STATE OF TENNESSEE v. JAMES ROBERT HOWELL - Articles

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STATE OF TENNESSEE v. JAMES ROBERT HOWELL

Posted by: Karen Belcher on Oct 17, 2025

Court: TN Court of Criminal Appeals

Attorneys 1: Gregory P. Isaacs and Michael R. Fitzgerald (on appeal) and Keith Lieberman (at trial), Knoxville, Tennessee, for the appellant, James Robert Howell.

Attorneys 2: Jonathan Skrmetti, Attorney General and Reporter; Lacy E. Wilber, Senior Assistant Attorney General; Charme Allen, District Attorney General; and Jordan Murray, Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee.

Judge(s): DYER

A Knox County jury convicted the defendant, James Robert Howell, of four counts of sexual battery by an authority figure and one count of assault by offensive or provocative touching, for which he received an effective sentence of four years and six months in confinement. On appeal, the defendant contends the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to support his convictions. The defendant also contends that the trial court erred in admitting hearsay evidence, in admitting evidence of prior abuse, and in imposing an excessive sentence. Additionally, the defendant claims improper argument by the State affected the verdict. After reviewing the record and considering the applicable law, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

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