Defendant was convicted, after stipulated bench trial, of 1st degree murder. Defendant was not prejudiced by defense counsel’s failure to explain shoeprint evidence, as evidence would not have lent crucial weight to his defense that he was not involved in offense, but would have only shown that someone else’s shoeprint was found on the door to the victim’s residence. Thus, there is no reasonable probability that defendant would have not pleaded guilty had this evidence been explained to him prior to his entering guilty plea. Court explicitly admonished Defendant as to appointed counsel’s associate’s former involvement in his case, as former prosecutor, and her employment with his counsel’s law office. Failure to track verbatim language of preprinted certificate contained in Rule 604(d) did not render counsel’s certificate noncompliant. (McDADE and O’BRIEN, concurring.)
Illinois Appellate Court
Criminal Court
Guilty Pleas