TIMELINE: Channon Christian/Christopher Newsom murder trials
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Updated: 8:11 PM Aug 18, 2009
TIMELINE: Channon Christian/Christopher Newsom murder trials
Jury selection for the first suspect in the carjacking, rape and murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom will begin on Wednesday in Nashville.
Posted: 11:47 PM Aug 11, 2009
Reporter: Lauren Davis
Email Address: lauren.davis@wvlt-tv.com
width:320 and height: 240 and picwidth: 213 and pciheight: 159
A wrecking crew demolishes a home where police say Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom were held hostage and attacked. Police say Christian was killed here.
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Jury selection for the first suspect in the carjacking, rape and murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom will begin on Wednesday in Nashville.

The trial of Letalvis Cobbins is scheduled to begin next Monday in Knoxville.

It's been a long road to trial for the family of the victims. Here's a look back at the time line since the young couple went missing.

-January 7, 2007: Christian and Christopher Newsom went missing. Newsom was found the next day near the railroad tracks on 9th Avenue, but Christian was found several days later in a house on Chipman Street.

After her body was found, four suspects were arrested in the case and charged with the carjacking and murder.

-May 28, 2007: A weekend protest is organized by white supremacists. Alex Linder was arrested and later sentenced to 6 months.

-March 4, 2008: A year and three months after the murders, Knox County's district attorney says he'll seek the death penalty against all four defendants.

-April 4, 2008: A jury finds Eric Boyd guilty in federal court being an accessory after the fact in connection with the case. He was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison.

-October 10, 2008: The infamous home on Chipman Street is demolished.

-June 18, 2009: The company that bought the property puts a boulder and plants a tree in their name.

-July 2009: For the first time, the victim's families see pictures of the crime scene on Chipman Street.

-July 21, 2009: Knox County Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner clears the way for prosecutors to use evidence collected at the house where Channon Christian's body was found. Three days later and a judge denied a motion to dismiss DNA samples collected at the Chipman Street home.

-August 10, 2009: Judge Baumgartner ruled jurors will get to hear some of the phone calls Cobbins made to relatives following his arrest. The calls include comments he made about DNA and other evidence in the case. They also recorded him discussing his membership in a gang.

WVLT Volunteer TV News reporter Heather Haley will be in Nashville for the jury selection. There will be live reports on Wednesday starting on FIRST at 4:00.


Latest Comments

Posted by: JM Location: FL on Sep 11, 2009 at 09:56 PM

Sure seems like a hate crime to me, or am I being biased since I am white? There is no doubt in my mind that this was not just a sex crime, but a crime of horrific hate. How else could someone do this to someone else without hate being involved?
Posted by: Joanne Location: NY on Sep 4, 2009 at 05:08 PM

What a despicable crime carried out by despicable "human" beings. They're not even worthy of our justice system. Give them some more entitlements... Where is the country-wide outrage for this hate crime? It's sick that any of our taxpayers' dollars have to be spent on housing, feeding and providing medical treatment to these losers once they're convicted. The death penalty should be mandatory in every state and especially for crimes as horrific as this was.
Posted by: Molly Location: Knoxville on Aug 24, 2009 at 08:30 PM

We need a grass roots effort to get the word out about the national media ignoring this crime! Contact news outlets in your area... national news online...talk to co-workers...everyone you can.

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