Supreme Court of Illinois

In case brought in juvenile court, reversal of conviction of eleven-year old defendant for aggravated criminal assault of six-year old is reversed where: 1) a videotaped statement to the child advocate was testimonial under Crawford v. Washington and the admission of the statement at adjudication trial was a violation of defendant's confrontation right; however 2) the error in admitting the statement was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt because the properly admitted evidence overwhelmingly supported defendant's conviction.

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/04/2008
• Published 12/04/2008

Judges

Court

• Supreme Court of Illinois

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Lisa Madigan, Attorney General, Springfield, Paul A. Logli, State's Attorney, Rockford (Michael A. Scodro, Solicitor General, Leah C. Myers, Michael M. Glick, Assistant Attorneys General, Chicago, Norbert J. Goetten, Martin P. Moltz, and Mary Beth Burns, Office of the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, Elgin, of counsel), for the People., Mary E. Sawicki, of Alexandria, Virginia, and Victor Vieth, Winona, Minnesota, for amici curiae National District Attorneys Association and the American Prosecutors Research Institute.


• For Appellees:
  
• Michael J. Pelletier, State Appellate Defender, Patricia Unsinn, Deputy Defender, Elizabeth A. Botti, Assistant Appellate Defender, Office of the State Appellate Defender, Chicago, for appellee.