Penalty phase to begin
Jurors this morning convicted Letalvis Cobbins of first-degreemurder in the torture-slayings of Knox County couple Channon Christianand 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 willconsider evidence about whether Cobbins, 26, of Kentucky, should beexecuted for the January 2007 kidnapping and murders.
The jury concluded that Cobbins had responsibility in all the crimescommitted against Christian, 21, including first-degree murder. Thatconviction carries the death penalty.
The same panel, however, convicted him of the lesser charge offacilitating the murder of Newsom and acquitted him of chargesinvolving 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 manytimes have I told you that he was going down? He’s just startedsliding, and tomorrow’s going to be the nail in his coffin.