Illinois Appellate Court
Criminal Court
Sexual Abuse
Defendant was convicted, after jury trial, of grooming. He had sent a 16-year-old girl a Snapchat photo of his bare buttocks with the message "Now it's your turn". He then said that he would like her to keep his message secret and said that he would like to "get with" her. A rational trier of fact could determine that Defendant's act was, if not a direct solicitation for a photo of the child's sex organs, at least a first step in a process that Defendant hoped would lead the child to send a photo of her sex organs. It was reasonable to infer that Defendant was grooming child, and thus State proved Defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. (BRIDGES and BIRKETT, concurring.)