Penalty phase to begin
Jurors this morning convicted Letalvis Cobbins of first-degree
murder in the torture-slayings of Knox County couple Channon Christian
and Christopher Newsom.
The verdicts, after being reviewed by Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner, were announced before a packed courtroom.
Jurors on Wednesday will begin a penalty phase in which they will
consider evidence about whether Cobbins, 26, of Kentucky, should be
executed for the January 2007 kidnapping and murders.
The jury concluded that Cobbins had responsibility in all the crimes
committed against Christian, 21, including first-degree murder. That
conviction carries the death penalty.
The same panel, however, convicted him of the lesser charge of
facilitating the murder of Newsom and acquitted him of charges
involving the rape of Newsom, 23.
“I can’t even tell you what all those guilty verdicts were that he read,” Gary Christian said.
"He raped my daughter. He's responsible for her murder. And how many
times have I told you that he was going down? He's just started
sliding, and tomorrow's going to be the nail in his coffin.
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