RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. — A Tennessee appellate court has upheld the conviction and sentencing of Christian Sanderson, concluding that the trial court acted within its discretion when it ordered consecutive prison terms in a multi-victim sexual abuse case. The Court Clerk of Appellate Courts released the outcome of the appeal on Friday, January 30, 2026.

The case originated in April 2023, when a detective with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office filed a juvenile petition alleging multiple sex offenses involving minor victims. Prosecutors soon sought to transfer the matter to adult court, a request that was granted after a hearing. According to the documents from the court, a Rutherford County grand jury later returned indictments in two separate cases, charging Sanderson with multiple counts including rape of a child and sexual battery involving two victims. According to court records, the offenses occurred over several years and in locations such as family homes and social settings where the victims were presumed to be safe.

Before trial, Sanderson entered into a negotiated plea agreement. He pled guilty to four counts of attempted aggravated sexual battery, all Class C felonies. In exchange, more serious charges were dismissed. The agreement set a sentencing range of five to six years on each count, leaving the trial judge to decide whether the sentences would run concurrently or consecutively.

At the sentencing hearing, the court heard extensive victim testimony and reviewed the pre-sentence report. The trial judge imposed four consecutive six-year sentences, resulting in an effective 24-year prison sentence. The court also ordered lifetime sex offender registration and community supervision.

In explaining the decision, the judge cited aggravating factors including the number of victims, the lengthy time span of the abuse, the familial or trusted relationships involved, and the lasting emotional harm suffered by the victims. The court rejected arguments that Sanderson’s youth at the time of the offenses warranted leniency, pointing to the repeated nature and scope of the conduct.

After being convicted Sanderson appealed, arguing that the trial court abused its discretion by imposing fully consecutive sentences and that the total sentence was excessive because the offenses occurred when he was a juvenile. The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals disagreed. In a unanimous opinion issued during its January 2026 session, the appellate court ruled that the trial judge in Rutherford County properly applied Tennessee sentencing laws and clearly articulated the reasons for consecutive sentencing. The court found that the record supported multiple statutory grounds for consecutive sentences, including convictions for multiple sexual offenses against minors with aggravating circumstances.

The appellate panel concluded that the trial court’s ruling was entitled to a presumption of reasonableness and affirmed the judgments in full, leaving the 24-year sentence intact.