MARYVILLE, Tenn. — A man whose daughter was tortured and brutally murdered in Knoxville more than a decade ago is partnering with a self-defense school to help others survive attacks.
Channon Christian and her boyfriend Christopher Newsom were kidnapped, tortured, raped and killed in 2007.
In the corner of Smoky Mountain Self-Defense school in Maryville is a memorial for the two.
"It's an honor to have Channon's picture hanging in so many different places," her father Gary Christian said. "I would trade all those pictures to have her back. But that's not going to happen."
Since then, Christian has endured trials. He's returned to faith, and now he's focusing on a new goal.
Christian and Roy Shields, the school's owner, met years ago and realized they had the same goal.
"I never wanted to feel what he's feeling and I thought to myself, you know, I've got a lot of stuff that I've accumulated over the years that I can offer my daughter and other kids," Shields said.
Christian and Shields co-founded the No More Victims fund,which will help give self-defense scholarships to kids in hopes of preventing another tragedy like Channon and Chris.
"If you don't take some measures to protect your children or give them a chance to protect themselves, it's on you," Christian said.
He says Channon didn't know self defense.
"I wished I could go back, I wished I could have had a No More Victims Foundation to put her in, or a Smoky Mountain Self-Defense to put her in classes if it would have given her a chance to go home," Christian said.
Christian says he's honored to have Channon's picture at the school.
"Every time that we make a difference in this community, she's part of it," Christian said.