People v. Thornton

Defendant appealed from his conviction for first-degree murder, arguing that the trial court erred when it admitted social media messages that were more prejudicial than probative, improperly allowed prior inconsistent statements, failed to conduct a proper inquiry pursuant to People v. Krankel, and committed manifest error when it concluded defendant’s claims of ineffective assistance of counsel did not warrant the appointment of new counsel. The appellate court affirmed, finding that the trial court did not commit error in the admission of evidence or in concluding that defendant’s claims regarding effectiveness of trial counsel did not have merit. (DOHERTY, concurring and STEIGMANN, specially concurring)