People v. Littleton

Defendant was convicted, after bench trial, of robbery. Evidence of Defendant's pattern of robbing elderly women on southwest side of Chicago was properly admitted to prove his modus operandi. Defendant's counsel was not ineffective for failure to file fruitless motions. Statement of police officers as to other crimes was hearsay, as those officers did not witness the crimes, error was harmless as that evidence did not significantly contribute to conviction. Based on robbery victim's prior observation and identification of Defendant in broad daylight for several minutes, face-to-face and 7-10 feet away, trial outcome would not likely have changed even if suggestive lineup identification been suppressed. (HOWSE and FITZGERALD SMITH, concurring.)