Accomplice in Knoxville slayings seeks Supreme Court review
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A convicted accomplice in the kidnapping, rape, torture and murder of a young Knoxville couple in 2007 is asking the nation’s highest court to review his case.
George Thomas, who’s serving two consecutive life sentences, was one of three men convicted as principle players in the slayings of 21-year-old Channon Christian and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Christopher Newsom.
Thomas was convicted of the same crimes as the two other men under the legal theory known as criminal responsibility, since Thomas confessed to seeing Christian and Newsom captive, but not stopping the crimes.
According to local media outlets, Thomas’ attorney, Stephen Ross Johnson, says the law under which Thomas was convicted is unconstitutional. He says the state needed to prove Thomas’s intent was to assist in the crimes of his co-defendants.
