People v. Bush

This case presents question as to whether trial court properly excluded statements made by individual in “rap video” that detailed shooting at issue in defendant’s felony murder trial. Appellate Court, in affirming trial court’s exclusion of said evidence, found that trial court did not abuse its discretion in excluding statements made in video, where video was made solely for entertainment purposes and was not akin to prior statement made by witness. Defendant also raised in his petition for leave to appeal claim that: (1) one juror, who indicated that her relationship with victim’s mother would not affect her ability to be fair and impartial, suffered from implied bias and should have been removed; and (2) record did not support his convictions for mob action and felony murder predicated on mob action, where, according to defendant, there was no evidence that he played any role in generation of melee that formed basis of mob action charge either before or after he came upon brawl and fired gun at victim.