Prosecutors have not said why they've charged Eric Boyd with the 2007 murders of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom 11 years after the crime, but a local attorney thinks investigators never stopped looking for new evidence in the case.
"This particular case captivated both the Knoxville area and the world," said Knoxville defense attorney T. Scott Jones.
That's a big reason Jones said a grand jury handed down the new murder indictment on March 20th.
Boyd now faces 36 charges, including murder, robbery and rape.
He was originally convicted in federal court of being an accessory to the crime after the fact.
"I believe there is an enormous amount of pressure on the Knox County Attorney General's Office and law enforcement in general to bring Mr. Boyd to justice relative to any involvement that he had in this particular issue," said Jones.
From his experience, Jones said there are many reasons these charges are just now coming to light.
"It may be a combination of factors as far as an evolution in technology, communications they've got, newly discovered evidence, and quite frankly, Mr. Boyd may have implicated himself by his own statements," said Jones.
Jones said as a current federal inmate, Boyd's communication is monitored, and he may have said something that lead to the charges.
"They've either discovered new information that leads them to feel comfortable bringing this charge and/or they feel like they've learned enough lessons that they can implicate him in this actual murder as well," said Jones.
Since Boyd's four co-defendants in the case went to trial, Jones believes Boyd will as well.
And the ultimate punishment may be on the table.
"Given the nature of this case and the almost absolute likelihood that there will probably be a death penalty or an enhancement sought, he will be entitled to two lawyers as opposed to just one," said Jones.
Boyd is being held in Knoxville and is due in court Thursday, April 5.