KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Community members gathered Monday to kick off an annual baseball tournament that raises money for a scholarship fund established in honor of the victims of a brutal 2007 murder.
In January of that year, Chris Newsom and Channon Christian were out on a date when they were carjacked by three people at a Washington Pike apartment complex. They were taken to a tiny house on Chipman Street and murdered. Newsom's partly burned body was found near railroad tracks, while Christian's body was found a few days later in a trash can in the Chriman Street house.
To honor the victims, community members organized the Chris Newsom Memorial Baseball Tournament. He graduated from Halls High School in 2002 and played baseball for all four years of his time there. Proceeds of teh tournament go towards a scholarship fund given to Halls High School students.
"The Halls Community Park came up with the idea, and they could look on our face and knew what we were going through, and knew we needed help," said Chris Newsom, his father. "We hope to do this, continue this, as long as we can. It gives us an outlet that we can focus and still work on making sure people remember Chris and Channon ... The song you probably heard yesterday, 'Because he lives, we can face tomorrow.'"
The tournament will run until Sunday.
"We appreciate everybody that comes out and helps us with this. With the money that we receive from the entrance fees, we are able to give scholarships to children at the high school," said Mary Newsom.