Re: Why are mass murders only called racially motivated when white people kill black people?

[bob user]

On 15 May 2022, Molly Bolt <mollyth...@gmail.com> posted some
news:aff7eba7-db0c-4d9b...@googlegroups.com:

> On Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 1:20:44 PM UTC-5, bigdog wrote:
>> Why wasn't the mass murder of white people by a black man in Waukesha
>> called racially motivated?
>
> Only trumptards are dumb enough to kill others due to racial fears,
> and most trumptards are White...
>
> https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/09/dissecting-donald-
> trumps-support/499739/
>
> (hello, obvious?!)

Really?

Let's examine some viewpoints.

<rac...@splcenter.com>

"White supremacists are increasingly using black-on-white crimes like one
recent Tennessee case to protest 'political correctness'"

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2007/killing-
knoxville-tenn-couple-exploited-attack-blacks

</rac...@splcenter.com>

<wvlt.tv>

Timeline of the Channon Christian-Christopher Newsom murders

The brutal killings of a young Knoxville couple garnered national
attention in 2007. More than 10 years after the deaths of Channon
Christian and Christopher Newsom, the last suspect in the case is going to
trial.

A timeline of events:

2007
- Jan. 6: Christopher Newsom, 23, and Channon Christian, 21, had dinner at
a local restaurant with plans to go to a friend's home to watch a movie.
They were last seen leaving an apartment complex.

Authorities said they were carjacked
by multiple suspects and taken to a rental home in the area of Chipman
Street. Investigators said Christian was behind the wheel of the vehicle
and Newsom was standing in the open door of the vehicle, kissing her, when
the two were attacked at gunpoint.

After not hearing from the couple, Christian's mother became worried and
called the Newsoms to let them know she was filing a missing person's
report.

- Jan. 7: A worker found Newsom's body near the railroad tracks between
9th and Cherry streets. He had been sexually assaulted, shot in the back
of the head and set on fire.

- Jan. 8: Christian's family, while helping police search, found her
vehicle on Glider Avenue, near Chipman Street. The vehicle was searched,
leading to the discovery of fingerprints belonging to a suspect
investigators identified as Lemaricus Davidson. Investigators discovered
Davidson owned a rental property on Chipman Street.

- Jan. 9: Christian's body was found in a trash can at Davidson's rental
property located at 2316 Chipman St., two blocks away from where the
vehicle was found.

Investigators said
she had been raped and bleach had been sprayed into her mouth to destroy
evidence. Officials said a suspect, later identified as Davidson, broke
her neck. A medical examiner said Christian was wrapped in plastic bags
and dumped in a trash can where she suffocated.

- Jan. 11: Authorities found two suspects, Letalvis Cobbins, brother to
Davidson, and his friend George Thomas, at a home in Lebanon, Ky. Later
that same day, Knoxville Police found Lemaricus Davidson at a home on
Reynolds Street.

- Jan. 12: Investigators served a fourth suspect, Eric Boyd, with a
federal warrant.

Five suspects were involved: Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins, George
Thomas, Vanessa Coleman (Cobbins' girlfriend), and Eric Boyd.

- May 28: The case

drew concerns that the crimes were racially motivated
, in spite of the fact that investigators said the violent killings were
random. On May 28, a protest organized by white supremacists occurred. It
was met with significant opposition. Police, prosecutors and the families
said that Christian and Newsom were not victims of a hate crime.

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

- April 4: A federal jury found Eric Boyd guilty of being an accessory
after the fact in connection with the case.

- Oct. 10: The home where Christian's body was found was demolished.

2009
- July: For the first time, the victims' families saw pictures of the
crime scene on Chipman Street.

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

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

- August: Cobbins

was convicted
of first degree murder in the death of Christian and facilitation of
murder in connection to the death of Newsom. He was sentenced to life in
prison.

- Oct. 28: Davidson was convicted on counts of first degree murder and
first degree felony murder. He was also found guilty of facilitation of
aggravated rape. Davidson was accused of being the ringleader in the
Christian-Newsom case. He was sentenced to death.

- Dec. 8: George Thomas was

found guilty
on all counts, including more than a dozen counts of felony murder and two
counts of premeditated murder. He was sentenced to life in prison.

2010
- May: Coleman was convicted on charges of facilitation of the murder,
kidnapping, rape and theft of Christian. She was found not guilty on
charges related to Newsom's death.

- July 30: Judge Baumgartner

sentenced Coleman to 53 years in prison
.

2011
- January: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed they were

investigating Judge Baumgartner
, but didn't reveal why.

- Jan. 29: Judge Baumgartner's attorney released a statement saying the
judge was "in a healthcare facility receiving medical treatment."

- Feb. 2: WVLT News

spoke with Baumgartner's wife
, Vicki, at their home in East Knox County. The judge wasn't there. At the
time, she said, "I have no comment at this time except to say thanks to
his supporters, and please respect our privacy."

- Mid-February: TBI agents raided the home of convicted felon Christopher
Gibson on Gap Road. Gibson pleaded guilty in 2007 in Baumgartner's court
to aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. Reports alleged that
Baumgartner illegally obtained prescription painkiller's from Gibson.

- Feb. 18: WVLT News spoke to

witnesses who said
Baumgartner regularly visited Gibson's home.

- March 10: Baumgartner

pleaded guilty
to official misconduct after evidence confirmed he illegally obtained
prescription painkillers, such as percoset, hydrocodone and oxycodone,
according to special prosecutor Al Schmutzer. "I have a disease, and it is
a serious disease," Baumgartner told the courtroom. Judge Jon Kerry
Blackwood gave him a two-year suspended sentence upon completion of
judicial diversion.

- Dec. 1: Judge Blackwood

ordered new trials
for Cobbins, Davidson, Thomas and Coleman following a two-hour description
of Judge Richard Baumgartner's alleged drug activities, citing "structural
errors" in the trials.

2012
- Jan. 12: Judge Blackwood

denied the state's appeal to prevent the retrials
. That same day, he denied the defense a change of venue, but said jurors
would not be chosen from Knox County. He set a trial date for Cobbins on
Aug. 27, Oct. 22 for Thomas and Nov. 12 for Coleman.

- May 24: The Tennessee Supreme Court

overturned Blackwood's decision
for new trials for Davidson, Cobbins and Thomas because it said the
defendants had not known that former Judge Baumgartner's misconduct
outside the courtroom impacted their trials. The retrial for Coleman was
not challenged as the state conceded Baumgartner "seemed disoriented,
speech was very slow... he barely read the verdicts... He was confusing
the defendants' names."

- June 4: The District Attorney General's Office asked for Blackwood to

recuse himself
before considering whether Cobbins, Davidson and Thomas should get new
trials. "The willful failure of this Court to follow the Tennessee Supreme
Court's guidance indicates this Court has lost all semblance of fairness
and impartiality," said prosecutors in the motion.

- June 6: Judge Blackwood

ordered new retrials
for Cobbins, Davidson and Thomas again. Blackwood pointed to Rule 25,
which was cited as well in the Supreme Court decision, that allowed the
successor judge, in this case Blackwood, "concludes he or she cannot
perform (the duties of the original judge) because of the failure to
preside at the trial or for any other reason." Judge Blackwood added that
he couldn't act as the thirteenth juror in the Christian-Newsom case.

- June 14: Judge Blackwood

said he would not quit
at a hearing regarding whether or not he should step down from the
Christian-Newsom case. "I intend to be captain of this ship and to run
this ship," he said.

- June 21: Judge Blackwood

threw out his previous order
granting new trials to Cobbins and Davidson and said he would give the
state a second chance to argue Blackwood should recuse himself from the
case.

- Aug. 20: Judge Blackwood

announced he would not recuse himself from the case for the second time
. Christian's dad said Judge Blackwood needs to step down because he's in
it for the publicity. Gary Christian said, "That judge is on a mission. I
don't know if it's a book or movie or what exactly he's up to. This ain't
about his book or movie. This is about our daughter." At this point, the
Newsoms had been in courtrooms 283 times.

- Oct. 3: A state appellate court

issued a temporary stay
in the retrial of Cobbins, Davidson and Thomas. The stay followed an
appeal by state after Judge Blackwood refused to recuse himself.

- Oct. 31: Judge Blackwood was

replaced by Judge Walter Kurtz
. Kurtz was ordered to oversee the cases of Cobbins, Davidson and Thomas.
Judge Blackwood was still set to preside over Coleman's trial in November.
Of the four, only Coleman and Thomas received new trials.

- Nov. 20: A jury

convicted Coleman on 13 of 17 counts in the murder of Christian
. Like her first trial in 2007, Coleman was found not guilty for crimes
connected to Newsom. She was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

2013
- May: Thomas was convicted on 38 charges in connection to the kidnapping,
rape and murders of Christian and Newsom.

- June 4: Thomas was

sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus 25 years
. Christian's father, Gary, told Thomas, "You taught me how to hate."

2014
- Dec. 11: Coleman

was denied parole
and will not have a chance again until December 2020.

2016
- Dec. 19: The Tennessee Supreme Court

upheld two death sentences
against Davidson.

2018
- April 4: Boyd was

indicted
on first degree felony murder, first degree premeditated murder,
especially aggravated robbery, especially aggravated kidnapping and
aggravated rape charges in connection to the deaths of Christian and
Newsom.

2019
- June 27: Boyd appeared in court for a status hearing during which his
attorneys filed a motion to hold the trial at a different venue. It was
denied.

- Aug. 5: Boyd's

trial began with jury selection
. The jurors include four white men, one black woman, one black man, one
Hispanic woman, five white women and four alternates that include three
white men and one white woman. Opening statements in the trial were set to
begin at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

- Aug. 6: The trial

began with opening statements
.

- Aug. 7: Convicted killer George Thomas began his testimony.

- Aug. 8: Thomas was cross examined. Mary Newsom, Deena Newsom and Daphne
Sutton, Lemaricus Davidson's ex-girlfriend, took the stand.

- Aug. 12: Closing arguments were made, and the jury deliberated before
being sent home for the day.

- Aug. 13: After more than a week of trial, the

jury found Boyd guilty on all counts
.

Copyright 2019 WVLT News. All rights reserved.

https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/Timeline-of-the-Channon-Christian-
Christopher-Newsom-murders--513420461.html

</wvlt.tv>

<knoxnews>

Horror of Christian/Newsom killings in focus: What happened on Chipman
Street

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2017/08/24/archives-horror-
christian-newsom-killings-focus-what-happened-chipman-street/597805001/

</knoxnews>