Illinois Appellate Court
Criminal Court
Expert Witnesses
Defendant was convicted, after jury trial, of involuntary manslaughter and concealment of a homicidal death; Defendant had confessed to police officer that he pushed his girlfriend during an argument, causing her to strike her head on furniture, and he then dismembered and disposed of her body. Autopsy report was a business record; thus, introduction of reports of two forensic examiners through the testimony of county medical examiner's summary of them did not violate Defendant's right of confrontation. Neither of the reports of nontestifying experts went to the identity of the victim per se. Court properly admitted testimony of Defendant's former wife that he came to her apartment and threatened to kill her and would hide her in garage where her family would neither see the car nor find her, while pointing a gun at her, was properly admitted as modus operandi for his manner of responding to stressful or upsetting situations, or absence of mistake. (FITZGERALD SMITH and HOWSE, concurring.)