GUILTY: Davidson eligible for death penalty in Christian-Newsom murders

The very first part of the verdict by a Knox County jury made Lemaricus Davidson eligible for the death penalty.

Davidson has been found guilty on each of the most serious of the subsequent charges, with the exception of the charges accusing him of directly raping Chris Newsom.

Instead, he has been convicted of facilitating the rape of Chris Newsom.

Hugh and Mary Newsom, parents to Chris Newsom; and Gary and Deena Christian, parents to Channon Christian; said today that their children finally had the justice they deserved.

The four said unanimously that the death penalty was the only acceptable punishment for Davidson.

They expressed outrage at the defense's characterization of the murder victims.

Sentencing is set to begin Thursday morning.

Comprehensive rundown of conviction

* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during perpetration of robbery of Newsom
* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during perpetration of robbery of Channon Christian
* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during the perpetration of robbery of Newsom
* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during perpetration of robbery of Christian
* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during perpetration of kidnapping of Newsom
* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during perpetration of kidnapping of Christian
* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during perpetration of kidnapping of Newsom
* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during perpetration of kidnapping of Christian
* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during perpetration of rape of Newsom
* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during perpetration of oral rape of Christian
* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during perpetration of rape of Newsom
* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during perpetration of oral rape of Christian
* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during perpetration of theft from Newsom
* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Chris Newsom during perpetration of theft from Christian
* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during perpetration of theft from Newsom
* GUILTY: First degree felony murder of Channon Christian during perpetration of theft from Christian
* GUILTY: Premeditated first degree murder of Chris Newsom
* GUILTY: Premeditated first degree murder of Channon Christian
* GUILTY: Especially aggravated robbery of Chris Newsom
* GUILTY: Especially aggravated robbery of Channon Christian
* GUILTY: Especially aggravated kidnapping of Chris Newsom, accomplished with deadly weapon
* GUILTY: Especially aggravated kidnapping of Chris Newsom with serious bodily injury
* GUILTY: Especially aggravated kidnapping of Channon Christian, accomplished with deadly weapon
* GUILTY: Especially aggravated kidnapping of Channon Christian with serious bodily injury
* GUILTY: Facilitation of aggravated rape of Chris Newsom by coercive anal penetration while armed with a weapon (NOT GUILTY of aggravated rape of Chris Newsom while armed with weapon)
* GUILTY: Facilitation of aggravated rape of Chris Newsom by anal penetration with bodily injury (NOT GUILTY of aggravated rape of Chris Newsom by anal penetration with bodily injury)
* GUILTY: Facilitation of aggravated rape of Chris Newsom by coercive anal penetration while aided and abetted by one or more persons (NOT GUILTY of aggravated rape of Chris Newsom by coercive anal penetration while aided and abetted)
* GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by coercive anal penetration while armed with weapon
* GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by coercive anal penetration while armed with a weapon
* GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by coercive vaginal penetration while armed with a weapon
* GUILTY: Aggravated arpe of Channon Christian by anal penetration with bodily injury
* GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by oral penetration with bodily injury
* GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by vaginal penetration with bodily injury
* GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by coercive anal penetration while aided and abetted by one or more persons
* GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by coercive oral penetration while aided and abetted by one or more persons
* GUILTY: Aggravated rape of Channon Christian by coercive vaginal penetration while aided and abetted by one or more persons
* GUILTY: Theft of property from Chris Newsom, valued at $500 or less.
* GUILTY: Theft of property from Channon Christian, valued at $10,000 or more but less than $60,000.

Previous: Verdict in

After a night's rest, jurors were ready to continue their deliberations by hearing from an accused killer.

At around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Knox County jury asked to listen to Lemaricus Davidson talk to officers the day he was arrested on January 11, 2007.

During the interrogation, Davidson changed his story several times about how much he knew about the crimes that led to the murders of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom.

Judge Richard Baumgartner announced the jury would watch the 2 hour tape in the open courtroom, but that would still be part of deliberations.

He warned court spectators not to make remarks or show emotion during the time the tape would be played for the jury.

The judge's decision to show the interrogation in open court did not come without an objection from the defense.

David Eldridge said because the jury is still deliberating, the courtroom should be closed to spectators, to include the victims' families.

However, the judge disagreed and proceeded to bring the jury in to listen to the tape.

The video and sound quality on the tape make it difficult to get a good look at the defendant or understand what he said.

Prosecutors added highlighted subtitles to the video, but the foreman asked the judge Wednesday morning if there was any way to increase the volume or zoom in on the video.

The judge said nothing more could be done to the tape.

Jurors will have to sort through 41 pages of a verdict form make decisions about Davidson's guilt on 38 charges. There are 46 counts, but earlier this year some of the rape charges were merged.

Victims families outraged

On Wednesday morning, the Christian and Newsom's gathered in a corner of the court house to take aim at a Knox County judge, the media and the defense for an accused killer.

Gary Christian had to take several deep breaths as he explained his frustration with the legal system and how his family and his murdered daughter have been treated.

"I can not fathom when we screwed up so bad our system, that it allows what happened in that court in the last week, you saw it you know what they did," Gary Christian said. "And my wife can't say in a victims impact statement that they should have not been put on trial. What is up with that?"

Then Channon Christian's father criticized the defense strategy used by David Eldridge and Doug Trant. "Can attempt to drag our children through the mud, make them into dope dealers and hookers," Gary Christian added. "There are two trials here. I didn't do this i didn't start this but i am my daughter's attorney."

Chris Newsom's older sisters stood by Deena Christian's side as she began to explain her frustration about the defense's allegations that her daughter used drugs.

Christian said her daughter worked for a clinic called Specialty Select for 2 years or more. Channon Christian was drug tested for the job and her mother held up the results for the cameras to see.

Deena Christian also dissected her daughter's drug test that showed she had oxymorphone in her system. She said her daughter was on a prescription called Roxicet for a tonsilectomy as she also revealed that to the cameras.

During the proof portion of the trial, Deena Christian testified Channon Christian could not take hydrocodone because it made her extremely ill.

But defense attorneys continued to focus on an empty hydrocodone bottle found in Christian's SUV.

"We're all Channon has," Deena Christian said. "She's not here to tell you the truth herself we are her voice."

Davidson's attorneys have also alleged during the trial that Christian had consensual sex with the defendant.

"If it was consentual, look at the pictures that you can't even show on tv, do you think consensual sex looks like that when you get through," Deena Christian said. "She would roll over in her grave today if she thought anybody thought that of her either using drugs or being promiscuous because she was a young lady that cared about herself and she would not do that."