A Sumner County jury has convicted 46-year-old Christopher Howard Alessio on 21 charges of child sexual abuse, concluding a five-day trial that revealed years of abuse spanning more than a decade.
Assistant District Attorneys Nathan Nichols and Tara Wyllie prosecuted the case, which centered on crimes committed against multiple children in Hendersonville and White House from 2005 through 2022.
Alessio was first arrested in October 2022 after a 13-year-old girl disclosed repeated molestation and rape during the summer of that year. Following his arrest, additional women and girls came forward, reporting that Alessio had also abused them. In total, six victims were identified, some of whom had been waiting more than a decade for justice.
The jury found Alessio guilty of two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child, six counts of rape of a child, seven counts of aggravated sexual battery, five counts of rape, and one count of sexual battery by an authority figure.
Alessio was sentenced to 162 years in prison without the possibility of parole or early release by Criminal Court Judge Dee David Gay. He has been held in the Sumner County Jail since his arrest.
Officials credited the bravery of the victims, along with the investigative work of the Hendersonville and White House Police Departments. Detectives Jason Steffy and Dan Hunter led the investigations, which were supported by Sumner County’s Child Advocacy Center, Ashley’s Place, and OurKids Clinic.
Victim Witness Coordinators Sally Ann Pirtle and Jennifer Woodard, Administrative Assistant Brittany Nale, and Legal Intern Zoe Cantrell also provided critical support during the trial.
Prosecutors said the convictions represent a long-awaited measure of justice for the six survivors.
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