An appeals court took up a case against Lemaricus Davidson Wednesday, who was sentenced to death for January 2007 deaths of Channon Christian, 21, and Chris Newsom, 23.
Christian and Newsom were kidnapped, raped and murdered as they were about to go on a date the night of Jan. 6, 2007. Davidson was sentenced to death for those crimes in 2009. He had already been through an unsuccessful round of appeals in an attempt to overturn his convictions.
He is also one of five people who were convicted in the case.
His attorney argued that since the trial took place in Knoxville, it was possible that pre-trial publicity and community sentiment were "extremely prejudicial" which would have made the trial unfair. He also said several jurors were contacted by people who knew Christian and Newsom.
Davidson's lawyer in 2009 did not move for a change of venue.
“So I think all these factors would tend toward showing a presumption of prejudice, that it was so bad here in Knoxville, that we should presume that he was prejudiced by it," Davidson's lawyers said.
The state argued that the case doesn't meet three out of the four factors for an appeal. It only agreed there was extensive negative publicity.
The court will issue a ruling later, according to officials.