The Volunteer State is home to nearly 7 million individuals. Over the years, Tennesseans have made their mark on the world thanks to the Tennessee Valley Authorities and Oak Ridge’s involvement in the Manhattan Project. The state has become a tourism hotbed with offerings such as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the NHL’s Nashville Predators, the Tennessee Vols in Knoxville, and the Great Smoky Mountains.

Nevertheless, residents and tourists should travel cautiously. When venturing into Tennessee, it is important to realize that not everyone is there has a volunteer mindset. Whether it is a life or money, some are more eager to take than to give.

Below, we’ll discuss some of Tennessee’s most memorable crimes. These are brief rundowns of the cases and not comprehensive explorations. We may delve digger into these cases at a later time. Also, we’ll add additional cases to the list in future followups. If one of these cases interests you, we implore you to research them more on your own.

Channon Christian And Christopher Newsom

Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom were kidnapped from an apartment complex parking lot on January 6, 2007. The couple would be transported to a house on Chipman Street where Channon was tortured for many hours. Newsom’s body would be found on railroad tracks nearby leading to an aggressive police investigation. On January the 8^th, Channon’s parents would find her Toyota 4Runner abandoned near Chipman Street. Fingerprint evidence inside would result in investigators pointing the blame on LeMaricus Davidson.

Once his home was searched and Channon’s body was found inside, his status as the primary suspect would be cemented. However, it would quickly be discovered that five individuals, four males and one female, had participated in the crime. During interviews with police, George Thomas, Letalvis Cobbins, LeMaricus Davidson, Eric Boyd, and Vanessa Coleman would begin squealing on one another while downplaying their participation.

While several of the suspects would be put through two court trials, they were all sentenced to lengthy prison sentences in the end. LeMaricus Davidson is now waiting on Tennessee’s Death Row. The brutal nature of the crime makes this one of the most horrifying crimes Knoxville, Tennessee has ever witnessed.

N’ Cuffs has covered the case thoroughly on its YouTube channel. All 6 episodes can be found here.

Holly Bobo

Holly Lynn Bobo disappeared from her family home in Darden, Tennessee in April of 2011. She was last seen walking into the woods with a man wearing camouflage never to be seen again. The investigation would carry on for many years before the culprits would be brought to justice but many answers remain. Partial remains were discovered by ginseng hunters in a wooded area in Decatur County in September of 2014.

Six men would be implicated with the first arrests taking place in March 2014. At one point, one man, Shayne Austin, was offered immunity in exchange for leading investigators to Bobo’s body. That deal would fall through before Austin was found deceased while serving time at the Henderson County Sheriff’s Department in Lexington, Tennessee.

Austin’s attorney would blame his suicide on the “witch hunt” carried out by local investigators. The attorney would go on to say that his client had nothing to do with the murder and always cooperated with the police. The majority of arrests would stem from a confession by John Dylan Adams. That confession has been criticized since the man has an intellectual disability. John Adams told police his brother Zach and a friend, Jason Autry, were with Holly at Zach’s home after the kidnapping.

As a result, the three men were charged with 1^st-degree murder, rape, and aggravated kidnapping. Charges against two men were dropped. Zach would be found guilty on all charges and sentenced to life in prison. John Dylan accepted an Alford plea before being sentenced to 35 years.

However, some argue that the prosecution used an unethical “investigatory technique” while others criticize the use of John Dylan Adams’s confession to obtain convictions. The case is very intriguing resulting in its obtaining national media coverage. If you would like N’ Cuffs to cover this case, be sure to let us know. Since it is so in-depth and complex, we’ll leave the rest of the story for a later time.

 

The Bloody Harpes

It is often argued that Tennessee was home to the country’s first serial killers. The actions of Micajah and Wiley Harpe would result in the duo being referred to as the Bloody Harpes. They would terrorize people in East Tennessee and Kentucky for nine months in 1798 and 1799. The men were British Loyalists during the American Revolution and developed a reputation for robbing and killing settlers throughout East Tennessee.

It is said that the men were mistreated by their Patriot neighbors causing them to become thirsty for revenge. After the war, they would team up with Native Americans backed by the British to participate in raids on settlements in Middle and East Tennessee. During those exploits, the men would kidnap several women and share two of those women as wives.

It is believed that the Bloody Harpes took their first life in a tavern near Knoxville. The man named Johnson was found in the Holston River after being weighed down with stones. Some believe that the victim was covered in urine. The men would not stop there. Ultimately, both brothers would be killed with Micajah meeting his maker first.

He would confess to twenty murders before his passing. Some speculate that they took many more lives with the headcount topping out at 50. This is a fascinating duo that I would love to research a little more.

The McLeans In Knoxville

Marriage can last a lifetime or it can end multiple lives in the blink of an eye. The case of Eric and Erin McLean is frightening enough to scare anyone away from marriage. The deadly Knoxville love triangle would lead to the murder of an 18-year-old boy and a sensation murder trial. Depending on who you choose to believe, Eric was either pushed to the point that he struck back or he was jealous and decided to take a life. The case garnered some national attention with many supporters on both sides of the aisle.

On the outside, the marriage seemed to be stable and secure. However, Erin would soon find herself infatuated with a student at West High School in Knoxville where she served as a student-teacher. That relationship would thrive driving a wedge between Erin and her husband Eric. Erin would say that her marriage was falling apart and she alleges Eric cheated on her at least two times.

While the claims are refuted by Eric, she claims he became violent when asked if he was having an affair. Since Eric was busy with work, school, and his music, Erin turned her attention to 18-year-old Sean Powell. She became infatuated with the troubled boy and was amazed he was able to survive despite the abuse and molestation he had endured.

When Sean was suspended for having alcohol in the school parking lot, Erin did what she could to help. He would be sent to a substance abuse rehab and they would talk on the phone regularly. When Powell was kicked out of the rehab facility, Erin McLean was the one he called. She talked her husband into picking up Sean and taking him to a practice space.

Erin and Sean’s relationship would quickly become sexual and it would begin taking a toll on Eric who claims they would taunt him. It would all come to an end when Eric pulled the trigger ending Sean Powell’s life. The trial would receive national attention and it would become a case of he said, she said. The outcome of the case would infuriate some but please others.

This case has been covered by N’ Cuffs. The two parter can be found on YouTube. Here is a link to episode 1.