The judge announced his decision just after 1 pm Thursday. The trials of the four defendants were presided over by former Judge Richard Baumgartner, who was removed from the bench after admitting he had a drug addiction.
The file of the TBI investigation outlined evidence that Baumgartner was likely impaired while presiding over those trials.
The evidence included Baumgartner’s abuse of hydrocodone, oxycodone, and oxycontin.
Baumgartner illegally obtained drugs from addicts, some of them had been in his courtroom.
Judge Blackwood was visibly upset as he talked about the decision he was about to make.
Blackwood said he could not point to a transcript that showed Baumgartner was high, but he said, “Use your common sense.”
He said he felt for the families and all of those who worked so hard on the cases, but he had no choice but to grant the retrials.
Mary Newsom, the mother of victim Chris Newsom, said she was angry with Baumgartner. Newsom told reporters she felt like four years of her life had been wasted.
Twenty-one-year-old Channon Christian and 23-year-old Christopher Newsom were carjacked, sexually tortured and then killed in 2007.
The four were convicted during trials in 2009 and 2010. One of them, Lemaricus Davidson, received the death penalty. Letalvis Cobbins and George Thomas are serving life sentences, and Vanessa Coleman is serving 53 years.
Blackwood also said Baumgartner abused his position of authority by securing pills. Baumgartner resigned in March after pleading guilty to official misconduct.
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