Joshua Pewitte sentence affirmed after appeal

Recently, the Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the conviction and 80-year sentence of Joshua Damone Pewitte, who was found guilty of three counts of Rape of a Child by a Gibson County jury in March of 2023.

The appellate court affirmed the verdict and the trial court’s rulings, rejecting Pewitte’s claims that errors in the trial process affected the fairness of the outcome. The Honorable Judge Tom Greenholtz found no substantial legal error in the timing of the State’s election of offenses, the use of uncharged conduct during closing arguments, or the jury instructions given at trial, as Pewitte alleged in his appeal.

This decision reinforced the importance of balancing the weight given to a unanimous jury verdict with protecting the defendant’s Constitutional right to a fair trial.  With the overwhelming evidence of guilt, the Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that the trial process was conducted fairly, and the conviction stands, ensuring that justice was served for the victim.

“Although every case is important to us, our Office must weigh how to utilize our resources based on the facts and evidence available. This case is a prime example of the conscientious work our team does in evaluating which cases to proceed to trial and which ones will have the best results by a plea, all things considered. We are determined more than ever to remove violent offenders like this defendant from the Crockett, Gibson & Haywood County communities.”

–Frederick H. Agee, District Attorney General 

For more local news, click here.