Defendant was convicted, after jury trial, of 1st degree murder and 4 counts of attempted 1st degree murder and sentenced to total 119 years. A previous jury trial occurred in 2017, but mistrial was declared when jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. There is not a reasonable probability that impeaching witness with transcripts of his testimony in 1st trial would have changed outcome of this trial. Court did not commit reversible error by not admitting evidence of the earlier shooting in this trial. The court did not categorically exclude such evidence. Even if such evidence was relevant to show that eyewitnesses had a motive to misidentify him as one of the shooters, evidence would have also strengthened the State's case by providing a more plausible motive for Defendant to commit the shootings. Such evidence was unlikely to change outcome of trial and excluding it did not contributed to Defendant's conviction. (PIERCE and ODEN JOHNSON, concurring.)
Illinois Appellate Court
Criminal Court
Witnesses