Updated: 4/11/2008 8:43:06 PM
The same day Eric Boyd defense attorney Phil Lomanaco struck out in efforts to restrict inflammatory testimony, perhaps the most inflammatory testimony of all was heard in court Friday afternoon.
Former Lemaricus Davidson girlfriend Daphne Sutton testified that Letalvis Cobbins forced Channon Christian to shoot and kill Christopher Newsom on Monday, January 8, 2007.
Sutton also testified that she knew about Newsom's murder a day before Channon Christian's body was found.
Sutton admitted that she lied to investigators when she told them the last time she had seen Davidson was Sunday night. She also testified that she knew at the time she began dating Davidson that he supported himself by robbing people.
Boyd is charged as an accessory in the carjacking, rapes and murders of Knoxville couple Channon Christian and Chris Newsom. He's the first of five defendants connected to the case to go on trial. He's accused of helping hide murder defendant Lemaricus Davidson after the crimes were committed.
Friday began with defense attorney Phil Lomanaco requesting a mistrial, saying he was blindsided by Thursday's testimony from witnessess Nicole Mathis and Xavier Jenkins regarding a car that Boyd had allegedly driven.
The judge denied Lomonaco's request.
Lomanaco also asked the judge to advise the jury to disregard the testimony regarding the car, which the judge also declined to do.
Next, Lomonaco asked the judge to restrict "emotionally charged" evidence because it would inflame the jury. Once again, Lomonaco struck out.
Asst. U.S. Attorney Tracy Stone responded to Lomonaco's concerns by saying, "Let the United States try its case." Stone said the prosecution is trying to be sensitive to the shocking nature of the crimes, and added that prosecutors don't expect to show the jury any further graphic crime photos, as they did Thursday. Stone also said that while the medical examiner will take the stand, she will not show pictures or use charts.
Expert witnesses for the prosecution on the stand Friday morning included Dan Crenshaw, a fingerprint specialist with the Knoxville Police Department. Crenshaw described finding murder defendant Lemaricus Davidson's thumbprint on a bank envelope in Channon Christian's SUV.
Also on the stand Friday was Kassie Suttles, described as the best friend of Daphne Sutton, Lemaricus Davidson's live-in girlfriend at the time of the murders. Suttles told the court she occasionally babysat Sutton's children at Davidson's Chipman Street house, where Channon Christian's body was discovered. Sutton says her children moved in with her mother after Davidson allegedly started hitting her in December.
In late December, Sutton says Davidson's brother Letalvis Cobbins, his girlfriend Vanessa Coleman and George Thomas moved into their house on Chipman Street.
Suttles said Sutton called her on Friday January 5th to ask if she could stay at Suttles' apartment. Sutton said Davidson was hitting her again and she wanted to get away from him.
She stayed at Suttle's apartment between January 5th and January 9th, 2007. Christian and Newsom disappeared the evening of January 6th.
Suttles said that on the afternoon of January 7th, Davidson called Sutton and asked her to come pick up clothes he said he had bought for her. Sutton, Suttles and another woman went to Davidson's Chipman street house to pick up the clothes, which were in a plastic Sears bag. Investigators believe the clothes belonged to Christian.
Suttles also testified that Davidson gave her a ring.
Later on January 7th, between 10:30 and 11:00 pm, Davidson showed up at Suttles' appartment in a gray SUV. Suttles said Davidson got out of the left rear passenger door of the vehicle. Davidson spoke to Sutton for a few minutes and then left.
However, later Friday afternoon Sutton contradicted this testimony. Sutton says she picked Davidson up Sunday night and spent the night with him at Suttles' apartment.
On January 9th, Sutton's mother called and told her daughter that a body had been found at Davidson's Chipman Street home. Sutton and Suttles then took Davidson and dropped him off near Eric Boyd's mother's apartment in the Ridgebrook Apartment complex.
Sutton met with investigators on the evening of January 9th, while Suttles spoke to police on Wednesday.
During cross examination, defense attorney Phil Lomonaco asked Sutton about lying to investigators on January 9th. Sutton admitted she lied about not seeing Davidson since Sunday. She also did not tell investigators she had dropped him off in the Ridgebrook area just hours before officers questioned her Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
Lomonaco also asked Sutton if she believed she hindered the investigation by lying and concealing Davidson's whereabouts. She admitted she did.
On Friday, April 4, Lomonaco's motion to dismiss Boyd's case because he was selectively prosecuted because he is black was rejected. In his motion, Lomonaco referred to Daphne Sutton saying she was not prosecuted for helping Davidson because she was white and her uncle is with the Knoxville Police Department.
Concluding testimony on April 11, included more expert testimony. Witnesses included civilians and officers with the Knoxville Police Department.
Ed Kingsbury talked about how officers found Eric Boyd on Thursday January 11, 2007. Kingsbury said Boyd was leaving his mother's apartment in Ridgebrook with three other females, driving with a suspended license. Patrol officers stopped Boyd and after repeated questioning, Boyd offered to take officers to Davidson.
Kingsbury's testimony says Davidson was found at 1800 Reynolds, not far from the Ridgebrook Apartments. Kingsbury said fresh food wrappers were found in the vacant home. Investigators also found Nike tennis shoes they believed belonged to Chris Newsom.
Boyd's trial will continue on Monday. The prosecution expects to show Boyd's video taped interrogation to the court.
We will update this story as the trial progresses.
