Knoxville Horror Killer George Thomas Loses Appeal of His Second Conviction (Channon Christian-Christopher Newsom Case)

 



Contrast the treatment of racist killer George Thomas by two different photographers. WBIR (above) shows him flat, while the Knoxville News Sentinel (below) tries to impart all sorts of depth to his person, even as KNS reporter Jamie Satterfield, in seeking to make mischief on Thomas’ behalf, depicts him as so intellectually calcified that he isn’t even capable of making the racist outburst he made to Det. Nevil Norman, and which Thomas seeks to have suppressed, and to use to get his second trial’s conviction overturned, and get a third bite at the apple.

 

[See my VDARE: “The Knoxville Horror (Yet Again): George Thomas Conviction Shows Justice Expensive, Agonizing, Grudging In Multicultural America.”
 

Re-posted by Nicholas Stix

Thanks to my partner-in-crime, David in TN, for the heads-up.
 

George Thomas loses appeal in Christian-Newsom murders
By Liz Overton
4:24 p.m. EST February 7, 2015
WBIR

A man convicted in the deaths of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom lost an appeal for a new trial.

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals upheld George Thomas' conviction out of Knox County on Thursday.

In his appeal, Thomas argued that the judge should not have denied his motion to suppress his statements or admitted an "unreliable unrecorded statement attributed by law enforcement to [the Defendant]. He also contended the indictment and evidence against him weren't strong enough to charge criminal responsibility and uphold a conviction.

In the court's decision to deny the appeal, Judge Robert W. Wedemeyer ruled that Thomas' statements to police "were inconsistent and contradictory" and the jury was entitled to weigh Thomas' credibility and take the inconsistencies of his story into consideration.

Judge Wedemeyer also determined the indictment against Thomas was sufficient, evidence supported the conclusion that Thomas knew that two of his co-defendants "intended to carjack a vehicle, did so, and then kidnapped, raped, and killed the victims. The Defendant's presence and support of the endeavor showed that he furnished substantial assistance in the commission of these felony offenses. The Defendant is not entitled to relief."

[Actually, it was much worse than that. In Thomas’ crime partner Vanessa Coleman’s statement to police, she said Thomas had told her that he had murdered Chris Newsom, along with Eric Boyd and Lemaricus Davidson, each shooting Newsom once, but her statement was excluded from evidence as hearsay.]

Background

Judge Walter Kurtz sentenced Thomas in June 2013 to two consecutive life sentences plus 25 years after a jury found him guilty of all 38 counts against him, including felony murder of Newsom, premeditated murder of Christian, rape, especially aggravated kidnapping and robbery.

The decision came in a re-trial after another judge [Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood] determined the original judge who oversaw the case, Richard Baumgartner, could not properly serve as the 13th juror in the case.

Thomas received life in prison without the possibility of parole in his original 2009 trial.

With parole and good behavior involved, Thomas would have to serve 123 years and three months under his more recent sentence before he would be eligible for release.

[Wrong. By my reckoning, he’ll be eligible for release while in his fifties.]

RELATED: Deena Christian: 'Channon and Chris got a little justice'

Channon Christian and Chris Newsom were torture-slaying victims in 2007

Channon Christian, 21, and her boyfriend, Chris Newsom, 23, were carjacked, raped, tortured and killed in January 2007. Four other defendants also were convicted in the crimes. Lemaricus Davidson is on death row, Letalvis Cobbins will spend life in prison without the possibility of parole and Vanessa Coleman is serving a 35-year sentence. Eric Boyd is serving a federal sentence for his role in the carjacking.