Jose E. Molina a/k/a Roberto C. Perez v. State of Tennessee

The Petitioner, Jose E. Molina, aka Roberto C. Perez, was convicted by a jury of aggravated rape and aggravated robbery and was, thereafter, sentenced to an effective sentence of twenty-one years at 100%. This Court affirmed the Petitioner’s convictions on direct appeal. The Petitioner filed a timely petition for post-conviction relief and, following an evidentiary hearing, the post-conviction court denied relief. In this appeal, the Petitioner raises the following issues for review: (1) the post-conviction court erred in its determination that the Petitioner’s trial counsel was effective; and (2) in light of a recent publication, the fingerprint comparison testimony at his trial should be excluded as scientifically unreliable. Following our review, we conclude that the Petitioner has not shown he is entitled to relief. We affirm the Davidson County Criminal Court’s denial of relief.