People v. Jackson

Defendant, who was convicted of first-degree murder solely on witness testimony that was recanted during trial, appealed from the trial court’s denial of his petition for relief from judgment under section 2-1401 of the Code of Civil Procedure, which was filed after the State’s Conviction Integrity Unit reviewed his case and concluded that the conviction lacked sufficient integrity. The appellate court reversed and remanded, concluding that any reasonable review of the record demonstrated by the preponderance of the evidence that there were facts, if known at the time of trial, that would have prevented the conviction. (ODEN JOHNSON, concurring in part and dissenting in part and MITCHELL, concurring in part and dissenting in part)