STATE OF TENNESSEE v. LUIS MENDOZA-SANCHEZ - Articles

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STATE OF TENNESSEE v. LUIS MENDOZA-SANCHEZ

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Mar 24, 2025

Court: TN Court of Criminal Appeals

Attorneys 1: David L. Clarke, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, for the appellant, Luis Mendoza-Sanchez.

Attorneys 2: Jonathan Skrmetti, Attorney General and Reporter; George Kirby May, Assistant Attorney General; Jennings H. Jones, District Attorney General; and Sharon L. Reddick, Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee.

Judge(s): WEDEMEYER

A Rutherford County jury convicted the Defendant, Luis Mendoza-Sanchez, of multiple offenses against two victims, a child and her mother, including aggravated assault of the mother, rape of a child and four counts of aggravated sexual assault of the child. He was additionally convicted of violating the Child Protection Act. The trial court sentenced the Defendant to fifty-nine years of incarceration. On appeal, the Defendant contends that: (1) the trial court erred when it denied his motion to sever the trials for charges against the victim and her mother; (2) the trial court erred when it allowed the State to ask leading questions of their own witness; (3) the trial court erred when it limited the Defendant’s cross-examination of an expert about the victim’s sexual orientation; and (4) the cumulative effect of these errors entitled him to a new trial. After review, we affirm the trial court’s judgments.