Lemaricus Davidson found guilty of premeditated murder in Knoxville torture slayings case
The Associated PressOriginally published: October 28. 2009 3:03PM
Last modified: October 29. 2009 9:39AM
KNOXVILLE — A jury has convicted the accused ringleader in the carjacking and murders of a young Tennessee couple on a date.
Wednesday's verdict in Knoxville means 28-year-old Lemaricus Davidson could be sentenced to death.
Davidson was charged with 38 counts, including premeditated murder, felony murder, robbery, kidnapping, rape and theft. He was convicted of all but three rape counts.
The 2007 killings of University of Tennessee student Channon Christian and her boyfriend Christopher Newsom became a racially charged case.
The victims were white and middle class, and the defendants poor and black. Some conservative Internet commentators and white supremacist agitators claimed it didn't get the same attention as white-on-black hate crimes. Authorities say race didn't appear to be a factor.
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