Andre Blase Torresv.The State
A Walton County jury convicted Andrew Blas Torres of forcible rape, incest, aggravated child molestation, and aggravated sexual battery based on his daughter’s testimony that he sexually abused her over many years. Torres challenged the sufficiency of the evidence, a juror-for-cause ruling, evidentiary rulings, a mistrial ruling, and the failure to merge two incest counts. The Georgia Court of Appeals rejected those claims and held that the evidence supported the convictions. It nevertheless found that the sentences imposed on four incest convictions were void because the trial court failed to impose the split sentences required by the version of Georgia’s sexual-offense sentencing statute in effect when the crimes occurred. The court vacated only those sentences and remanded for resentencing under the applicable former statute. The convictions otherwise remained affirmed.
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