Man sentenced to 60 years for sex crimes against young girls
May 15—A Wilson County man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for sex crimes against children.
After 50-year-old Pedro Barrera was found guilty on 10 charges in February, Judge Brody Kane handed down the 60-year sentence, with no eligibility for an early release. Barrera was also sentenced to community supervision for life and placed on the sex offender registry.
"This sentencing ensures that Pedro Barrera will never be released to hurt another person," District Attorney Jason Lawson said in a press release. "I am thankful for the careful attention to detail that Judge Kane pronounced during the sentencing. I hope that today's sentencing will bring some measure of peace to the victims and their families in this case."
After a four-day trial, Barrera was found guilty of three counts of rape of a child, six counts of aggravated sexual battery and one count of continuous sex abuse of a child. According to the district attorney's office, continuous child sex abuse is committed if a defendant "commits certain violent sexual offenses against three or more victims."
Barrera's three victims — who all testified against him at his trial — were between seven and nine years old at the time of the crimes and were from Mt. Juliet. None of the victims abused by Barrera between 2017 and 2020 were related to him.
On Oct. 21, 2021, Barrera was arrested at his workplace in Lakewood, which is in the Old Hickory area of Davidson County, near the Wilson County line. Since his arrest, he has remained in custody.
