Appellate Court of Illinois

Conviction for first degree murder and armed robbery is affirmed over claims that: 1) the trial court denied defendant a fair trial by instructing the jury with an improper version of Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions, Criminal, No. 3.15; 2) defendant was denied a fair trial when the trial court refused to give the jury instructions on, and a separate verdict form for, felony murder; and 3) the trial court abused its discretion by sentencing defendant to 95 years in prison. Defendant's 20-year sentence for armed robbery is modified to run concurrently, rather than consecutively, to defendant's other sentences where the court abused its discretion by failing to submit separate verdict forms for felony murder to the jury.

Appellate Information

• Decided 01/25/2008
• Published 02/04/2008

Judges

Court

• Appellate Court of Illinois

Counsel