A Wilson County jury has convicted a local man of multiple charges of sexual abuse against children. Pedro Barrera, 49, was found guilty on all ten charges at the conclusion of a trial which began on Monday of this week and concluded on Thursday night. After hearing the testimony from the victims and law enforcement in the case, the jury found Barrera guilty as charged on three counts of Rape of a Child, six counts of Aggravated Sexual Battery, and one count of Continuous Sex Abuse of a Child. The case involved three victims, all of which were either 7 or 8 years old at the time of the abuse which occurred between 2017 and 2020. None of the victims were related to Barrera.
The last charge, Continuous Child Sex Abuse, is committed if the defendant commits certain violent sexual offenses against three or more victims. Upon completion of the investigation in the case, Barrera was arrested and has remained in custody since. The sentencing hearing is set for May 10th.
“It is always heartbreaking to see that a person would take advantage of a child,” said Jason Lawson, District Attorney. “I am very proud of the victims in this case for coming forward and reporting to law enforcement what had happened in their cases. I am also so impressed by the strength that these victims showed in taking the witness stand and telling the jury their story. Their strength in facing their abuser in open court is what gave them justice in this case.”
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Tom Swink and Justin Harris. “D.A.s Swink and Harris poured immeasurable time and energy into preparing every aspect of this case for trial. I wish that our community could see how hard our D.A.s fight for victims in working late night and early morning hours on top of their regular workdays to make sure that our one shot at justice in court yields the right results,” said Lawson. “When you are engaged in matters as serious as what our D.A.s deal with on a daily basis, it is easy to understand why this is not a 9 to 5 job.”
Lawson also credited the Mt. Juliet Police Department. “Detective Cameron Smith worked extremely hard in this case. This was not an easy investigation, but Chief Mullins’ department was there every step of the way to help make sure that justice was served in this case.”
In addition to law enforcement and victim testimony, the jury heard testimony from family members of the victims as well as a forensic interviewer with the Child Advocacy Center. The defense in the case presented an expert witness who challenged aspects of the investigation and testimony of certain witnesses. Closing arguments began at two o’clock p.m. on Thursday and the jury began deliberations at four o’clock p.m. Shortly after eight o’clock, the eleven-man and one-woman jury returned to the courtroom and pronounced the guilty verdict on all ten of the charges.
After the verdict, the families of the victims exchanged tearful expressions of sympathy to the other victims and thanks to the law enforcement and prosecutors involved. In addition to the prison sentence to be determined at the May 10 sentencing, the convictions automatically require the defendant to be placed on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry for the remainder of his lifetime.