Tennessee Supreme Court to Hear 2 Criminal Cases in Knoxville

The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday in the direct appeal of Lemaricus Davidson, the man sentenced to death for his role in the 2007 murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom in Knoxville. 

Mr. Davidson was tried in October 2009 and convicted of two counts of first degree murder, two counts each of especially aggravated robbery and especially aggravated kidnapping, three counts of aggravated rape, and one count of facilitation of aggravated rape. A Knox County jury sentenced him to death. The Supreme Court is required by law to review any sentence of death to ensure it was not arbitrary, that the evidence properly supported the death sentence, that the aggravating circumstances supporting the sentence outweighed any mitigating circumstances, and that the sentence was not disproportionate to sentences imposed in similar cases.

The Court will also consider a number of other issues, including whether the trial court should have suppressed evidence found during a search of Mr. Davidson’s home and statements Mr. Davidson made while in police custody. In addition, the Court will consider whether the trial court erred in allowing spectators to wear buttons displaying photographs of the victims during the guilt-innocence phase of the trial.

Another case the Court will hear Wednesday is State v. Thomas William Whited. Mr. Whited was convicted in 2013 for secretly recording videos of his daughter and her friend, ages 12 and 14, as they got undressed. He received a 22-year sentence for 24 different counts, including especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and observation without consent. Mr. Whited has appealed, arguing that the material he recorded was not sexual activity that would support a conviction for especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.  In addition, Mr. Whited argues that the trial court failed to properly instruct the jury, that he was not afforded an opportunity to cross-examine the victims, and that he was sentenced improperly.

Oral arguments, which are open to the public, begin at 10 a.m. EST at the Supreme Court building in Knoxville, 505 W Main St. Each case is expected to last approximately one hour.