Channon Was Forced To Shoot Chris

[Myles]

Witness claims murder victim forced to shoot boyfriend
Posted: April 11, 2008 10:49 AM
Updated: April 11, 2008 06:40 PM

By HANA KIM
Good Morning Tennessee Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- In testimony Friday for the trial of a man accused as an accessory in a couple's double murder, the girlfriend of another suspect claimed one of the murder victims was forced to shoot the other.

Daphne Sutton is the former girlfriend of Lemaricus Davidson. He and four others are charged with murdering the couple in January 2007.

The man on trial as an accessory to the murders is Eric Boyd.

Soon after the murders, Sutton told investigators Davidson claimed the suspects had forced Channon Christian to shoot her boyfriend Christopher Newsom, who was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds.

Sutton testified that she didn't know about the murders when Davidson stayed with her and her friend, Cassie Suttle, for 24 hours after the couple was killed.

However, when defense attorney Phil Lomonaco read from Sutton's statements to police soon after the murders, he pointed out contradictions and said she repeatedly lied.

Sutton initially claimed her mother called her after Newsom's body was found on January 7 and that her uncle, a Knoxville police officer, had called her mother.

But Sutton later claimed her mother called her two days later, after Christian's body was found in the Chipman Street house where she and Davidson had lived together.

The defense attorney wanted to know why Sutton let Davidson stay with her after she had admitted to investigators she found a gun and a key to the Chipman Street house in his pocket, contradicting his claim that he was locked out.?

Sutton admitted on the stand she had lied about details of the case and was afraid for her safety.

Davidson was described as a convicted felon who robbed people for a living. Police even had an admission from Sutton that she wouldn't be surprised if he was the ring leader in the couple's murders.

Sutton also told police Davidson had talked to her just after the murders about Newsom being shot, but claimed his brother, Letalvis Cobbins, did it.

On the witness stand when asked about this, Sutton said she thought she loved Davidson and didn't want to believe he killed anyone.

Friend's testimony connects suspects

Sutton's friend, Cassie Suttle, took the stand Friday morning, also telling the court Davidson and Sutton had lived together on Chipman Street.

Suttle said on the Friday before the murders, she stayed with Sutton at Bridlewood Apartments and got into an altercation with Davidson.

Suttle said on the following Sunday, Davidson arrived again and got out of the backseat of an SUV with other people in it. She said he came in and spoke to Sutton briefly.

Sunday night, Suttle said Davidson called telling Sutton to come to the Chipman Street house in 30 minutes because he had some new clothes for her.

Another woman drove Suttle and Sutton to Chipman Street. She said Sutton entered, was greeted by Davidson and came out about 10 minutes later with a bag from Sears.

The next day, according to Suttle, Davidson told the women he was locked out of his home and needed a place to stay, something both women testified about.

Suttle testified that Davidson stayed with them from Monday afternoon until Tuesday afternoon when Sutton got a call from her mother saying she'd seen on the news a body was found at the Chipman Street house.

Suttle testified that Davidson tried to get a ride so he could leave but he had no luck. She said they gave him a ride to Ridgebrook Apartments, where Boyd lives with his mother.

Testimony: suspect's fingerprint found in victim's SUV

Prior to Suttle's testimony, a Knoxville police evidence technician, Dan Crenshaw, took the stand and testified about finding Davidson's fingerprint in her SUV.

Crenshaw said a bank envelope had Christian's fingerprint on it and also one belonging to Davidson.

Mistrial sought to tone down prosecution's case

Defense attorney Phil Lomonaco presented a motion for a mistrial to Judge Thomas Varlan on the grounds that the prosecution was presenting evidence that was too emotionally charged in testimony Thursday.

Lomonaco argued that allowing the state to present details of the murders and show a picture of Channon Christian's body stuffed in a trash can at the scene would prejudice the jury.

Judge Varlan denied granting a mistrial.

Lomonaco also argued that prosecution testimony Thursday about Boyd borrowing his cousin's Pontiac Sunbird during the weekend of the murders would skew the case.

The attorney said there's no evidence Boyd was involved in the carjacking of Christian and her boyfriend, Christopher Newsom, in January 2007.

However, the prosecution argued that testimony about the car establishes Boyd was at the murder scene and may have even been there before the couple was killed.

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