People v. Quezada

This case presents question in instant prosecution on attempted murder of police officer, aggravated discharge of weapon and possession of defaced firearm charges, whether trial court properly admitted video recordings of witness’s interrogation and gang-related evidence, where said evidence was not objected to at trial. Appellate Court found under plain-error standard that neither piece of evidence, although improperly admitted, constituted plain error when considered separately. However, Appellate Court, in reversing defendant’s conviction and remanding matter for new trial, held that both pieces of evidence, when considered together, amounted to cumulative error that deprived defendant of faire trial. In its petition for leave to appeal, State argued that Appellate Court’s decision conflicted with Hall, 194 Ill.2d 305, where Hall court found that where forfeited claims do not individually amount to plain error or ineffective assistance of counsel, they cannot be joined together to support finding of cumulative error