190. Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom: Two Stars Lost in the Tennessee Night (Part I)

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Reverie True Crime, your gateway to the
darkest corners of human nature, where we expose the hidden
truths of human depravity. These harrowing stories serve as a
sobering reminder to keep our senses keen and our awareness
sharp for predator's lurk in unexpected places, patiently waiting and observing.

(00:24):
Join us as we unravel mysteries, explore motives, and seek
justice for victims. As we bring awareness to these cases,
listener discretion is advice.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Hello, and welcome to Reverie True Crime. I'm your host page.
Before we start this episode, I just want to say
that this case involves some of the most brutal crimes
ever prosecuted in Tennessee. The details are horrific and maybe

(00:58):
deeply traumatic. Okay, please consider your mental health before continuing.
If you or someone you know has been affected by
sexual violence, you can call the RAIN National Sexual Assault
Hotline at one eight hundred sixty five six hope. That's

(01:19):
one eight hundred sixty five six four six seven three,
or you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at
one eight hundred seven ninety nine seven two three three,
or you can text the crisis text line. All you
have to do is text home home to seven four one,

(01:45):
seven four one. If you're a survivor of sexual violence,
please consider whether this content is appropriate for you at
this time. In January two thousand s two young people
went on a date in Knoxville, Tennessee. Shannon Christian, a

(02:07):
twenty one year old University of Tennessee senior, and Christopher Newsom,
a twenty three year old carpenter, planned to grab dinner
and attend a friend's birthday party. They never arrived. Over
the next four episodes, we will tell their complete story,

(02:28):
who they were, what happened to them, and how their
families fought for more than a decade to ensure justice
was served. This is not an easy story to tell,
it's not an easy story to hear, but it's an
important one because Shannon and Chris deserve to be remembered

(02:50):
not just as victims, but as the vibrant, beloved people
they were. On Saturday evening, January sixth, two thousand and seven,
Shannon Christian sent a message to her friend Kara Soward's
quote will be there soon. She was talking about a

(03:12):
birthday party, just a casual Saturday night gathering of friends.
Shannon twenty one and her boyfriend, Christopher Newsom, twenty three,
were going to grab dinner first, maybe watch a movie,
then head over to the celebration. They never arrived. By

(03:34):
Sunday afternoon, Christopher's body was discovered beside railroad tracks in
North Knoxville, burned, shot, violated in ways that would make
seasoned homicide detectives weep. On Tuesday, investigators found Shannon's body

(03:54):
stuffed inside a trash can in the kitchen of a
rental house on Chip. She had been kept alive for
nearly two days while being subjected to torture so extreme
that the medical examiner would later testify it was quote
much more than a simple sexual assault end quote. What

(04:19):
happened is Shannon, Christian and Christopher Newsom during those thirty
six hours represents one of the most savage crimes in
Tennessee history. Five people participated in their kidnapping, rape, torture,
and murder. The trials that followed would span more than

(04:41):
a decade, involve a drug addicted judge whose misconduct forced
free trials and ultimately result in death sentences and life imprisonment.
But before we talk about the monsters. We need to
talk about the victims. Shannon and Chris were not statistics.

(05:06):
They were not just faces on the news. They were
real people with families who loved them, dreams for the future,
and lives full of promise. This is their story. Let's
get started. Shannon Gale Christian was born on April twenty ninth,

(05:30):
nineteen eighty five, in Nacodochius, Texas. She came into the
world with a smile that could light up a room.
Everyone who knew her said so. It was the first
thing people noticed about her, that smile, bright and genuine,

(05:50):
full of life. Her family lived in Louisiana for her
early years before moving to Tennessee in nineteen ninety seven,
when Shannon was twelve years old. They settled in Farragut,
an upscale community in West Knoxville where tree lined streets

(06:11):
and well kept homes suggested safety, normalcy, the kind of
place where terrible things were not supposed to happen. Shannon's parents,
Gary and Dina Christian worked so hard to provide a
good life for their daughter. Gary is a man of

(06:34):
deep faith, a Christian in every sense of the word,
who would later speak at churches about forgiveness and overcoming anger.
Dina is a mother whose fierce love for her daughter
would drive her through years of courtroom battles, never giving up,

(06:55):
never forgetting, and never letting the world for get. At
Farragut High School, Shannon was popular. She had that kind
of magnetic personality that drew people in. She wasn't just beautiful,
though she was strikingly so. She was kind. She cared

(07:19):
about people. She was interested in understanding human behavior, in
figuring out what made people tick. That's why she chose
sociology as her major when she enrolled at the University
of Tennessee in Knoxville. By January two thousand and seven,

(07:41):
Shannon was a senior, just months away from graduating. She
was scheduled to walk across that stage in December of
two thousand and seven, diploma in hand, ready to start
her career. She had worked so hard for it. She studied,

(08:02):
she showed up, and she did the work. Her future
was bright and wide open. Her father, Gary would later
describe her saying, quote, she was bold, she was happy,
she was beautiful. I don't know where she got her
looks from, but it wasn't me. She loved life, that's

(08:25):
for sure. She was a Christian and she cared about people.
End quote. Shannon had hobbies, passions, things that brought her joy.
She loved golf. There's something meditative about golf, the quiet concentration,

(08:46):
the satisfaction of a well hit ball, and the beauty
of being outdoors. Every year now, the Shannan Gale Christian
Memorial Golf Tournament is held in her honor, raising money
for scholarships for female Farragut High School graduates who want
to attend the University of Tennessee. It's a way of

(09:11):
keeping her memory alive, of turning tragedy into opportunity for
other young women. Shannon lived at home with her parents
in Farragut while attending UT. She had her own car,
a silver two thousand and five Toyota four Runner that

(09:32):
she kept meticulously clean. Everything had its place. The windows
always had stickers on them, little decorations that showed her personality.
She took pride in her vehicle. On the evening of
January sixth, two thousand and seven, Shannon was getting ready

(09:54):
for a night out. She was at her friend Kara
Soward's apartment at wher Washington Ridge Apartments which is a
complex off Washington Pike in North Knoxville. The plan was simple.
Chris would pick her up, they'd grab dinner, maybe watch
a movie, and then later they would go to their

(10:16):
friend Jamie Hampton's birthday party. It was supposed to be
a normal Saturday night, the kind of night that college
students have all the time. Nothing special, nothing dangerous. Shannon
could not have known that within hours she would be

(10:38):
fighting for her life, that she would plead with her captors,
asking them if she was going to die, That she
would endure torture so brutal, so prolonged that medical examiners
would struggle to find words to describe it. She couldn't

(10:59):
have known that January sixth, two thousand and seven, would
be the last night she would ever be free. Hugh
Christopher Newsom, Junior, everyone called him Chris, was born on
September twenty first, nineteen eighty three, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He

(11:20):
was a local boy, born and raised with deep roots
in the community. Chris grew up in a more blue
collar area of North Knoxville, specifically the Hall's community. His parents,
Hugh and Mary Newsom, raised their son with strong values,

(11:42):
work hard, treat people right, and stand up for what's just.
Chris embodied those values. He attended Halls High School, where
he played baseball for the Red Devils. Loved baseball. It

(12:02):
was more than just a sport to him. It was
a passion. His father, Hugh would later reminisce about all
those hours spent on ball fields watching his son play, coaching, encouraging,
and being present. Those are the memories that sustain you

(12:24):
when the unthinkable happens. Chris was good at baseball, good
enough to be remembered, to stand out, and to have
his teammates and coaches speak of him with respect. Years later.
He graduated from Hall's High School in two thousand and two,

(12:46):
and afterwards he attended Pensissippi State Community College. But Chris
wasn't just about academics and sports. He had a trade,
a skill, something he could do with his hands. He
became a carpenter. His father, Hugh would later tell reporters

(13:10):
with pride that Chris was a talented carpenter whose crown
molding work could be seen in homes throughout Knox County.
It's a particular kind of pride that a father feels
when his son masters a craft when he can point
to something tangible and say, my son made that. Chris

(13:34):
was twenty three years old in January of two thousand
and seven. He was building a life for himself, working, learning,
and growing into the man that he was meant to become.
He had his whole future ahead of him, a career,
a family someday, and decades of life still to live.

(13:58):
Friends described as a good guy, reliable, kind, the kind
of person you could count on. He had a warm
smile and an easy laugh. He treated people well. He
was the kind of man that parents hope their daughters
will date. Respectful, hard working, and genuine. And he was

(14:25):
falling in love. Chris and Shannon had been dating for
about two months. It was still new, that exciting phase
where everything feels fresh and full of possibility. They were
different in many ways. Shannon was from the more affluent

(14:46):
Farragut area, studying at the university, while Chris came from
working class halls and had gone straight into a trade.
But those differences didn't matter. There was chemistry. There was
something real. Chris had confided to his father quote I

(15:09):
love her, and Shannon's friends said she felt the same way.
On the afternoon of January sixth, two thousand and seven,
Chris spent the day playing golf with his friend Josh Anderson.
It was a cold day January and Tennessee, but Chris

(15:32):
enjoyed it. After golf, he went home to his parents, showered,
and got ready. His parents asked if he wanted something
to eat. He declined, telling them that he was going
to get food with Shannon. Around eight pm, Chris drove
his pickup truck to Washington Ridge Apartments. He needed to

(15:57):
give Josh a ride to Jamie Hampton's birthday party. First,
he dropped Josh off, telling him that he'd see him
later at the party. He just had to pick up
Shannon first and grab some dinner. Chris drove the short
distance to Kara Soward's apartment, where Shannon was waiting. He

(16:20):
parked his truck and went inside. Shannon and Chris decided
to take Shannon's Forerunner instead of Chris's truck. Maybe it
was more comfortable, maybe it was cleaner, Maybe Shannon just
liked driving her own vehicle. Whatever the reason, it was

(16:41):
a decision that would seal their fate. At some point
that evening, between nine and ten pm, Shannon and Chris
left the apartment. According to later witness testimony, they were
in the parking lot of Washington Ridge Apartments. Shannon was
behind the wheel, Chris was standing in the open door

(17:05):
of the vehicle, leaning in, kissing Shannon. It was a
moment of intimacy, of young love, of two people who
had no idea they were being watched, and then in
an instant, everything changed. Men with guns emerged from the darkness.

(17:31):
Shannon and Chris were ambushed at gunpoint, forced into the
back seat of Shannon's own vehicle, their hands tied behind
their backs, and their lives suddenly and violently stolen from them.
Chris would never see his parents again, he would never

(17:53):
finish that crown molding project, he would never walk Shannon
down the never have children, and never grow old. Within hours,
he would be dead, shot three times and set on
fire beside railroad tracks. He would have turned forty three

(18:17):
years old in September of twenty twenty five. Instead, he's
buried at wood Haven Memorial Gardens Forever twenty three, a
life cut brutally short. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. First,
we need to understand what happened during those thirty six

(18:40):
hours We need to know what Shannon and Chris endured.
We need to see the evil they faced, because only
then can we understand why justice mattered so much, Why
their families have spent nearly two decades fighting to make

(19:02):
sure their killers never walk free, Why two laws now
bear their names, protecting victims and reforming the Tennessee judicial system.
Shannon Christian and Christopher Newsom were not just victims. They
were people, beloved people, and their story deserves to be

(19:28):
told in full. That Saturday, January sixth, two thousand and
seven started as an ordinary day in Knoxville, Tennessee. The
temperature was cold, winter in East Tennessee means grace guy's
and biting wind. But for Shannon and Chris, it was

(19:50):
going to be a good day. Dinner together, a friend's
birthday party, simple pleasures. Shannon a at her friend Kara
Soward's apartment at Washington Ridge Apartments earlier in the day.
The complex was located off Washington Pike in North Knoxville,

(20:13):
not far from where Chris lived. It wasn't an upscale area,
but it wasn't particularly dangerous either, just an ordinary apartment
complex where college students and young working people lived. While
Shannon waited for Chris, she served the internet, checked her phone,

(20:35):
probably texted with friends. Kara left for Jamie Hampton's birthday
party around eight pm, telling Shannon she'd see her there later.
Shannon stayed behind waiting for Chris to arrive. Chris picked
up his friend Josh Anderson around eight o'clock that night,

(20:58):
giving him a ride to the party. He told Josh
he'd see him later, he just had to get Shannon
first and grab some dinner. Around nine o'clock, Chris arrived
at the Washington Ridge apartments. He went inside, said hello
to Shannon, and together they decided to take her for

(21:19):
a runner. They walked out to the parking lot together again.
According to witness accounts pieced together later, at some point
between nine and ten that night, Shannon and Chris were
in the parking lot. Shannon was behind the wheel and
Chris was standing in the open driver's side door, leaning

(21:42):
in and kissing her before they headed to dinner. They
didn't notice the other vehicle that had pulled into the
parking lot. They didn't see the men inside that car
watching them. They had no reason to be afraid, and
then that's when it happened. Multiple men with guns came

(22:05):
out and surrounded the Forerunner. There was no warning, no
chance to run, no time to scream for help, get
out of the car. Now, guns pointed at their heads,
hands grabbing them, shoving them. Shannon and Chris, terrified, did comply.

(22:30):
What else could they do? If you resist, you get shot.
Everyone knows that, So you do what they say. You
stay calm, You wait for an opportunity. You pray they
just want the car, the money, and that they'll let
you go. But these men didn't just want the car.

(22:54):
Shannon and Chris were forced into the backseat of the Forerunner.
Hands were tied behind their backs with shoelaces, Their eyes
were covered. Chris had a sock stuffed in his mouth
as a gag, secured with another shoelace wrapped around his head.

(23:15):
One of the attackers got behind the wheel of Shannon's Forerunner.
Another vehicle, a white Pontiac Sunbird, pulled up alongside the
carjackers were working together, coordinated, and then the vehicles drove away,
disappearing into the night, carrying Shannon, Christian and Christopher Newsom

(23:41):
toward a house on Chipman Street, where unimaginable horror awaited
at ten pm, Jamie Hampton's birthday party was in full swing,
but Shannon and Chris had not shown up. Their friends
started texting and call, but no answer. It went straight

(24:03):
to voicemail. That was unusual. Shannon and Chris were reliable.
They said they would be there. Where were they? Around midnight,
two friends, Josh Anderson and Justin Russell, got worried enough

(24:23):
to leave the party and drive to Washington Ridge apartments
to look for them. They found Chris's pickup truck parked
where he had left it, but no sign of Shannon's forerunner.
No sign of Shannon or Chris. At twelve thirty three

(24:43):
am on Sunday morning, January seventh, Shannon's cell phone placed
a call to her parents, Gary and Dina Christian answered,
expecting to hear their daughter's voice asking if she could
stay out a little later. Instead, Shannon's voice was strange, strained,

(25:07):
and scared Mom, Dad, I'll be home between two and
three am. That was it. The call ended. Later, prosecutors
would argue that Shannon was forced to make that call
to buy her captor's time before anyone reported her missing,

(25:30):
to make her parents think everything was fine, just a
late night out. It was the last time Gary and
Dina Christian would ever hear their daughter's voice. By one
thirty am, a witness named Xavier Jenkins saw something strange.

(25:52):
He lived near the Chipman Street area, and he spotted
Shannon's silver Toyota four Runner marked in front of two
three one six Chipman Street. Behind it was a white
Pontiac Sunbird. Four black males were visible moving around the vehicles.

(26:14):
Jenkins made a mental note, but didn't think much of
it at the time. He had no way of knowing
that he was witnessing the aftermath of a kidnapping. Inside
that house, two young people were being bound, blindfolded, and terrorized.
At two three one six Chipman Street, a small rental

(26:38):
house in a rough neighborhood. Shannon Christian and Christopher Newsom
were dragged inside. The house was rented by a man
named LaMarcus Davidson, a recently released ex convict with a
long criminal history. Davidson was not alone. His half brother

(27:01):
La Talvas Cobbins was visiting from Kentucky along with Cobbin's girlfriend,
Vanessa Coleman. A friend named George Thomas was also there,
and a fifth man, Eric Boyd, would later be implicated
as a key participant in the crimes. These five people,

(27:25):
four men and one woman, would, over the next thirty
six hours, commit acts of such depravity that prosecutors, judges,
and jurors would struggle to maintain their composure in the courtroom.
But Shannon and Chris didn't know any of that yet.

(27:48):
They were bound, blindfolded, and terrified. They were being held
in a stranger's house by people who clearly had no
intention of letting them go. The nightmare was only beginning.
Thank you for listening to part one of this series.

(28:12):
I had tried to do this series before and I
couldn't finish it. I decided to start over and put
them out like chapters. For the first episode, I wanted
to talk about Shannon and Chris as the real people
they were, with full lives, families, and futures. I do

(28:35):
want to warn that Part two will contain the most
graphic and disturbing content of this series, describing in detail
what happened to them. Please take care of your mental
health and only continue if you feel able to handle
extremely traumatic content. Until next time, stay safe and take care.

Speaker 1 (29:05):
Thank you for listening to this episode. As we close
out let us not forget. Awareness is our greatest defense
in a world that can be dark and grim. Vigilance
is our beacon of hope when it comes to the
cases we have explored together that have remained unsolved. If
you happen to hold a piece of the puzzle, dare
to step forward. As Arthur Lois McMaster bouge Hold once said,

(29:30):
the dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a
duty of the living to do so for them until
we reconvene, my friends, stay vigilant and stay informed.

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}190. Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom: Two Stars Lost in the Tennessee Night (Part I)