Judge to Decide in January on New Trials in Knoxville Horror

By David in TN

Senior Judge Walter Kurtz said on Thursday that he would decide by "mid-January" whether the three remaining defendants in the January, 2007 torture-murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom would receive new trials.

Judge Kurtz said, "These motions for new trials don't need to fester any longer."

The fourth defendant, Vanessa Coleman, was convicted for a second time in November. The state did not contest a retrial for Coleman, which was presided over by Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood. Coleman was sentenced to 53 years in prison after her first trial. She faces at most 43 years after last month's conviction.

Blackwood was removed from the male defendants’ cases by an appellate court, after a courtroom clash with state prosecutors. The supposed need for retrials was caused by former Judge Richard Baumgartner, who was buying drugs from probationers in his own court.

Judge Kurtz will issue a written ruling in January.

During the hearing concerning "alleged" ringleader Lemaricus Davidson, his attorney, David Eldridge, again claimed Christian and Newsom came to Davidson's house "voluntarily." Judge Kurtz asked why that mattered, in view of the fact the couple was raped and murdered. Eldridge had no real answer. Takisha Fitzgerald, the lead prosecutor, then stated that the reason was to make the victims look bad, so as to save Davidson's life in the penalty phase.

When Eldridge said that Davidson was having a sexual relationship with Channon Christian, her father Gary got up from his seat and said "B*******." He then left the courtroom for half an hour.