People v. Jones

Defendant was found guilty of second degree murder and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. On direct appeal, defendant argued that the trial judge erroneously rejected defendant’s self-defense claim, that the State erred during closing argument by allegedly misstating the law of self-defense, that the trial judge erroneously admitted the victim’s 911 call under the excited utterance exception to the rule against hearsay, and that the trial judge erred in considering the victim’s status in the community during sentencing. The appellate court did not find defendant’s arguments persuasive and affirmed. (MIKVA and NAVARRO, concurring)