As the words “not guilty” reverberated against the walls of a Knox County courtroom Thursday, the faces of those gathered told the tale behind the otherwise silent reaction.
Slaying victim Christopher Newsom’s loved ones looked on with shocked grief; Channon Christian’s family with disgust; and suspect Vanessa Coleman’s parents with bittersweet disappointment. The judge looked exhausted; the jurors stoic. Prosecutors appeared subdued; the defense team relieved. Coleman simply grinned as a panel of Davidson County residents declared her legally blameless in the murder and related crimes committed against Newsom. The same jury deemed her a legal understudy to the principal actors in the same offenses committed against Christian. This nine-woman, three-man jury spent nearly a dozen hours deliberating and another half hour reciting their findings. There were 32 counts, ranging from first-degree murder to theft, and more than 300 choices within those primary charges. On every possible crime involving Newsom, the panel deemed Coleman not guilty. On every count directly involving Christian, the panel opted for the lesser crime of facilitation. The verdicts show the group rejected the prosecution’s theory that Coleman, 22, was either a direct participant in the January 2007 torture slayings or criminally responsible for the trio already convicted as the chief architects of the criminal enterprise — Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins and George Thomas. But the decisions did not reflect acceptance of the defense’s contention that Coleman was an innocent surrounded by armed thugs who essentially held her captive in the same Chipman Street house where Christian, 21, was held hostage hours before her death and hours after Newsom was executed and his body set on fire at nearby railroad tracks. So, while Coleman beamed at the announcement, no one else involved in the nine-day trial walked away from Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner’s courtroom happy Thursday. “There will never be peace,” Newsom’s mother, Mary Newsom, said. “There will never be closure.” Her husband, Hugh, declared, “We’ve been cheated.” Christian’s mother, Deena Christian, held up photographs of the slain couple, saying, “They let our kids down.” Coleman’s father, Greg Coleman, said the verdicts left him “speechless.” He has testified that federal authorities led him and his wife to believe their daughter was a key witness worthy of immunity, all the while sowing the seeds for a state murder case against her. “I think the system failed her from the beginning,” he said. “I was hoping they would find her not guilty. … You can’t convict everyone just because of their mere presence.” Prosecutors Leland Price and Takisha Fitzgerald refused to lash out at a jury ferried to Knoxville to handle a case that so inflamed residents here that Baumgartner sought a panel from outside East Tennessee. “I’m personally disappointed in the verdict, but I respect it,” Price said. “This was a very good jury. They took a lot of notes and asked a lot of good questions.” Defense attorneys Ted Lavit and Russell Greene said they were relieved the verdicts meant that Coleman one day could win her freedom, but stopped short of declaring victory. “The fact of the matter is she was present, and the jury may have felt the need to compromise in their verdict,” Lavit said. “(Coleman) thanked us. She was pleased, but she knew she was going to do some time. They didn’t find her innocent. The state just didn’t meet their burden of proof of actual participation in these crimes.” Facilitation of Christian’s slaying comes with a possible penalty range of 15 to 25 years. Lesser crimes, including facilitation of her kidnapping and rape, carry penalty ranges of eight to 12 years. It will be up to Baumgartner to decide the sentences she should face in each of the facilitation convictions and whether those punishments should be served one after another or at the same time. He set a July 30 sentencing hearing. “We’re going to do the very best we can for her every step of the way,” Lavit said. “She doesn’t have any criminal record, and she’s already (served) 3 1⁄2 years (awaiting trial).” Davidson, who opted for a Knox County jury last year, is on death row for the killings. A Hamilton County jury sentenced Thomas to life without parole. A different jury from Davidson County ordered Cobbins to also die behind bars. Jamie Satterfield may be reached at 865-342-6308. © 2010, Knoxville News Sentinel Co. -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
