The only woman previously convicted in connection with the murders of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom was in a Knox County courtroom Monday afternoon.
The couple was carjacked, raped, tortured and murdered in January 2007.
Vanessa Coleman was found guilty of facilitation in the kidnapping, rape and murder of Christian and sentenced to 53 years in prison. She was not found guilty on any charges related to Newsom.
Three other defendants were found guilty of their murders, but all those convictions are in jeopardy after presiding judge Richard Baumgartner admitted to a prescription drug addiction during the trial. The state is still challenging the retrials of the three male defendants, but Coleman's retrial is moving forward.
On Monday, Coleman's defense team asked that several pieces of evidence be withheld from her new trial. Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood has yet to rule on the motions.
The defense wants to keep out any evidence about the guns found with the defendants when law enforcement apprehended them in Kentucky.
Lawyers argue the majority of Coleman's charges are based on Channon Christian's death and there is no evidence a gun was involved.
The district attorney's office is charging Coleman with facilitating the murder of Christian during the kidnapping of Newsom and so argue that they must prove the kidnapping, where the gun was instrumental.
Coleman's team also wants any ballistic reports from those guns withheld, saying investigators couldn't definitively conclude the bullets at the scene came from them.
Both sides also debated the value of showing pictures of Christian and Newsom at the trial.
The defense said crime scene and autopsy photos would sway the jury emotionally, making it difficult for them to make pay attention to evidence.
They argue if photos are permitted, they should only be shown in black and white.
The DA's office said the pictures are critical because they show what happened to the victims, illustrating the degree of their injuries and enhancing the testimony of experts.
What seemed to upset family members the most, was the request by the defense to keep any evidence of Newsom's death out of Coleman's retrial.
They argue that Coleman is not being charged in Newsom's death and so the details of it aren't relevant.
Both victims' parents strongly disagree.
"I don't understand how they can not present the evidence. If you don't bring up the same evidence, it's not a fair trial," said Mary Newsom.
"It tells the complete story as to how it began, the process," said Hugh Newsom.
Channon's parents, Gary and Deena, said they believe the decision is out of their hands, but it doesn't stop them from hoping.
"I'll go, we'll both go to our graves fighting for justice, for Channon and for Chris. Because you can't separate the two," says Deena Christian.
Gary Christian said at this point, he believes the system is broken.
"The system screwed up," Gary said of the decision to retry Coleman. "And you can't fix it."
Deena says they're resigned to going through the trials again.
"I haven't slept in five years. There will be no difference."
For Hugh Newsom, Monday marked his 284th trip to the City County Building.
"This just goes on and on and on," says Hugh Newsom. "The victims' families, as a whole, are treated as spectators. That's all we are."
Three other defendants were found guilty of their murders, but all those convictions are in jeopardy after presiding judge Richard Baumgartner admitted to a prescription drug addiction during the trial. The state is still challenging the retrials of the three male defendants, but Coleman's retrial is moving forward.