Judge Denies Accused Christian Newsom Murder Ringleader Delay in Retrial

Senior Judge Walter Kurtz denied accused Christian Newsom torture-slaying ringleader Lemaricus Davidson’s bid to put a hold on a hearing next week on whether Davidson should have been granted a new trial, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Davidson’s attorneys sought a Tennessee Supreme Court review of a midlevel appellate court’s decision to recuse Senior Judge Job Kerry Blackwood who ordered a new trial. "The issue is no longer one of recusal," Kurtz wrote. "In (appointing Kurtz), the chief justice exercised his statutory and inherent authority. This trial court is not in a position to overturn or modify the chief justice's order."