People v. Jones

Defendant was convicted of unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. Defendant appealed, arguing that the State failed to prove her guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, that she was denied a fair trial, and that she was denied the effective assistance of counsel. The appellate court affirmed and the Supreme Court granted defendant’s petition for leave to appeal. The Supreme Court affirmed, finding that the evidence supporting the conviction was sufficient because a rational trier of fact could have found defendant had control over the vehicle where the ammunition was located because she was the only registered owner of the vehicle. The court further found that defendant was not prejudiced by the trial court’s failure to give the jury IPI Criminal No. 5.01B, which defines the term “knowingly,” because that language was potentially harmful to the defendant’s case. (THEIS, NEVILLE, OVERSTREET, and CUNNINGHAM, concurring. HOLDER WHITE and O’BRIEN took no part in the decision.)