People v. Thomas

CODRINGTON J.

*1066I

INTRODUCTION1

Defendant Edward Lewis Thomas repeatedly molested his daughter for 10 years, beginning when she was four or five years old. He admitted his conduct in a pretextual telephone call with his daughter and in a letter to her mother. A jury convicted defendant of nine counts of aggravated sexual assault on a child.2 The court sentenced him to a total indeterminate sentence of 135 years to life.

On appeal, defendant argues that there is no substantial evidence that he committed his crimes by means of force, fear, menace, or duress. He further argues that his counsel's…