2017 IL App (1st) 113085
SIXTH DIVISION
MAY 12, 2017
No. 1-11-3085
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, ) Appeal from the
) Circuit Court of
Plaintiff-Appellee, ) Cook County.
)
v. ) No. 09 CR 13763
)
CHARLES COWART, ) Honorable
) Thaddeus L. Wilson,
Defendant-Appellant. ) Judge Presiding.
JUSTICE CUNNINGHAM delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.
Justices Connors and Delort concurred in the judgment and opinion.
OPINION
¶1 Following a jury trial in the circuit court of Cook County, defendant Charles Cowart was
convicted of first-degree murder under a theory of accountability. Following a simultaneous
bench trial outside the presence of the jury, defendant was also convicted of being an armed
habitual criminal (AHC). Subsequently, the trial court sentenced him to 51 years of
imprisonment for first-degree murder and a concurrent 20-year sentence for the AHC conviction.
On appeal, this court reversed both the first-degree murder conviction and the AHC conviction.
Our supreme court then issued a supervisory order directing us to reconsider that judgment in
light of its decision in People v. McFadden, 2016 IL 117424. Having done so, we now affirm
the defendant's AHC conviction, reverse the defendant's first-degree murder conviction, and
remand for resentencing.
1-11-3085
¶2 BACKGROUND
¶3 On June 21, 2009, in the late evening, victim Lee Floyd (Lee) was shot and killed at an
outdoor party located at West Van Buren Street and South Keeler Avenue in Chicago, Illinois.
On June 26, 2009, police officers arrested defendant, who was subsequently charged with the
first-degree murder of Lee, the offense of being an AHC, and aggravated discharge of a firearm.
Defendant asserted in his videotaped statement to the police that one of his friends, Keevo, 1
accidentally shot Lee during the party. Prior to trial, on June 20, 2011, the State decided to
proceed with the first-degree murder and AHC charges, but nol-prossed the remaining charges.
¶4 On June 21, 2011, the same day a bench trial commenced on the AHC charge, a jury trial
commenced on the first-degree murder charge. Tytianna Johnson (Tytianna) testified on behalf
of the State that, at about 10:30 p.m. on June 21, 2009, she, Iesha Parker (Iesha), Keyana
Williams (Keyana), and Elaina Riley (Elaina) attended a Father's Day outdoor celebration in the
area of West Van Buren Street and South Keeler Avenue in Chicago. Tytianna estimated that
about 200 people attended the party, including Jasmine Benson (Jasmine) and defendant, whose
nickname was "LC." Tytianna noticed a group of "boys standing around" with defendant,
including an individual nicknamed "Bird," which she described as the "LC crew." Tytianna
noticed that defendant had a gun tucked into his waistband, that he wore a white tee-shirt bearing
a photograph of someone, and that the "[m]ajority of the whole party" wore the same shirt.
Although Tytianna testified at trial that she did not see Bird with a gun, she had previously
informed the grand jury and an assistant State's Attorney that Bird had a gun at the party. At
some point, Jasmine and Ashley Dockery (Ashley) got into a verbal argument, while Tytianna
1
The spelling of this individual's name varies in the record as "Keevo" or "Kevo."
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and Ashley's boyfriend, Tommy, stood nearby. About 7 to 10 minutes later, "a whole crowd of
boys" stood in front of Tytianna, Iesha, Keyana, and Elaina. The group of about 20 boys
included defendant, Bird, "Smooth," and the victim, Lee. Elaina then made a statement, which
caused the "whole party" to get "real rowdy" and to turn against the girls. Smooth then threw a
drink in Iesha's face and defendant slapped Iesha. Elaina then hit defendant, who then hit Elaina
and she fell to the ground. The crowd then started "going crazy" and everyone was "swinging."
Ralph Benson (Ralph), who was the father of Tytianna's children, then physically pulled
Tytianna out of the fight. Moments later, Tytianna heard gunshots and observed "Pooh Bear"
shooting a gun in the air. Tytianna and Ralph then hid under a parked truck on the corner of the
street. During the incident, Tytianna heard a total of about 25 to 30 gunshots fired from four or
five different guns, and heard the boys yell, "[s]hoot them ho's, [s]hoot them ho's." Several days
later, on June 27, 2009, Tytianna cooperated with the police and identified photographs of the
males she saw at the party, including Pooh Bear, Tommy, Bird, and she also identified defendant
in a physical lineup. On cross-examination, Tytianna was impeached with her grand jury
testimony, which stated that "[m]ost of the males" she saw at the party had guns in their
possession.
¶5 Iesha testified that at about 10 p.m. on June 21, 2009, she, Tytianna, Keyana, and Elaina
attended an outdoor party in the playground of an elementary school at West Van Buren Street
and South Keeler Avenue. Iesha estimated about 50 to 100 people in attendance, and partygoers
stood on the sidewalks, yard, and streets. Iesha saw Tommy, Pooh Bear, Keevo, Melissa Meridy
(Melissa), and Jasmine at the party. Jasmine engaged in an altercation with Ashley, after which
Tommy walked to Jasmine and Melissa on the street corner, said something to them, and walked
back toward the elementary school grounds. Elaina then said something to Pooh Bear, which
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caused "all the guys out there" to walk toward the girls who were on the street corner at West
Van Buren Street and South Keeler Avenue at that time. Iesha knew that something was about to
happen and started to leave when Smooth or Suavo threw a drink in her face. Defendant then
struck Iesha in the face, after which Elaina and defendant engaged in a physical altercation.
Iesha described the scene as "[e]veryone just got fighting." When gunshots rang out, Iesha fled
southbound on South Keeler Avenue toward a bridge leading to Harrison Street. As she fled, she
continued to hear about six or seven gunshots, looked back and saw Elaina fall down, and saw
defendant shooting over the bridge at them from the corner of the elementary school. After she
reached Harrison Street, Iesha hid under a porch for about 20 minutes. On June 27, 2009,
Detective Garcia came to Iesha's home and brought her to the police station, where she identified
photographs of Keevo, Bird, Suavo, Tommy, and Pooh Bear. Iesha also identified defendant in a
physical lineup and in a statement to an assistant State's Attorney as the person who had shot at
her.
¶6 Peggy Allen (Peggy) testified that she lived in a first-floor apartment near the intersection
of West Van Buren Street and South Keeler Avenue at 4158 West Congress Parkway. In the
early morning of June 22, 2009, Peggy awoke to the sounds of gunshots close to her apartment.
She looked out the window onto South Keeler Avenue and observed two girls running
southbound toward West Congress Parkway and ducking between cars as a young man followed
and shot at them. A group of people also followed behind the shooter as the shooter followed the
girls. The gunman shot at the girls at least six times—three times before Peggy looked out the
window and three times as she watched the incident unfold. After the shooting, Peggy
discovered bullet holes in her windows, the dining room, and the kitchen. The next day, Peggy
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spoke with the police and showed them the damage to her home. Police officers recovered
bullets and photographed the damage caused by the gunfire to her residence.
¶7 Melissa testified that at about 8 p.m. on June 21, 2009, she and Jasmine attended the
barbecue party in an elementary school yard in the area of West Van Buren Street and South
Keeler Avenue. Defendant, who wore a tee-shirt with a picture on it, was at the party. At some
point during the party, Melissa, who was standing in the middle of the street on West Van Buren
Street, saw a fight on the corner of West Van Buren Street and South Keeler Avenue. Melissa
observed Suavo hit Elaina. Tytianna's boyfriend then picked Tytianna up off the ground at the
corner of West Van Buren Street and South Keeler Avenue. As the fight broke out, Melissa
telephoned a friend. After the telephone call, Melissa approached the corner where the fight was
occurring and heard about nine gunshots. However, she did not see who was firing the shots.
Melissa ducked behind cars as she fled and headed home. On June 28, 2009, Melissa went to the
police station and identified defendant, Pooh Bear, Keevo, Tommy and Suavo in a photographic
array as individuals who were present at the party. Melissa also informed the police that she had
observed Pee Wee flashing a gun before the fight occurred at the party.
¶8 Roceaser Ivy (Roceaser) testified that he met defendant in 2006, and that he came into
contact with defendant again in 2008. At trial, Roceaser initially denied that he was ever in the
area of West Van Buren Street and South Keeler Avenue on the evening of June 21, 2009 or the
early morning hours of June 22, 2009. He denied witnessing defendant's involvement in a
shooting at that location. Although Roceaser was impeached at trial with his prior statements to
the police, the assistant State's Attorney, and the grand jury, in which he said that he had
observed defendant shooting a gun on the night of the party, Roceaser testified at trial that he had
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lied to the authorities and the grand jury because the police had threatened to take his parole
away. 2
¶9 Assistant State's Attorney George Canellis (ASA Canellis) testified that on July 2, 2009,
he met with Roceaser, who informed ASA Canellis of the details of the shooting. ASA Canellis
testified as to Roceaser's testimony before the grand jury, which was published to the jury at
trial: In his grand jury testimony, Roceaser testified that, after midnight on June 22, 2009, he
was walking down South Keeler Avenue near West Van Buren Street and was trying to buy
marijuana. Roceaser estimated that there were about three to four hundred people outside
"celebrating something." As he walked on South Keeler Avenue toward West Van Buren Street,
Roceaser saw defendant fire a gun and saw "fire jump from his hand." When the shooting began,
Roceaser was walking on the east side of South Keeler Avenue and was two sidewalk "squares"
from West Van Buren Street, while defendant was standing diagonally across the street next to
an elementary school on the southwest corner of the intersection. A crowd of people stood
behind defendant. Roceaser informed the grand jury that he had no difficulty observing
defendant at the time of the shooting because lighting from the school building shone on
defendant. Defendant was wearing a white tee-shirt, blue jeans, white tennis shoes, and a white
hat. Roceaser's grand jury testimony stated that he heard no gunshots prior to defendant's firing
the gun; that defendant had extended his arm and was shooting at somebody rather than up in the
air; and that Roceaser initially heard at least five or six shots and fled toward public
transportation at West Van Buren Street and Pulaski Road. Roceaser could still hear gunshots as
he fled, which became quieter as he got farther away. In his grand jury testimony, Roceaser also
2
At the time of trial, Roceaser was in federal custody on an unrelated drug charge and
had previously been convicted of other felony offenses.
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stated that he was treated fairly by the police; that the police did not make any threats or
promises to him in exchange for his statement; and that ASA Canellis never made any promises
to him regarding his parole status.
¶ 10 At the time of trial, the State called former Assistant State's Attorney Jenni Scheck
(Scheck) who testified that on July 1, 2009, she and Detective Garcia met with Roceaser and had
a conversation with him about the details of the shooting, which was then memorialized in a
typewritten statement. At some point during the conversation, Scheck questioned Roceaser
alone in the police interview room, and Roceaser never indicated that either Detective Garcia or
other police officers threatened to revoke his parole unless he agreed to speak with them. Scheck
testified that Roceaser was given the opportunity to make changes and corrections to the
statement and that he attested to the accuracy of the statement by signing the bottom of each
page. During Scheck's trial testimony, the typewritten statement was admitted into evidence and
published before the jury. The typewritten statement of Roceaser stated that after midnight on
June 22, 2009, he was looking to buy some marijuana in the area of South Keeler Avenue and
West Van Buren Street. As Roceaser headed southbound on South Keeler Avenue near West
Van Buren Street, he saw defendant standing across the street near a school at the southwest
corner of the intersection. Defendant, who was wearing white tennis shoes, blue jeans, a white
tee-shirt and baseball hat, stood under a light emanating from the school building. Roceaser
stated that defendant was "with some other people but seemed to be a step ahead of the group."
There were also "groups of 15 to 20 people and a bigger group behind the school." Roceaser
then observed defendant with a gun in his hand and heard two gunshots. Roceaser saw "fire"
come out of defendant's hand as he discharged his weapon "in the direction where other people
[were] standing." Roceaser stated that defendant "definitely shot the gun towards people and not
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up into the air," that he did not hear any gunshots before defendant fired the gun, and that
Roceaser then fled upon seeing defendant shoot his gun. After he started running, Roceaser
heard other gunshots, which grew fainter as he got farther away. Roceaser also stated in the
typewritten statement that he was treated well by the detectives and Scheck; that he was given
food by the police; that he was allowed to use the restroom whenever he needed to; that he was
not handcuffed at any time at the police station; and that no threats or promises had been made to
coerce him to make a statement; that he gave the statement freely and voluntarily; that he was
allowed to make any changes or corrections to his statement; that he put his initials by the
changes or corrections that were made; and that everything contained in the statement was true
and accurate.
¶ 11 Officer Kevin Ebersole (Officer Ebersole) testified that at 12:30 a.m. on June 26, 2009,
several days after the shooting, he and his partner, Officer Suing, were on routine patrol when
they received a radio flash message of a vehicle and occupant who had been involved in an
incident at Lake Street and Homan Avenue. About a minute later, as the officers headed
southbound on Homan Avenue, Officer Ebersole spotted the vehicle matching the description in
the flash message. Once the police stopped the vehicle, the front passenger exited the vehicle
with a "nickel or chrome-plated" handgun in his hand and thereafter placed the gun into his
waistband. At trial, Officer Ebersole identified defendant as the individual he observed exiting
the vehicle. Officer Ebersole testified that defendant exited the vehicle, and fled westbound on
Ohio Street and into an alley near Trumbull Avenue. During the pursuit, Officer Ebersole
observed defendant throw the handgun onto the roof of a garage near 512 North Trumbull
Avenue. Moments later, Officer Ebersole apprehended defendant. Other police officers then
recovered the handgun from the roof of the garage where defendant had tossed it.
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¶ 12 Officer Nick Beckman (Officer Beckman) testified that on June 26, 2009, he arrived at
the 500 block of North Trumbull Avenue and spoke with police officers who were already at the
location. He was directed by other officers to the roof of a garage at 512 North Trumbull
Avenue, where he recovered a 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun with a chrome finish. The
handgun's magazine was empty and Officer Beckman inventoried the weapon. Evidence was
presented by the State at trial that subsequent testing of the handgun showed that it matched three
cartridge cases that were recovered from the June 21, 2009 shooting crime scene near 407 South
Keeler Avenue.
¶ 13 Detective Gregory Jones (Detective Jones) testified that he investigated the shooting
death of Lee. On June 26, 2009, Detective Jones interviewed Roceaser, who identified defendant
in a physical lineup as the person who had fired a handgun during the shooting melee on June 21,
2009. On June 27, 2009, Detective Jones also interviewed Iesha, Tytianna, and Keyana.
Tytianna identified defendant in a physical lineup as a person she saw "involved in a fight just
prior to the shooting and also a person she saw with a handgun in his waistband before the
shooting." Tytianna also identified Tommy and Pooh Bear in a photographic array. Iesha
viewed the physical lineup separately and also identified defendant as "the person who had
punched her in her face with his fists and then fired multiple shots at her as she ran." Iesha
further identified Bird, Pooh Bear, Tommy, and Suavo in a photographic array. On June 28,
2009, Detective Jones also interviewed Melissa, who identified Pee Wee, Suavo, Tommy,
Keevo, Pooh Bear, Bird, Elaina, Iesha, Lee, Roceaser, Smooth, Fish, Lil One, Chris Rock
(Rock), D-Mac, and defendant in a photographic array. Melissa informed Detective Jones that
she had seen Pee Wee with a gun prior to the fight, and that Tommy had made threats to shoot
anybody who "touches his girl." On June 29, 2009, Detective Jones and his partner also
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interviewed Ashley, who identified Lee, Melo, Rock, Tommy, Keevo, Pooh Bear, Smooth, Pee
Wee, and defendant as being present at the party at the intersection of West Van Buren Street
and South Keeler Avenue on June 22, 2009. However, Ashley was not present at the time of the
shooting. On July 1, 2009, Detective Jones reinterviewed Roceaser. Detective Jones testified
that Roceaser was not placed under arrest or in handcuffs; that no threats were made to him
regarding his parole status; that an assistant State's Attorney memorialized a statement made by
Roceaser; and that Roceaser testified before the grand jury on July 2, 2009. Detective Jones
testified that, in the course of his investigation, he had evidence that "there were multiple people
shooting" at the street corner of West Van Buren Street and South Keeler Avenue. On July 6,
2009, Detective Jones conducted another physical lineup with Iesha and Tytianna, from which
Iesha identified Tavaris Hightie (Tavaris) as "being at the scene with a gun" and Tytianna
identified Tavaris as "one of the people actually shooting a gun." During Detective Jones'
testimony at trial, defendant's videotaped statement to the police was published to the jury.
¶ 14 In his videotaped statement, defendant stated that he helped organize the Father's Day
celebration for one of his "homies," Boodro, who died eight years earlier. Defendant and many
partygoers wore tee-shirts with Boodro's picture on the front. The party included food, drinks, a
D.J., and a photographer, and was located in a schoolyard at West Van Buren Street and South
Keeler Avenue. The party was going smoothly until some "females" started to get into a fight
with each other, and Bird tried to resolve the dispute by telling a female individual to "get the
[expletive] on." Defendant described what unfolded next. Defendant stated that he slapped the
female at the corner of West Van Buren Street and South Keeler Avenue, because she was
"talking crazy." According to defendant, the "baby daddy" of the woman he had slapped then
"hit [defendant's] homie, Smooth." Defendant did not know the identity of the "baby daddy."
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Defendant stated that when the "baby daddy" hit Smooth, defendant and all of his friends,
including Smooth, Marvin, Lee (the victim), Keevo, and Big Greek surrounded the man.
Defendant stated that when they had "baby daddy" surrounded in a circle, Keevo said, "watch
out, I'm [fittin] to kill this bitch." Defendant then heard the first gunshot, and saw people move
back. At that time, Keevo was facing West Van Buren Street and South Keeler Avenue, while
the victim, Lee, had his back turned toward that intersection and was facing West Congress
Parkway and South Keeler Avenue instead. When the second gunshot sounded, defendant
claimed that he saw Lee "roll over on the ground," but defendant did not know at the time, that
Lee had been shot. Defendant claimed that Keevo accidentally shot Lee when Keevo was trying
to "get this bitch." When a third gunshot sounded, defendant heard "all the bullets *** going
towards the bridge" near West Congress Parkway, in the direction where "two girls" were
running as the shooting began. When asked who was shooting, defendant answered, "Kevo shot
first. [Pooh] Bear shot. Pee Wee shot. *** I had my gun out[,] Bird had his gun out."
However, defendant denied that either he or Bird fired their weapons, but stated that "I had a
nine. Bird had a nine. Basically it was a lot of nine's out there it was a few .357 [revolvers]."
Defendant noted that he had been shot on multiple occasions in the past and, thus, took his gun
out once the shooting began. Defendant stated that "baby daddy" was able to escape by running
away. He noted that "baby daddy" got away because once gunshots were heard, "everyone out
there wasn't focused." Defendant denied walking with the crowd that followed and shot at the
girls who were running toward the bridge. Instead, he claimed that he, Bird, Smooth, and Pee
Wee put Lee into Smooth's car, and Smooth drove Lee to the hospital. Defendant claims that he
ran to Gladys Avenue to get away from West Van Buren Street and South Keeler Avenue
because the police were coming and he still had the gun in his possession. Defendant then gave
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the gun to someone named "Melva." He did not find out that his "homie" Lee had died until the
following morning. Defendant claimed that the handgun that the police recovered from his
person several days after the shooting was a different firearm than the one he had in his
possession during the shooting.
¶ 15 At trial, after defendant's videotaped statement was played for the jury, Detective Jones
testified on cross-examination that, based on his interviews with the witnesses, Lee was standing
on the street near the southwest corner of the intersection of West Van Buren Street and South
Keeler Avenue when he was shot. Detective Jones estimated that, at the time Lee was shot, there
were "several people" directly around him and "a couple hundred people" at the party, and there
were several handguns that had been fired at the time Lee was shot. On redirect, Detective Jones
testified that the police had not recovered any firearms other than the gun that was recovered
from defendant.
¶ 16 Evidence was presented at trial that the police found shell casings and blood at the crime
scene. Evidence technicians located and recovered 26 shell casings, a fired bullet, and a bullet
jacket from the crime scene, which led Tonia Brubaker (Brubaker), a forensic scientist, to
conclude that at least 28 gunshots from six or seven different firearms had been fired at the
scene—including two .38-caliber firearms; four 9-millimeter firearms; and one unknown firearm.
Stephen Balcerzak (Balcerzak), an evidence technician, also testified that revolvers do not expel
shell casings and, thus, would not leave such evidence behind.
¶ 17 The State, outside the presence of the jury, also introduced into evidence two certified
copies of defendant's previous convictions: the first was a certified copy of a January 9, 2007
felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, in violation of
section 401 (d)(i) of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act (Act) (720 ILCS 570/401(d)(i) (West
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2006)) (case No. 06 CR 2687101); the second was a certified copy of a February 1, 2002 felony
conviction for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, in violation of section 24-1.6(a)(1) of the
Criminal Code of 1961 (Criminal Code) (720 ILCS 5/24-1.6(a)(1) (West 2002)) (case No. 01 CR
1233801).
¶ 18 By stipulation, the parties agreed that Dr. Tera Jones (Dr. Jones) performed the autopsy
of Lee's body. Dr. Jones observed a gunshot entrance wound on his right upper back, and the
exit wound on his right upper chest. The bullet traveled from "back to front slightly right to left
and upward." Examination of the skin around the entrance wound revealed no evidence of close-
range firing, which typically occurs when the firearm is less than 18 inches from the victim. The
parties stipulated that Dr. Jones would testify within a reasonable degree of medical and
scientific certainty that the cause of death was due to a gunshot wound on Lee's back and the
manner of death was homicide.
¶ 19 After the State rested, three witnesses testified on behalf of defendant. Antonio Williams
(Antonio) is defendant's nephew and was about 14 years old at the time of the shooting. Rekia
Williams (Rekia) is Antonio's mother. Tiana Cowart (Tiana) is defendant's wife. Antonio, Rekia
and Tiana testified that they saw defendant fighting with some women when they heard the first
gunshots at the Father's Day party. Antonio testified that once the fight broke out, "everybody
started fighting." Antonio testified that, before the shots were fired, Lee was standing on the
sidewalk by the entrance door of the elementary school, which was about 15 feet away from the
corner of West Van Buren Street and South Keeler Avenue. Antonio did not see Lee get struck
by a bullet, but only saw him fall to the ground. All three witnesses testified that they neither
saw defendant in possession of a gun nor fire a weapon, and that they fled the scene shortly after
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they heard the gunshots. Rekia and Tiana also testified that defendant wore a sling on one of his
arms on the night of the shooting.
¶ 20 During jury deliberations and outside the presence of the jury, the trial court conducted a
simultaneous bench trial and found defendant guilty of being an AHC. Following deliberations,
the jury found defendant guilty of first-degree murder of Lee and found that he personally
discharged a firearm.
¶ 21 On September 23, 2011, the trial court denied defendant's motion for a new trial. The
trial court then sentenced defendant to 51 years of imprisonment, which included a 20-year
firearm enhancement, and the court imposed a concurrent 20-year sentence for the AHC
conviction. On September 30, 2011, the trial court denied defendant's motion to reconsider the
sentence. Defendant then appealed.
¶ 22 On February 9, 2015, this court reversed both of defendant's convictions. People v.
Cowart, 2015 IL App (1st) 113085. In reversing the first-degree murder conviction, we held that
"the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there was a common criminal design
between defendant and Lee's killer, so as to establish defendant's intent to promote or facilitate
the crime." Id. at ¶ 38. In reversing the AHC conviction, we held that the State failed to prove
the predicate offenses for AHC because defendant's prior conviction for AUUW was based on a
statute found to be unconstitutional in People v. Aguilar, 2013 IL 112115. Id. at ¶ 47.
¶ 23 In November 2016, our supreme court issued a supervisory order directing us to vacate
our February 9, 2015 order, and to reconsider that judgment in light of its decision in People v.
McFadden, 2016 IL 117424. Both defendant and the State submitted supplemental briefs.
Having reconsidered in accordance with the supreme court's mandate, we now affirm the
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defendant's AHC conviction, reverse the defendant's first-degree murder conviction, and remand
for resentencing.
¶ 24 ANALYSIS
¶ 25 We note that we have jurisdiction as defendant filed a timely notice of appeal following a
final order pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 606 (eff. Nov. 1, 2016).
¶ 26 We determine the following issues on appeal: (1) whether the State established beyond a
reasonable doubt that defendant committed first-degree murder under a theory of accountability;
(2) whether the State established beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant committed the
offense of AHC in light of McFadden; and (3) whether the trial court erred in imposing a 20-year
firearm enhancement sentence on defendant's first-degree murder conviction.
¶ 27 We first determine whether the State established beyond a reasonable doubt that
defendant committed first-degree murder on a theory of accountability. 3
¶ 28 As a preliminary matter, defendant points out in his reply brief that the State's response
brief makes various references to gang evidence, which had not been presented at trial, and asks
that this court strike or ignore these gang-related references. We agree that the State's original
brief makes gang-related references from portions of the transcript of defendant's videotaped
statement that was not played for the jury. However, in December 2014, this court granted the
State leave to file a corrected brief, which removed from the brief all gang-related references that
were not admitted at trial. The corrected brief did not make any substantive changes to the
3
The issue of first-degree murder in this case is outside the scope of the supreme court's
supervisory order, as the McFadden decision has no bearing on the first-degree murder
conviction. While we are not precluded from reconsidering issues outside the scope of the
mandate, the State does not provide any new arguments in support of a first-degree murder
conviction. See, e.g., People v. Warren, 2016 IL App (1st) 090884-C. Therefore, our analysis on
this issue is unchanged from our February 9, 2015 vacated order.
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State's arguments regarding the issues on appeal. Also, in the interest of judicial economy, this
court will treat defendant's reply brief to the State's original response brief as a reply brief to the
State's corrected brief.
¶ 29 Defendant argues that his conviction should be reversed because the State failed to prove
beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed first-degree murder under a theory of
accountability, where the shooter was unknown and the weapon that was used to kill Lee was
unknown. Even if the State's evidence could be believed, he contends, it only showed that
defendant was shooting at Iesha and her friends, while Lee was nowhere in sight. Defendant
argues that the State failed to present the testimony of any witnesses who saw "anyone else shoot
at [Iesha] before [Lee] was shot," that the State failed to present any facts that connected
defendant's friends to the fatal bullet, and that the physical evidence implicated numerous
unknown potential shooters. He contends that instead of charging defendant for a crime against
Iesha, the State "overcharged" him with the first-degree murder of Lee on a theory of
accountability. Specifically, defendant claims that, even viewing the evidence in the light most
favorable to the State, the evidence was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, all of
the elements of the theory of accountability.
¶ 30 The State counters that defendant was proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of first-
degree murder under a theory of accountability. Specifically, the State argues that defendant was
properly convicted of the offense because he and his friends participated in a common criminal
design that resulted in Lee's death. The State further argues that other factors, such as
defendant's presence during the commission of the crime, his flight from the scene, his failure to
report the incident, and his continued association with the other offenders after the shooting, all
showed that defendant was accountable for Lee's death.
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¶ 31 When the sufficiency of the evidence is challenged on appeal, we must determine
"'whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the [State], any rational trier
of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond the reasonable doubt.' "
(Emphasis in original.) People v. Graham, 392 Ill. App. 3d 1001, 1008-09 (2009) (quoting
Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979)). A reviewing court affords great deference to the
trier of fact and does not retry defendant on appeal. People v. Smith, 318 Ill. App. 3d 64, 73
(2000). It is within the province of the trier of fact "to assess the credibility of the witnesses,
determine the appropriate weight of the testimony, and resolve conflicts or inconsistencies in the
evidence." Graham, 392 Ill. App. 3d at 1009. The trier of fact is not required to accept any
possible explanation compatible with defendant's innocence and elevate it to the status of
reasonable doubt. People v. Siguenza-Brito, 235 Ill. 2d 213, 229 (2009). A reviewing court will
not substitute its judgment for that of the trier of fact. People v. Sutherland, 223 Ill. 2d 187, 242
(2006). A reviewing court must allow all reasonable inferences from the record in favor of the
State. People v. Cunningham, 212 Ill. 2d 274, 280 (2004). A criminal conviction will not be
reversed "unless the evidence is so improbable or unsatisfactory that it creates a reasonable doubt
as to defendant's guilt." Graham, 392 Ill. App. 3d at 1009.
¶ 32 A person commits first-degree murder when, in performing the acts which cause the
death of an individual, (1) he either "intends to kill or do great bodily harm to that individual or
another, or knows that such acts will cause death to that individual or another"; or (2) "he knows
that such acts create a strong probability of death or great bodily harm to that individual or
another." 720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(1), (2) (West 2008); People v. Jones, 376 Ill. App. 3d 372, 383
(2007).
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¶ 33 At trial, the State prosecuted its case against defendant for first-degree murder under a
theory of accountability. A person is legally accountable for the criminal conduct of another
when, "[e]ither before or during the commission of an offense, and with the intent to promote or
facilitate such commission, he solicits, aids, abets, agrees or attempts to aid, such other person in
the planning or commission of the offense." 720 ILCS 5/5-2(c) (West 2008).
¶ 34 To prove that a defendant had the intent to promote or facilitate the crime, the State must
present evidence that establishes, beyond a reasonable doubt, "that (1) defendant shared the
criminal intent of the principal or (2) there was a common criminal design." People v. Willis,
2013 IL App (1st) 110233, ¶ 79. In the case at bar, the State does not argue that defendant
shared the criminal intent of the person who shot Lee. Rather, the State advanced its case on the
theory that there was a "common criminal design" by which defendant showed the intent to
promote or facilitate the killing of Lee. The common design rule holds that "where two or more
persons engage in a common criminal design or agreement, any acts in the furtherance of that
common design committed by one party are considered to be the acts of all parties to the design
or agreement and all are equally responsible for the consequences of the further acts." In re
W.C., 167 Ill. 2d 307, 337 (1995). "Words of agreement are not required to prove a common
design or purpose between codefendants; a common design may be inferred from the
circumstances surrounding the crime." Willis, 2013 IL App (1st) 110233, ¶ 79. "Evidence that a
defendant voluntarily attached himself to a group bent on illegal acts with knowledge of its
design supports an inference that he shared the common purpose and will sustain his conviction
for an offense committed by another." In re W.C., 167 Ill. 2d at 338. "A conviction under
accountability does not require proof of a preconceived plan if the evidence indicates
involvement by the accused in the spontaneous acts of the group." People v. Cooper, 194 Ill. 2d
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419, 435 (2000). "In determining a defendant's legal accountability, the trier of fact may
consider defendant's presence during its commission, defendant's continued close association
with other offenders after its commission, defendant's failure to report the crime, and defendant's
flight from the scene." Willis, 2013 IL App (1st) 110233, ¶ 79. Absent other circumstances
indicating a common design, presence at the scene and flight therefrom do not constitute prima
facie evidence of accountability; however, they do constitute circumstantial evidence which may
tend to prove and establish a defendant's guilt. Willis, 2013 IL App (1st) 110223, ¶ 79 (quoting
People v. Foster, 198 Ill. App. 3d 986, 993 (1990)). A defendant may be found guilty under an
accountability theory even though the identity of the principal is unknown. Cooper, 194 Ill. 2d
at 435.
¶ 35 With regard to the intent element of accountability under the facts of this case, we find
that the State failed to establish that there existed a common criminal design between defendant
and the multitude of armed partygoers who participated in the shooting melee that ended in Lee's
death. There was evidence that many men in the crowd, including, but not necessarily limited to,
defendant and his friends, were armed with guns. The scene was described as chaotic once the
shooting started. There is also evidence that Lee was alive when the shooting started. In
defendant's videotaped statement, he claims that Keevo accidentially shot Lee. The State never
embraced that evidence. The State argued instead that Lee's killer was unknown. At trial, the
State presented evidence that defendant and a "whole crowd of boys," engaged in a verbal and
physical altercation with Iesha and her friends, including "baby daddy." Moments later gunfire
erupted. It is unclear where that gunfire originated. The State's evidence revealed that at some
point, defendant shot at Iesha and Elaina as they fled southbound on South Keeler Avenue. It is
unclear from the evidence when Lee was shot. Tytianna testified that she heard about 25 to 30
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gunshots fired from multiple guns during the melee, and observed Pooh Bear shooting a gun in
the air. Trial testimony also established that there were hundreds of people at the party and that
many, if not most of the men, were armed with guns. There was no evidence that the multitude
of armed men were all members of defendant's "crew." There was also evidence that at least 26
shell casings, a fired bullet, and a bullet jacket were found at the scene. However, given the
amount of shooting, it can be inferred that there were revolvers in the mix as well. The State's
evidence technician, Balcerzak, testified that revolvers would not leave behind shell casings after
being fired. In other words, it is impossible to know how many guns were at the party and who
was firing them.
¶ 36 Defendant makes a reasonable argument which the State has not addressed satisfactorily.
Specifically, defendant argues that it is insufficient to show that multiple illegal acts occurred in
the same vicinity without showing the common link between or among the actors. In the case at
bar, a theory of accountability for Lee's murder under these facts, presented significant
evidentiary challenges for the State.
¶ 37 The State has conceded that its theory of accountability is not based on a common
criminal intent between the shooter and defendant. Therefore, the State was required to show
that there was a common criminal design between defendant and the shooter who killed Lee.
The State was required to do so under the facts of this case. Consequently, defendant is able to
make a convincing argument that the State charged him with the wrong crime or "overcharged"
him with the murder of Lee.
¶ 38 It is undisputed that there was evidence that defendant fired shots at Iesha. Yet, that is
not the crime for which the State chose to charge and try defendant. Inexplicably, the State
chose to try defendant for the murder of Lee on a theory of accountability, when the evidence did
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not provide proof of either a shared criminal intent (which is conceded) or a common criminal
design. We note that the State has complete discretion to determine the charge or charges that
will be levied against a defendant. It is also the State's responsibility to ensure that the facts and
the proof required to meet the burden beyond a reasonable doubt, are consistent with the crime
charged. In this case the State has failed to do so. Thus, at most, we find that the State's
evidence showed that an unidentified person killed Lee, but that defendant shot at Iesha and
Elaina. Therefore, in order to establish a "common criminal design," the State must prove
beyond a reasonable doubt that the unknown shooter was a part of defendant's alleged criminal
design to shoot Iesha and her friends, but instead killed Lee while he was acting in furtherance of
the plan that he and defendant had in common. Although defendant claimed in his videotaped
statement that Keevo, Pooh Bear, and Pee Wee fired their guns in retaliation against Iesha and
her friends, those shots were described as being discharged after Lee had already been shot and,
thus, could not be a basis for proving accountability for the shooting. See 720 ILCS 5/5-2(c)
(West 2008) (a person is legally accountable for the criminal conduct of another when, "[e]ither
before or during the commission of an offense, and with the intent to promote or facilitate such
commission, he solicits, aids, abets, agrees or attempts to aid, such other person in the planning
or commission of the offense"). No evidence was presented by the State that anyone other than
defendant shot at Iesha or Elaina. Although someone in the group of "boys" yelled, "[s]hoot
them ho's, [s]hoot them ho's," that person was never identified and there was no evidence that
any one in that group fired a gun. Aside from defendant, the only other person identified by a
witness at trial as having shot a gun was Pooh Bear, who fired into the air. Thus, we find that the
State could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that anyone belonging to defendant's group of
"homies," fired gunshots at Iesha and her friends and shot Lee instead.
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¶ 39 Even assuming, arguendo, that the State's evidence did show that other persons
participated in defendant's criminal design to shoot Iesha and her friends, no direct or
circumstantial evidence established that any one of those participants was the shooter who killed
Lee. While it was undisputed that defendant was present at the crime scene, and evidence
showed that defendant and his friends were armed at the party, the evidence was insufficient to
prove that the unidentified shooter was a member of defendant's alleged criminal design to shoot
Iesha and her friends but instead killed Lee unintentionally while acting in furtherance of the
plan. As discussed, hundreds of people attended the party, where most of the men were armed
and not all of them belonged to defendant's "crew," and forensic evidence recovered from the
scene revealed that at least 28 gunshots from seven different firearms had been fired during the
shooting—yielding the possibility of numerous unknown potential shooters who may or may not
have been associated with defendant. The police only recovered one out of the seven firearms
during their investigation. Because the fatal bullet that struck Lee had exited his body, its caliber
remained unknown and it could not be traced to a particular weapon or shooter.
¶ 40 We note that individuals committing crimes in the vicinity of each other cannot
automatically be held accountable for each other's criminal acts. Rather, where there were
multiple shooters at the party, the State must show that Lee's unidentified shooter shared in
defendant's alleged criminal design thereby establishing the "common" link between them. See
Fagan v. Washington, 942 F.2d 1155, 1160 (7th Cir. 1991) (reversing accountability murder
conviction on the basis that the trial court "assumed," absent any evidence, "that the bullet that
killed [the victim] must have come from a gun fired by one of the [members from defendant's
gang]"). Absent this showing, it is not difficult to imagine other scenarios by which Lee was
shot. For example, someone who had a personal grudge against Lee, could have used the chaos
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and confusion of the brawl and shoot-out at the party as a convenient pretext to shoot him with
minimal risk of detection. See id. at 1159. Based on the evidence, we find that the State has not
established a factual link between the bullet that killed Lee and any shooter in general, let alone
any shooter sharing an alleged common criminal design with defendant to shoot Iesha and her
friends.
¶ 41 The State cites People v. Terry, 99 Ill. 2d 508 (1984) and People v. Kessler, 57 Ill. 2d 493
(1974), in support of its arguments that the evidence was sufficient to convict defendant of
murder on a theory of accountability. However, we find these cases to be distinguishable from
the facts in the case at bar, where neither Terry nor Kessler involved an unknown principal, and
the perpetrator in each of those cases shared in a common criminal design with defendant. See
Terry, 99 Ill. 2d at 517-18 (evidence sufficient to find defendants guilty of murder on a theory of
accountability, where codefendant Myers stabbed the victim while they were committing battery
against him); Kessler, 57 Ill. 2d at 499 (evidence sufficient to convict defendant of attempted
murder, where defendant told two companions where he had seen large sums of money and
remained inside the car while the two companions burglarized the premises and shot the tavern
owner and a police officer during the burglary). Unlike Terry and Kessler, evidence at trial in
the instant case failed to establish that the unidentified shooter was a member of defendant's
alleged criminal design and that he was acting in furtherance of defendant's plan to shoot Iesha
and her friends or anyone else, when he unintentionally shot Lee. Thus, we find that the State
failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there was a common criminal design between
defendant and Lee's killer, so as to establish defendant's intent to promote or facilitate the crime.
See People v. Perez, 189 Ill. 2d 254, 269 (2000) (holding that there was insufficient evidence
that defendant shared gang member/shooter's criminal intent, or that he was engaged in a
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common criminal design, to support a murder conviction on an accountability theory).
Therefore, we hold that the evidence was insufficient to convict defendant of first-degree murder
under an accountability theory.
¶ 42 We note that it is quite possible that defendant could have been successfully prosecuted
for murder under a different theory, such as felony murder predicated upon mob action, or could
have been prosecuted for the attempted murder of Iesha. However, the State chose to charge
defendant with first-degree accountability murder and "must live with the consequences of
having proceeded on a theory that it could not establish with the certitude required in criminal
cases." Fagan, 942 F.2d at 1160. Accordingly, we reverse defendant's first-degree murder
conviction and vacate his sentence on this conviction.
¶ 43 We next determine whether the State offered evidence that could prove beyond a
reasonable doubt that defendant was an AHC in light of McFadden. Specifically, defendant
asserts that the State did not prove the required predicate offenses because his prior AUUW
conviction was void.
¶ 44 Outside the presence of the jury at trial, the State introduced into evidence two certified
copies of defendant's previous convictions: (1) a certified copy of a January 9, 2007 felony
conviction for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, in violation of section
401(d)(1) (720 ILCS 570/401(d)(i) (West 2006)) (case No. 06 CR 2687101); and (2) a certified
copy of a February 1, 2002 felony conviction for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon (AUUW),
in violation of section 24-1.6(a)(1) (720 ILCS 5/24-1.6(a)(1) (West 2002)) (case No. 01 CR
1233801). During jury deliberations, the trial court conducted a simultaneous bench trial and
found defendant guilty of being an AHC. In sentencing defendant for first-degree murder, the
trial court imposed a concurrent 20-year sentence for the AHC conviction.
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¶ 45 We first review the McFadden decision. McFadden concerned a direct appeal from a
UUWF conviction, based on the defendant’s possession of a firearm when he had previously
been convicted of AUUW. McFadden defendant’s prior AUUW conviction was based on the
AUUW statutory provision found to be unconstitutional in Aguilar. See Aguilar, 2013 IL
112116 (concluding that the Class 4 version of the AUUW statute (720 ILCS 5/24-1.6(a)(1),
(a)(3)(A), (d) (West 2008)) was unconstitutional because it violated the second amendment right
to bear arms). Similar to the defendant's argument regarding the AHC offense in this case, the
defendant in McFadden argued that Aguilar prevented use of the prior AUUW conviction to
serve as a predicate offense for the UUWF charge.
¶ 46 On appeal, this court agreed with the McFadden defendant and vacated his UUWF
conviction. People v. McFadden, 2014 IL App (1st) 102939. However, the supreme court
reversed, reasoning that the defendant’s felon status was unaffected by Aguilar; thus, unless the
prior conviction was vacated, the prior conviction precluded the defendant from legally
possessing a firearm. McFadden, 2016 IL 11724, ¶ 31 (“Although Aguilar may provide a basis
for vacating defendant’s prior 2002 AUUW conviction, Aguilar did not automatically overturn
that judgment of conviction. Therefore, at the time defendant committed the UUW by a felon
offense, defendant had a judgment of conviction that had not been vacated and that made it
unlawful for him to possess firearms.").
¶ 47 The supreme court in McFadden relied largely on the United States Supreme Court's
holding "that under a federal felon-in-possession-of-a-firearm statute, a constitutionally infirm
prior felony conviction could be used by the government as the predicate felony." Id. ¶ 22
(citing Lewis v. United States, 445 U.S. 55, 65 (1980)). McFadden approvingly cited Lewis'
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reasoning in holding that an AUUW conviction subject to vacatur under Aguilar may still serve
as a predicate for a UUWF conviction.
¶ 48 In McFadden, the supreme court recognized that "the fact of a felony conviction without
any intervening vacatur or other affirmative action to nullify the conviction triggers the firearms
disability" (McFadden, 2016 IL 117424, ¶ 24) and applied this reasoning to the UUWF statute,
which prohibited possession of a firearm by any person who " 'has been convicted of a felony
under the laws of this State or any other jurisdiction.' " Id. ¶ 27 (quoting 720 ILCS 5/24-1.1(a)
(West 2008)). The supreme court reasoned that the UUWF statute "requires the State to prove
only the defendant's felon status" and did not suggest "any intent to limit the language to only
those persons whose prior felony convictions are not later subject to vacatur." (Internal
quotation marks omitted.) Id.
¶ 49 Defendant's supplemental briefing makes two primary arguments attempting to
distinguish McFadden from his case, which concern the use of the same prior AUUW felony as a
predicate for the AHC offense. The defendant's primary argument is that the AHC statute is
distinguishable from either the UUWF statute at issue in McFadden or the federal statute at issue
in Lewis, such that McFadden should not apply to support an AHC conviction based on the form
of AUUW invalided by Aguilar. The defendant emphasizes that the UUWF offense merely
requires proof of the defendant's felon status, based on any prior felony. See 220 ILCS 5/24-
1.1(a) (West 2012). He argues that this generic "felon status" principle was the basis for
McFadden's holding that a prior unconstitutional AUUW conviction could serve as a predicate
offense for UUWF.
¶ 50 In contrast to the status crime of UUWF, he urges that the AHC statute punishes
particular conduct because it enumerates specific offenses that can serve as the predicate
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felonies. He urges that the AHC statute does not present the sort of broad sweeping firearm
disability imposed by the UUWF statute at issue in McFadden, or the federal statute at issue in
Lewis. Thus, he claims that the reasoning in those decisions does not apply here. Notably,
virtually identical arguments were considered and rejected by this court in People v. Perkins,
2016 IL App (1st) 150889 and People v. Faulkner, 2017 IL App (1st) 132884. Those cases
concluded that McFadden's logic applies to allow a prior AUUW conviction, premised on the
statutory provision held invalid in Aguilar, to serve as a predicate for an AHC conviction. We
reach the same conclusion in this case.
¶ 51 The second argument raised by the defendant opposing the application of McFadden has
also been repeatedly rejected by our court. Specifically, the defendant asserts that United States
Supreme Court precedent, including Montgomery v. Louisiana, 577 U.S. ____, 136 S. Ct. 718
(2016) and Ex parte Siebold, 100 U.S. 371 (1880) precludes the use of a prior conviction,
premised on a statute later held unconstitutional, as a predicate for the AHC offense. He argues
that this precedent undercuts McFadden, which contains no discussion of Montgomery or
Siebold. As we have before in other recent opinions, we reject the defendant's attempt to argue
that McFadden's reasoning cannot apply to an AHC conviction. Faulkner, 2017 IL App (1st)
132884; Perkins, 2016 IL App (1st) 150889.
¶ 52 The defendant asserts that Montgomery and other United States Supreme Court decisions
establish "that States cannot punish citizens, whether directly or collaterally, under a law that is
facially unconstitutional." He asserts that our supreme court's decision in McFadden, and our
court's decision in Perkins, violate this principle by holding that a facially unconstitutional
conviction for AUUW may still be used as a predicate for a separate offense until the prior
conviction is vacated. In essence, he argues that his conduct leading to the prior AUUW
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conviction was legal behavior in light of Aguilar, such that the AUUW conviction was void and
cannot serve as a predicate offense.
¶ 53 This court has rejected the argument (repeated by the defendant in this case) that our
supreme court's decision in McFadden violates the holding in Montgomery:
"Perkins contends that our supreme court 'ignored' the
decision in Montgomery. But as the State points outs, prior to oral
argument in McFadden, counsel sought and was granted leave to
cite Montgomery as additional authority. In that motion, counsel
advanced the same arguments presented here. In response, the
State argued, as it does here, that Montgomery posed no
constitutional impediment to affirmance of defendant's UUWF
conviction given that defendant was not seeking to vacate his prior
conviction ***, but instead was challenging his status as a
convicted felon at the time of his trial. The State argued that in
this context, Lewis v. United States [citation], which held that a
defendant's failure to vacate a prior felony conviction on grounds
that it was unconstitutional was fatal to a challenge to a felon-in-
possession conviction, controlled. We agree with the State.
At the time of Perkins' armed habitual criminal conviction,
he had prior UUWF and AUUW convictions. Because those
convictions had not been vacated at the time Perkins possessed a
firearm ***, they could properly serve as the predicates for his
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armed habitual criminal conviction." Perkins, 2016 IL App (1st)
150889, ¶¶ 9-10.
¶ 54 It is undisputed that, at the time of the defendant's AHC conviction, he had two prior
convictions for qualifying predicate offenses. As those convictions had not been vacated at the
time of the defendant's November 2011 arrest, they could properly serve as predicate convictions
for his AHC conviction. See, e.g., McFadden. We conclude, therefore, that the defendant's
AHC conviction could be based, in part, on a prior AUUW conviction stemming from the
statutory provision held unconstitutional in Aguilar.
¶ 55 As we have reversed the first-degree murder conviction due to insufficient evidence, we
need not reach the merits of defendant's contention that the court erred in adding a 20-year
firearm enhancement to that conviction. We remand for the trial court to resentence defendant on
the AHC conviction only.
¶ 56 CONCLUSION
¶ 57 For the foregoing reasons, we reverse the first-degree murder conviction, affirm the AHC
conviction, and remand for resentencing on the AHC conviction.
¶ 58 Affirmed in part and reversed in part.
¶ 59 Remanded for resentencing.
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