Tennessee Criminal Lawyer Blog

There have been a number of recent developments in the Knoxville trial of four individuals accused of murdering University of Tennessee student Channon Christian and her boyfriend Christopher Newsom. Whatever one’s opinions over the case may be, the actions of the court-appointed defense attorneys provide an example of model criminal defense.

A number of commentators, and the public at large, have been highly critical of the tactics that have been employed by the defense. Most of this criticism stems from high public outrage over the brutality of the murders in Tennessee, as well as the racial factors involved in the case. Particularly outrageous to the commentators is that the defense has filed a number of motions aimed at blocking certain evidence from being presented and other motions aimed at ensuring fairness within the courtroom.

One of the recent motions was to have evidence thrown out that was obtained in a search of the house where the bodies were found. The defense argued that the affidavit provided to the court, which signified that the search was conducted legally, was not signed by the detective in charge of the search. The detective’s signature is an affirmation that the contents of the affidavit are true. The judge has yet to rule on this motion, but the ruling will have a monumental effect on the rest of the trial.

Another recent motion was to remove from the courtroom the unusually large number of police officers that have been assigned to protect the defendants. Police officials have assigned a large contingent of officers to inner-courtroom security in response to death threats aimed at the defendants. The Tennessee criminal defense attorneys argued that the presence of the officers within the courtroom might prejudice the jury into believing that the defendants were guilty, rather than being able to objectively hear the case. The judge ruled that the officers should remain for safety reasons, but must now be dressed in street clothes to remove the prejudice.

Public outrage has been directed at the defense for trying so aggressively to ensure the defendants a fair trial, but this is exactly what a defense attorney is supposed to do. In reality, a defense attorney who does not do everything within their power to have their client acquitted is committing malpractice. Most importantly, we must never forget that a criminal defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. As such, attorneys and the court are obligated to ensure that a fair trial is conducted that gives criminal defendants the benefit of the doubt.

At Baker Associates, the skilled Knoxville criminal defense attorneys have the knowledge and experience to protect your rights if you have been charged with a crime in Tennessee. If you have any questions regarding criminal offenses or if you are in need of a free consultation, please call 866-853-2888 today.