Jamie Satterfield, Knoxville News Sentinel, October 31, 2009
While a hushed courtroom waited anxiously Friday afternoon to hear the fate of convicted torture-slaying ringleader Lemaricus Davidson, the man known only as Juror No. 11 put his hand to his forehead and bowed his head.
What no one knew then was why. Had this panel allowed Davidson to escape death for the January 2007 slayings of Channon Christian, 21, and Christopher Newsom, 23? Or was Juror No. 11 overwhelmed by the gravity of voting to take a man’s life?
The answer came minutes later when the jury foreman rose, verdict form in hand, as Knox County Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner asked what penalty the panel had decided to impose for the killings of the Knox County couple.
“The punishment is death,” the foreman answered.
A gasp sounded in the courtroom, but 28-year-old Davidson, by now standing to face the jury, showed no reaction. Juror No. 11 lifted his head.
“Is that your verdict?” the judge would later ask him.
“Yes, sir, it is,” the panel member responded.
The judge has kept jurors’ identities under wraps. But No. 11 drew notice nonetheless from courtroom watchers because he proved prolific in quizzing witnesses during the trial and had, during jury selection, insisted that he was a seeker of the truth regardless of public opinion.
The way the families of Christian and Newsom see it, the unnamed man is proof positive that Knox Countians can cut through the cloud of outrage surrounding this case and fairly judge the suspects accused of kidnapping, raping and torturing their children. While Baumgartner was prepared to go out of county to find a jury for Davidson because of heavy publicity, the defense sought a local panel.
“We should take our hats off to them,” said Newsom’s father, Hugh Newsom. “We ought to give them a round of applause for the verdict they rendered. They were able to look at the evidence and render an unbiased verdict.”
The tension in the courtroom was thick as the jury foreman pronounced death—four times—as punishment for both the felony murder and first-degree murder of Newsom and Christian.
Then, it was the judge’s turn to address Davidson.
{snip}
Hours after the verdict, Davidson arrived at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution’s Unit 2 in Nashville to begin serving his sentence.
Still to be tried—and facing the threat of death—are co-defendants George Thomas and Vanessa Coleman. Baumgartner, defense attorneys and prosecutors are set next month to travel to Chattanooga to pick a Hamilton County jury to hear Thomas’ case.
Davidson’s half-brother Letalvis Cobbins is serving a sentence of life without parole for his role in the crimes.
“The Christians and Newsoms and all of Knoxville got justice today,” Christian’s mother, Deena Christian, said after Friday’s decision.
The families praised Knoxville Police Department Investigator Todd Childress, Knox County Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones and his team, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and prosecutors Leland Price and Takisha Fitzgerald.
{snip}
Fitzgerald told jurors during Friday’s penalty phase that Davidson had had a chance to overcome a troubled childhood when, at age 16, he was taken in, first by a group home mother and second by loving foster parents.
“All he had to do is go to school and do the right thing,” Fitzgerald said in closing arguments. “He got moved into a middle-class lifestyle. He went to a private Christian school. . . . What does he do with that opportunity? He comes to Knoxville to sell dope.”
{snip}
Original article
(Posted on November 2, 2009)
Comments
Now if thy would only convict all the Whites who have murdered Blacks over the year and have gotten away with it.
This bum will be executed sometime around when pigs fly. Don’t hold your breath ladies and Gentlemen.
Tom Iron…
Well, at least there is SOME justice in this country. But I am curious: Where there any blacks on that panel that voted for guilt, or for the death penalty? I would bet there were none. After all, they couldn’t sentence a poor “brother” for that. Hey, he would have had an opportunity to make a “positive contribution to society…” Well, ‘nuff said. Please, I am still outraged; don’t get me started.
If it was not for chat rooms & wide open websites, I would have never heard of this most horrible of crimes. Had the races been reversed the nation would have been sitting on edge waiting for this verdict to have been handed down. This was a crime for the ages, it’s scale & heinous nature should never be forgotten. These victims suffered far beyond imagination - their families can never be expected to recover emotionally in knowing what happened. In this case, in a civilized country - the crime (unfortunately) far outweighs the punishment. Animals.
“`The punishment is death,` the foreman answered.
A gasp sounded in the courtroom”
If true, which is difficult to ascertain due to the maudlin and overly dramatic presentation of this ersatz “newspiece,” the question remains…
Why? Presumably, those in the courtroom heard of how this beast raped, beat, and slew the victims. Why should there be any surprise that a creature capable of committing such horrific acts to a human being should be sentenced to death?
Yes!
Justice for those two White kids, finally!
And the usual «poor childhood» thing commonly used in court so certain Black murderers get a lighter sentence, did not get a guy like that Lemaricus character out of this one!
Ummmm…your Honor sir?…Can I Start The IV drip please? Can I?Can I? Oh pleeaase? pretty please?
? Or was Juror No. 11 overwhelmed by the gravity of voting to take a man’s life?
So far, so good. But does anyone think some addle-pated appeals court won’t find that Davidson was a “victim of White racism” in jury selection, or some such twaddle, and overturn either the death penalty, the sentence, or both?
We say we believe that “Justice delayed is justice denied” in this country. But that cuts two ways. Justice delayed by endless appeals is justice denied, too. This savage has been tried, convicted and sentenced. The people of Tennessee have a right to see that sentence carried out — and should not have to endure a quarter-century of appeals, as has happened in many cases.
I am pleased to see that a few good and brave people are awake and posses courage. People are beginning to see through the liberal smoke screen that covers up black on white crime daily. 34000 white woman raped every year by black men and not a word on the evening news!
This is how a proper society should react to barbarism.
Society itself, is not acting barbaric in this case, rather we are showing this brute a reflection of his own hideous image. Those opposed to the penalty of death are disturbed not by the justice of the needle, rather the reflection of the monster.
@Marcus: I’m all for punishing murderers. Period.
No, the families did not receive justice. That will only happen when ALL the perpetrators are actually executed. Lots of luck with that.
It would probably cause a revolution, well ok might cause a few people to stir a little, if the defense and plaintiff closing statements were put out on You Tube… surely the transcripts are available… or is that a protected document?
7 — François wrote at 9:51 PM on November 2:
Please, do not make the mistake of thinking any justice has been done. This bum will not be executed and at some point, he’ll walk away. To think that this judicial system, or any other govt. entity means to do the right thing by White people is ridiculous.
Tom Iron…
It would not hurt my conscience any to sentence a murderer to death regardless of the race(s) involved. I don’t care what kind of childhood the perp has had, these animals made the choice to torture and kill, so they should pay with their lives. I don’t buy the “oh woe is me, my childhood was bad” line.
My dad had a REALLY bad childhood and was kicked out at the age of 12. He had been abused, so I’m told, in every way possible. But he wasn’t a criminal. He was an upstanding citizen and was friends with a lot of the men in the local police department.
And of course, he was also white.
Davidson arrived at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution’s Unit 2 in Nashville to begin serving his sentence
NOW! begins the usual 30+ year wait on death row while he, like others in prison, have food, shelter, sex, drugs, alcohol,safety!!Why should someone BEGIN SERVING a life sentence??? One thing I will give the muslim countries despite my distaste for the ideaology, when the death penalty is handed down in court, 10 days later you are dead!!!
Why do blacks and even whites always have to make excuses for blacks? I was on a jury and the defendant was a white guy. Real low life, shot at cops, had a meth needle on him, and had a trouble childhood as well. I didn’t give a you-know-what. He was a grown man and knew better. Guilty!
“`The punishment is death,` the foreman answered.
A gasp sounded in the courtroom”
I will tell you why people gasped. There were two killers who preceded this lowlife who were NOT sentenced to death. We have a rotten, corrupt judge, who has clearly shown not only any sympathy to the victims’ families, but outright hostility and done handstands to keep a death verdict from being given. It was Lemaricus Davidson’s stupidity that kept him from getting Letalvis Cobbins’ deal, courtesy of that judicial bum. Baumgartner would have gone to Nashville and packed the jury with every black juror he could to save his life.
I’M surprised. Pleasantly surprised, but still surprised.
It’s doubtful that this sewer rat will ever be executed, and if against all odds he is, it will be by lethal injection.
A more fitting punishment would be burning the stake.
Just a little celebration video I threw together:
Lemaricus Davidson Sentenced to Death
The jury did all they could do or all the law allows but there is a problem with the justice system. Davidson is 28 now and probably won’t be exicuted for at least 10 years which means that he may have a longer life in prison than on the streets.
Davidson wasn’t upset over the sentence because he is a drug dealer and these guys know that they are not in for a long life even if they remain free.
The problem with our justice system is that we have created a predator class of people in our society without any real means of controlling them. A death sentence doesn’t mean all that much to them because they didn’t plan on a long life to start with. Sure he will be scared to death as they walk him that last mile but for now he’s probably safer than ever in his life, he’s even gotten a certain amount of fame and recognition. It’s very doubtfull if an animal like this will have the mental capacity to reflect on his life and realize that it’s been a waste the way a more normal person would, black or white.
The difference between black and white society is that whites would realize that people like this need to be removed from society and blacks will see him almost as a folk hero stiking a blow against the hated white man for past wrongs. Blacks will understand that he is a criminal of the worst sort but he is still one of them. In war people that wear the same uniform as you do are always allowed a bit more latitude to commit war crimes than the enemy is. We are the enemy.
Whites need to realize all the violent hate crimes that are perpetuated against us. I used to not understand why the white southerners during the 50s and 60s were against integration. Now I can see why. It pains me to admit it, but the truth isn’t always pretty.
It is amazing how many people have no idea that this crime was perpetrated or how grisly it was. I have asked people I know and so far, none of them have heard even the slightest information concerning it. The state controled MSM should be hung from light posts for covering this up.
Let’s just give everyone a pass whose ethnic history has had any form oppression directed against it.
Marcus wrote at 5:51 PM on November 2:
“Now if thy would only convict all the Whites who have murdered Blacks over the year[sic] and have gotten away with it.”
Read the following and then cry me a river.
http://www.colorofcrime.com/colorofcrime2005.html
http://townhall.com/columnists/column.aspx?UrlTitle=fact_and_myth_duke_it_out&ns=KathleenParker&dt=04/19/2006&page=full&comments=true
When you read the above link, hang on the following:
“There is no current trend of white men raping black women, in other words. In fact, though sample sizes are considered too small to draw any solid conclusions, the most recent figures show that among white rape victims, 15.5 percent of those rapes were perpetrated by blacks, while 0.0 percent of black victims were raped by white males.”
To Anonymous wrote at 10:23 PM on November 2:
Your entire analysis was spot on! Though in fairness to “old guard” Christians, this sick brand of humanism that permeates mainstream Christianity today is largely a phenomenon of the 19th and 20th centuries. I was raised in a “Conservative” Christian church (before I became an agnostic and left) and everyone knew what the New Testament writers’ attitude was about capital punishment.
Still, in this day and age of Geology, Biology & Astronomy, it’s time for us as a race to move on from religion, which as you correctly pointed out is one of the main things crippling us in the face of our enemies!
1 — Marcus wrote at 5:51 PM on November 2:
“Now if thy would only convict all the Whites who have murdered Blacks over the year and have gotten away with it.”
> I must interpret this sentence - since there are two key words mis-spelt, to mean that you are implying that Whites have been murdering Blacks for years and getting away with it.
Would you please review the statistics for the past 50 years and tell me just how many Blacks have been killed by Whites, or even raped, and inform us? I want to see credible refferences if you do dare respond.
I put it to you or anyone, that the proportion of Whites who have died due to the Black presence in North America during the past 400+ years FAR outstrips killings of any sort by Whites against Blacks. The Black sufferings have been so trumpted up and exaggerated that hardly anyone under 50 years of age knows that Whites were slaves in the New World first and that there were Black slave masters and traders in the antebellum south, right up to and during the Civil War. If we got these facts and others into the national discussion, the NAACP and everyone and everything they utilize to run their 100 year long scam on this country would collapse practically overnight.
The story of this trial and now its results continues to FAIL to be reported on the MSM. The efforts of government and the popular media to suppress the reality of the growing danger of racially motivated crimes against whites and the growing danger to all whites living in America is beginning to become too difficult to ignore or suppress. This is one reason that a story like this is so blantantly ignored while the Richmond gang rape is being milked for all the interracial feel good potential that can be exploited from it.
27 — Anonymous wrote at 3:11 PM on November 3:
“To Anonymous wrote at 10:23 PM on November 2:
Your entire analysis was spot on! Though in fairness to “old guard” Christians, this sick brand of humanism that permeates mainstream Christianity today is largely a phenomenon of the 19th and 20th centuries. I was raised in a “Conservative” Christian church (before I became an agnostic and left) and everyone knew what the New Testament writers’ attitude was about capital punishment.
Still, in this day and age of Geology, Biology & Astronomy, it’s time for us as a race to move on from religion, which as you correctly pointed out is one of the main things crippling us in the face of our enemies!”
> While I take issue with the limit of the crippling effects of Christianity on Whites (it is a much larger story), your conclusion is one that I have been arguing for on Amren for years now. The deliterious effects of Christianity on people who want to see their own people survive here on earth as a people, (and for reasons that I think I could deliniate, if the time was taken) far outweighs its usefulness, IMO - and I believe I could present a very, very long and well documented argument of that position.
Note; As much as I try to keep my comments short enough to be read on Amren, sometimes it is so difficult! So I as my fellow long time posters (especially) to bear with me. What I am always trying to do with these posts is in a sincere interest in helping to direct us all toward a survival model more likely to succeed - if we can just learn to tolerate each other!
I do recognize, that most people do need a spiritual ideology to make them feel complete. Being philosophically areligious is difficult, even for a true critical thinker, let alone the average individual, and this is due to very real brain organization and function. That is why I often suggest that what Whites ought to do is gradually form an outlook based on our older Celtic, Nordic, Indo European systems. At least they joined the White man to his land and gave a real meaning to the words “Motherland” or “Fatherland.”
Since I often write about this, perhaps Amren will tolerate and publish this paste from Wikipedia concerning the Celtic festival of Samhain, that just occurred?
Samhain (pronounced /ˈsɑːwɪn/, /ˈsaʊ.ɪn/, or /ˈsaʊn/ in English[1] — from Irish Samhain [ˈsˠaunʲ], cf. Scottish Gaelic Samhuinn [ˈsavɯɲ], Manx Gaelic Sauin and Old Irish Samain [ˈsaṽɨnʲ] — roughly translated as “summer’s end” — is a festival held on October 31–November 1 in Gaelic cultures. A harvest festival with ancient roots in Celtic paganism, it was linked to festivals held around the same time in other Celtic cultures, and continued to be celebrated in late medieval times.
Samhain marked the end of the harvest, the end of the “lighter half” of the year and beginning of the “darker half”.It was traditionally celebrated over the course of several days. Many scholars believe that it was the beginning of the Celtic year.[2][3][4] It has some elements of a festival of the dead. Its relations to a festival of the dead is in the ancient belief that nature was dying during this time. The Gaels believed that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin on Samhain; because nature and plants were dying, it thus allowed the dead to reach back through the veil that seperated them from the living. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. People and their livestock would often walk between two bonfires as a cleansing ritual, and the bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames.[5]
The Gaelic custom of wearing costumes and masks, was an attempt to copy the spirits or placate them. In Scotland the dead were impersonated by young men with masked, veiled or blackened faces, dressed in white.[6][7] Samhnag — turnips which were hollowed-out and carved with faces to make lanterns — were also used to ward off harmful spirits.[7]
The Gaelic festival became associated with the Christian All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, and has hugely influenced the secular customs now connected with Halloween. It continues to be celebrated as a religious festival by some Neopagans.[3][4][8]
Samhain and an t-Samhuinn are also the Irish and Scottish Gaelic names of November, respectively.
Anonymous:
While I do not want to change the subject on this post, I have to respond to the assertion you made that 0.0% of Black women are raped by Black men. This is certainly not true. While the black female/White male rapes are lower than Black male/White female rapes, there are and have certainly been cases where White men have raped Black women. To say otherwise is a pure falsehood and nonsensical.
31 — William wrote at 5:37 PM on November 3:
“While I do not want to change the subject on this post, I have to respond to the assertion you made that 0.0% of Black women are raped by Black men. This is certainly not true. While the black female/White male rapes are lower than Black male/White female rapes, there are and have certainly been cases where White men have raped Black women. To say otherwise is a pure falsehood and nonsensical.”
> It depends upon your time frame. Since the discussion was about current rape stats, Anonymous is right, check the stats. As for all the rapes claims under slavery, that is a huge exaggeration. Today blacks and others tend to classify ALL sex between masters and slaves (in the Antebellum South) as rape. In fact, there was relatively little actual rape, because of the harm it did to morale and production, and it was a big social no-no amoung whites.
William, I would like to hear what you think of the history of black slave masters and dealers in the pre-antebellum South? Do you think that they might have raped their chattel, or perhaps fallen in love with one or two (or more)?
William, if fewer than half of one percent of black rape victims were raped by white men, then it rounds to 0.0% - i.e, 0.017%, 0.048%, round to 0.0%.
FBI statistics show fewer than ten white on black rapes occuring annually, statistically zero.
Poster 31..
Where do you get the info that Whites rape blacks? How many cases? Are you sure those were White men or “Hispanic” men? Also do they leave the stats of people like the lying Tawana Brawley as a “rape victim” by Whites on the books? How about the black “dancer” who accused the White Duke players which was also a lie. Is that still on the books as Whites raping black women? Huh?
To William who wrote at 5:37 PM on November 3:
The figure of 0.0% was used for statistical purposes. If you read the entire paper you’d know it meant that for that given year less than 10 black women were raped by White men.
So if it’ll make you feel any better, yes, it’s conceivably possible that a black woman was in fact raped by a White man. However, when did this alleged rape transpire? Who was raped: Tawana Brawley or Crystal Gail Mangum? Compare that to the THOUSANDS of White females who annually suffer this horror at the hands of black males and you’ll quickly see how “nonsensical” YOUR position sounds.
Stop clutching at straws. You know we’re right. Like the rest of your kind, you’re just too arrogant to admit it.
By the way, for the record: White females aren’t the only ones who have to worry about predatory black males.
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/Articles/Another%20AP%20Scandal.html
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=25806
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=ct20031107212728265P430805
“Marcus wrote at 5:51 PM on November 2:”
‘Now if thy would only convict all the Whites who have murdered Blacks over the year[sic] and have gotten away with it.’”
I bet Marcus isn’t even a colored man. Probably someone just trying to make trouble.
And Marcus, if you are a colored man, let us hear about ALL those instances where whites killed blacks and got away with it!!
OH, let us hear!!
To 36-good point! Let’s assume for the sake of argument that whites were blindly and wantingly targeting blacks for the hell of it. What does that have to do with current issues? Why do blacks and white liberals have to say, “Well, you people (meaning all whites) did (fill in the blank) way back in (fill in the blank)”? Stick to the problem at hand!
Of course this death sentence will most likely be commuted to life w/o parole, but this is no cake walk - in death it’s over for him, in life w/o parole he has every day to be more angry at the Whites for doing this to him, well.., suffer punk, for the rest of your days, in a cell, cry for your crimes, cry for yourself, but NEVER cry for your victims - they don’t want your simpathy. There will be no simpathy for you, and if and when another con finds you alone in the laundry room, who happens to a White and decides to give you your just punishment I only regret that we will not hear your wails for your mommy as you bleed out on a cold dank floor, but then who really cares about you anymore.
The US States which have the death penalty have painted themselves into a corner to make an empty propaganda point - a fellow or - not very often - a woman is sentenced to death for an unusually hideous crime or crimes and …
then usually appeal after expensive appeal for 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years …
You do the math on how much this costs compared to life on a self-supporting prison farm
Agree with Tom Iron, there won’t be an execution. The TN state website shows that since 2000 only five murderers were dispatched, and these were white. The last black executed in TN was in 1960, for rape.
http://www.state.tn.us/correction/media/tnexecutions.html
If this crime had to happen, too bad it wasn’t committed in Texas.
To 4 — John at 8:01 PM on November 2:
There was one black on the panel that sentenced Davidson to death. The panel that sentenced Cobbins to life without parole had 6 blacks.
To 6 — Linus at 8:11 PM on November 2:
There was a reaction from the audience…I was yelling too loud at that moment to hear it, but the judge gave a short admonishment afterwards.
I imagine that “gasp” was release from the fear that the expected death penalty might not be levied, and also as much of an expression of satisfaction as court decorum permitted.
The face of Channon Christian’s mother, Deena, at that moment, is a heartbreaker if you have been accustomed to her usually composed countenance…her expression is a jumble of emotions:
http://tinyurl.com/ykzo7ht
To 20 — Clytemnestra at 9:05 AM on November 3:
“We have a rotten, corrupt judge, who has clearly shown not only any sympathy to the victims’ families, but outright hostility and done handstands to keep a death verdict from being given.”
I couldn’t disagree with you more about judge Baumgartner…he was extremely conscientious, making every effort to avoid error that could reverse the verdict (that’s what you possibly mistook for partiality), was a thorough gentleman and extended every possible consideration to the families of the victims that was compatible with his determination to not have error.
To 27 — Anonymous at 3:11 PM on November 3:
“…the most recent figures show that among white rape victims, 15.5 percent of those rapes were perpetrated by blacks,”
I doubt that, because in 2005 the percent was more than double that…if you scroll down to Table 42 at this DOJ page, you’ll see that in 2005 blacks committed 34% of the rapes against white women, and whites committed 44% of the rapes against white women.
In other words, whites raped less than 1 and 1/3 times as many white women as blacks raped, even though whites are over 5 times as numerous as blacks.
Shuffled another way, those numbers say that a white woman is about 4 times as likely to be raped by a random black man as by a random white man.
Table 42 confirms your statement that there are virtually ZERO rapes of black women by whites (and didn’t we hear a lot about that ZERO black woman that was NOT raped by the Duke Lacrosse team, and hear nothing about the 37,000 white women that WERE raped in one year by blacks!)
http://tinyurl.com/6agtmq
Rape in prison BTW follows the same general pattern, except that apparently in prison more whites are raped by blacks than by whites. Virtually no blacks are raped by whites in prison. Scroll down to “Race and Ethnicity” in this report by lefty Human Rights Watch:
http://tinyurl.com/yfr3xkz
(I wish some posters would copy these last parts of this post, and the links, so this can be posted when it’s needed and I’m not around…I’ve been posting this for a couple of years now, and it’s getting old for me!)
This is good news. Too bad he will be on death row too long with too many appeals granted. Here’s hoping he gets the death penalty while Channon and Christopher’s parents are still alive.
We always hear about how White slave masters raped Black women, and how that is the reason most Blacks have some White blood. First, why would a White, probably fairly well off, slave owner be interested in a slave woman? If no Whites at all are raping Black women now, why were they all doing it 200 years ago? And notice another current trend - hundreds of thousands of mixed race couples, almost all Black men with White women. Face it, slave owners did not rape Blacks, under-class White women shacked up with Black men. Human nature never changes.
Victor Gerhard:
I don’t think it was that. After the WBTS, white union soldiers, well paid, were occupying the South. Recently freed black women had no economy and no money. Put two and two together.
44 — Question Diversity wrote at 8:29 PM on November 6:
I don’t think it was that. After the WBTS, white union soldiers, well paid, were occupying the South. Recently freed black women had no economy and no money. Put two and two together.
——
This is true Victor. In fact, the black men pushed their women out to the streets to make money in that fashion while they sat around. This is easily researched. In many ways, the behavior hasn’t changed.
