Illinois Appellate Court
Criminal Court
Fair Trial
Defendant was convicted, after jury trial, of 5 counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and was sentenced to natural life. Court improperly excluded testimony that would have supported Defendant's false confession defense, which denied Defendant his right to a fair trial. State's case was heavily dependent on credibility of Defendant's confession and credibility of Defendant's ex-wife and her mother, who both claimed that they had God-gifted, supernatural powers of "discernment". Evidence suggesting that ex-wife had bias, interest, or motive was not a collateral matter. (CHAPMAN and CATES, concurring.)