A judge in Roane County sentenced a man on multiple counts of child rape. Court officials say 56-year-old Eric Brownlow was convicted by a Roane County Jury on October 30, 2019 of three counts of rape of a child. Brownlow was prosecuted by District Attorney General Russell Johnson’s Office with Assistant district attorney (ADA) Alyson Kennedy, who is the Office’s child sex abuse prosecutor, and ADA Jed Bassett. The trial lasted two days in October in front of Special Judge Sandra Donaghy from the 10th District who was appointed to oversee the criminal trial in place of 9th District Criminal Court Judge Jeff Wicks who recused himself because he was the judge on cases as a former General Sessions Court Judge involving Brownlow’s child custody case and his divorce.

In court today, Brownlow was given 27 years to serve in prison on each of the three child rape convictions. ADA Alyson Kennedy convinced Judge Donaghy to run the sentences consecutively for a total sentence of 81 years to serve in with an argument that caused her trial partner, ADA Jed Bassett to text his colleagues, “In my 12 year career, I have been moved to tears exactly 2 time by an attorney’s argument. Today, at the Brownlow sentencing, was the second.”

ADA Kennedy reiterated the bravery of the victim during her testimony at trial and praised her for coming forward to bring Brownlow to justice. She also focused in on the depravity of Brownlow’s conduct and control over the victim, pointing out how his actions earned Brownlow every day in prison that he will serve. ADA Kennedy also read the victim’s written heart wrenching ‘victim impact statement’ to the court. Among other things, the victim wrote, “I felt like I have been behind bars, … This man took my childhood. It’s something I can never get back.”