (A&E "Injustice with Nancy Grace")
• https://www.oxygen.com/ (Oxygen Network coverage)
• https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/ (Investigation Discovery features)
• https://www.aafs.org/ (American Academy of Forensic Sciences)
• https://www.forensicscienceeducation.org/ (Forensic science education resources)
• https://www.ncjrs.gov/ (National Criminal Justice Reference Service)
• https://bjs.ojp.gov/ (Bureau of Justice Statistics)
• https://apps.tn.gov/foil-app/ (Tennessee Felon Offender Information Lookup)
• Search names: Davidson, Cobbins, Thomas, Coleman, Boyd
• https://www.tn.gov/correction/sp/death-row.html (Tennessee Death Row information)
• https://www.knoxnews.com/archives/ (January-February 2007)
• https://www.knoxnews.com/archives/ (Trial coverage)
• https://www.knoxnews.com/archives/ (March-December 2011)
• https://www.knoxnews.com/archives/ (Coleman & Thomas retrials)
• https://www.knoxnews.com/archives/ (August 2019)
• https://www.tba.org/ (Tennessee Bar Association resources)
• https://www.knoxcounty.org/ (Knox County government)
• https://www.knoxvilletn.gov/ (City of Knoxville)
• https://www.britannica.com/place/Knoxville-Tennessee (Knoxville history)
• https://www.utk.edu/ (University of Tennessee)

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Intro & Outro by Jahred Gomes: https://www.instagram.com/jahredgomes_official