Thursday, February 21, 2013

Next Knoxville Horror Trial Could Begin in May

By David in TN

WATE, the Knoxville ABC affilliate, reports the retrial for Knoxville Horror defendant George Thomas could begin in May.

"Attorneys for both sides indicated to Judge Walter Kurtz that May 13 might be a possible trial date, with jury selection on May 9 and May 10."

There is a pre-trial hearing later this month at which the date would be finalized.

Kurtz granted a retrial for Thomas in the torture-murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. He said he couldn't see and hear the testimony at Thomas' first trial, which kept him from acting as "13th Juror."

The disgraced Judge Baumgartner never bothered with the 13th Juror rule in four verdicts and four sentencing hearings. Until Baumgartner was forced to resign, nobody seemed to care.

Judge Kurtz denied retrials for Lemaricus Davidson, the "alleged" ringleader, and his half-brother, Letalvis Cobbins. Davidson and Cobbins had DNA evidence against them, which weighed against a retrial.

Vanessa Coleman was convicted for a second time in November of facilitating Channon Christian's murder.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

WBIR, the Knoxville NBC affilliate, ran a couple of items today (Wednesday), nothing new. The date for the Thomas retrial hasn't been set. Cobbins and Davidson are appealing the ruling denying them new trials.

David In TN

Anonymous said...

Nicholas,

'Chuck E. Cheese Massacre' Killer a Step Closer to Execution After 20 Years Of Playing The System

http://www.wjr.com/common/more.php?m=58&article=47CCB7DE7B9D11E2B66BFEFDADE6840A&mode=2

http://www.gadailynews.com/news/crime/150734-chuck-e-cheese-killer-nathan-dunlap-faces-execution-in-colorado-after-appeal-denial.html

http://abcnews.go.com/US/auroras-massacre-victims-20-year-wait-justice/story?id=16847013

http://www.murderpedia.org/male.D/d/dunlap-nathan.htm

OnMainStreet

Anonymous said...

The defense for the Chuck E. Cheese killer, one Nathan Dunlap, was the Crazy Card. He told a doctor he would "play crazy as long as it took."

David In TN

Anonymous said...

I read the ABC article about the Nathan Dunlap case which is accompanied by several pictures of James Holmes and a picture of the family of one of Dunlap's victims, but no pictures of the murderer himself, Nathan Dunlap.

Why is that?

Other sites feature pictures of Dunlap, but none of his victims.

And those articles are sympathetic toward Dunlap,lamenting that he has lost his appeals, had a bad childhood, and that all of the men on Colorado's death row are black.