Case Title: People v. Morris

Citation: 

Docket Number: 87645

State: illinois

Court: Illinois Supreme Court

Date: 2004-03-18T00:00:00Z

Document:
Docket No. 87645-Agenda 2-September 2001.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, Appellee, v. 							RICHARD MORRIS, Appellant.
Opinion filed March 18, 2004. 
	CHIEF JUSTICE McMORROW delivered the opinion of the
court:
	Following a jury trial, the defendant, Richard Morris, was
convicted of first degree murder (720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(1) (West 1994)),
aggravated vehicular hijacking (720 ILCS 5/18-4(a)(3) (West 1994)),
and aggravated kidnapping (720 ILCS 5/10-2(a)(3) (West 1994)). At
a subsequent death penalty hearing, the same jury found defendant
eligible for the death penalty and further found that there were no
mitigating factors sufficient to preclude the imposition of a death
sentence. Accordingly, the trial court sentenced defendant to death on
the first degree murder conviction. The trial court also sentenced
defendant to 30 years' imprisonment for aggravated vehicular
hijacking and to a consecutive term of 15 years' imprisonment for
aggravated kidnapping. Because defendant was sentenced to death,
his appeal was brought directly to this court. Ill. Const. 1970, art. VI,
§4(b); 134 Ill. 2d R. 603.(1)

BACKGROUND
	Testimony at trial established the following facts. Around 7:40
a.m. on Saturday, December 2, 1995, Judith Dean was driving
westbound on Roscoe Street in Chicago. When Dean stopped at a
stoplight at the intersection of Roscoe and Ashland Avenue, she
noticed a light-green, clean, shiny car in the left lane slightly in front
of her car. The occupants of the car were two young African
American men. As she was waiting for the light to turn green, Dean
saw four fingers wiggling and moving back and forth between the
closed car trunk and the body of the car. The fingers appeared to
belong to a black male.
	The fingers disappeared only to be replaced by a ratchet handle.
Like the fingers, the ratchet handle was moving back and forth. The
traffic light then changed to green, and the shiny green car proceeded
west on Roscoe. Dean turned right onto Ashland and pulled into a gas
station, where she called 911. Later that night, Dean heard on the 10
p.m. news that there had been a carjacking and a body found in
Roscoe Village. Dean again called 911 and told the dispatcher what
she had seen that morning.
	At 7:45 a.m. that same day, Chicago police officers Stephen
Lotts and Michael Lopresti were driving westbound on School Street
in Chicago. At the intersection of School Street and Paulina Avenue,
Lopresti observed a silvery, bluish-green car traveling southbound on
Paulina. The car, a 1995 Chevrolet Impala, traveled through the
intersection and continued southbound on Paulina. Lopresti made a
left turn onto Paulina. The driver of the Impala, later identified as
defendant, parked the car at 3250 N. Paulina. Lopresti stopped his
squad car slightly behind the Impala. Two men, defendant and his
codefendant, Tywon Knight, got out of the Impala and walked across
the street in front of the squad car. As they were walking past the
squad car, defendant and Knight made eye contact with the officers
and gave the officers a look that Lotts characterized as "one of
surprise and shock, and fear when they saw us." Defendant and
Knight continued walking until they reached the curb that was in front
of an alley. Defendant and Knight then began to run eastbound into
the alley.
	Officers Lotts and Lopresti exited their squad car and gave chase.
Knight was apprehended at 7:48 a.m. Lotts stayed with Knight until
a squad car arrived to transport him to the police station. Lotts then
returned to the car parked at 3250 N. Paulina and called in the license
plate-ETM 734. Meanwhile, Lopresti continued to chase defendant.
Several other officers joined Lopresti in the chase. At 7:50 a.m.,
Lopresti pulled defendant from a pile of construction debris in a
garage. Lopresti handcuffed defendant and had another officer
transport him to the police station.
	Also on Saturday, December 2, 1995, Officer Robert Hanrahan
was working a 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. shift. Around 7:50 a.m., Hanrahan
received a dispatch to go to an alley at 1830 West Newport to
respond to a call of a man shot. When Hanrahan arrived on the scene
at 7:53 a.m., he discovered a man lying on the ground bleeding
profusely from the head. Hanrahan took the victim's wallet out of his
pocket and learned that his name was Ervin Shorter. Hanrahan
broadcast Shorter's name over the radio to the other district officers.
	At 8:10 a.m., Officers Lotts and Lopresti learned that the Impala
was registered to Ervin Shorter. Having heard the registration
information over his radio broadcast, Hanrahan radioed Lotts and
Lopresti and told them that the victim of the shooting was the owner
of the automobile they were inquiring about. The following day,
December 3, 1995, Dean identified the Impala as the car she had
observed at the intersection of Roscoe Street and Ashland Avenue.
	The victim, Ervin Shorter, was a 58-year-old employee of the
City of Chicago. Shorter worked as a laborer with the Department of
Streets and Sanitation. In December 1995, Shorter worked a 10 p.m.
to 6 a.m. shift.
	Shorter was killed by two gunshot wounds to the head. One
bullet had lodged in the rear of Shorter's skull. The other bullet had
traveled through the brain, exited near the left ear, penetrated the left
upper arm, and then fell out of that wound. Police officers recovered
this bullet from the scene of Shorter's murder. In addition, when
officers traced the route of the chase, they recovered a set of keys to
Shorter's car, a .357 Magnum revolver with two fired shells, three live
rounds and one empty chamber, a fully loaded .32-caliber chrome-plated revolver, and a green glove. Officers also discovered a shoe
impression next to the .357 Magnum.
	Both the bullet recovered from the scene of Shorter's murder and
the bullet recovered from Shorter's body were fired by the .357
Magnum. The green glove found along the chase route matched a
glove recovered from defendant at the police station. The design
pattern on the bottom of defendant's gym shoe was similar to the
design pattern observed in the shoe impression next to the .357
Magnum, although no individual characteristics were present which
would support an opinion as to a match.
	Following his arrest, defendant signed a statement in which he
admitted his role in the crime. Defendant's statement was introduced
into evidence at trial. In his statement, defendant indicated that he was
22 years old and was married to Lyda Antia. On December 2, 1995,
defendant, Lyda, and defendant's friends, Tywon Knight and "Taz"
(Brian Hoover), drove in Knight's Buick Park Avenue from Kenosha,
Wisconsin, to University Park, Illinois. Knight told defendant that they
could get a pistol in University Park. As they were driving, defendant,
Hoover and Knight discussed robbing a bank. Defendant had some
problems in Kenosha and needed money so that he could hide out with
his uncle in Atlanta.
	When they arrived at University Park, defendant, Hoover and
Lyda waited in the car while Knight went into a home and got a pistol.
They then drove to another home and fell asleep. Early the next
morning, they left and headed toward Chicago. The plan was that
Lyda would go into a bank and check out the security cameras.
Hoover would get the money, while defendant and Knight, who had
guns, kept everyone at bay. As they were driving, they pulled off the
Dan Ryan expressway at Garfield Boulevard. They saw a new Chevy
Impala in a Kentucky Fried Chicken parking lot. Defendant said he
thought the owner of the Impala was a drug dealer and suggested that
they rob the owner of his money and his car. Knight pulled into the
Kentucky Fried Chicken parking lot and pulled alongside the Impala.
Defendant awakened Lyda and told her to drive Knight's car.
	Hoover and Knight had guns and got into the Impala with the
owner between them. Defendant got into the back seat of the Impala,
and Hoover gave him a .357 to keep the owner under control.
Defendant had Knight pull down a street into an alley, got the owner
out of the car, and forced the owner into the trunk of the car.
Defendant then got into the driver's seat of the Impala with Hoover
in the passenger's seat. Knight got into the Buick with Lyda. They got
back onto the expressway, eventually exiting at Ashland Avenue.
Defendant and Lyda pulled their cars over, and defendant told
everyone that he was looking for a place to kill the owner of the
Impala and was looking for a bank to rob. Defendant then got into the
driver's seat of the Buick with Lyda and had Knight and Hoover
follow in the Impala.
	Defendant saw some banks on Ashland Avenue, one of which had
a banner indicating that it was open from 8 a.m. to noon. Defendant
decided they had to find someplace to kill the Impala's owner because
the bank he wanted to rob opened in around 20 minutes. Defendant
pulled into an alley, stopped the car, got the car's owner out of the
trunk and ordered him to his knees. The car's owner began begging
for his life, at which point defendant shot him twice. Defendant and
Knight got back into the Impala, pulled out of the alley and saw a
police car. Shortly thereafter, defendant parked the Impala and the
police again drove up. Defendant and Knight jumped out of the car
and ran. Defendant left the .357 and the keys to the Impala in the alley
as he ran.
	Defendant testified at trial. Defendant's trial testimony began
with an explanation of the "problems in Kenosha" that had been
mentioned in his statement introduced at trial. Defendant stated that,
in 1995, he was living in Kenosha with Lyda. At that time, defendant
was selling drugs. In early November 1995, defendant paged a man
named Fred Jones in order to buy some cocaine. Jones came to
defendant's apartment and sold defendant an "eight ball" for $175.
Defendant then sold portions of the eight ball to his customers.
Defendant's customers complained that the cocaine was bad.
	Defendant paged Jones again on November 30, 1995. Jones came
to defendant's apartment with another eight ball. Lyda and Hoover
also were home at the time. Jones went into the living room and
defendant went into the kitchen to get a scale. As defendant was
getting the scale, Lyda came running out of the living room toward
him with a look of fear on her face. Jones was running behind Lyda
trying to grab her. Defendant thought Jones was about to stick him
up, so he grabbed Jones, put him in a bear hug, and wrestled him into
the living room. Defendant slammed Jones onto the living room floor,
and Hoover hit Jones in the head with a golf club. Defendant went
back into the kitchen to check on Lyda. When defendant returned to
the living room, Hoover was still hitting Jones in the head with a golf
club. Defendant put a towel around Jones' neck and strangled him.
	When they determined that Jones was dead, defendant and
Hoover wrapped his body in blankets with a cable cord and put it into
a hall closet. Defendant also took a .357 from Jones' pocket.
Defendant, Hoover and Lyda then walked over to Knight's house and
Hoover got Knight's car keys. Hoover and defendant put Jones' body
into the trunk of Knight's car. Defendant, Hoover and Lyda then
drove from Kenosha to Chicago, stopping at a grocery store to buy
lighter fluid.
	Hoover and defendant agreed that they had to get rid of Jones'
body and that the best way to get rid of it would be to burn it. They
drove to an alley, where defendant and Hoover poured lighter fluid on
the blankets and the body and then lit the lighter fluid. Defendant
guessed it was after midnight on December 1, 1995, at this point.
Hoover, defendant and Lyda then drove back to Kenosha and picked
up Knight. The next morning, Knight drove Hoover, defendant and
Lyda back to Illinois.
	Defendant stated that it was Hoover who suggested that they rob
a bank. Before they found a bank to rob, they got off an expressway
onto Garfield Avenue and saw Ervin Shorter's car at a Kentucky Fried
Chicken restaurant. Defendant claimed that Hoover, not defendant,
suggested that the car's owner could be a highly paid drug dealer and
would be easier to rob than a bank. Hoover got out of the car and
pointed his gun in the driver's side window of Shorter's car. Shorter
moved over, so Hoover went over to the passenger's side and got in
while Knight got into the driver's side of the car. Defendant then got
into the back seat and took the .357 from Hoover. Hoover asked
Shorter to give him the "dope" and the money. Shorter replied that he
did not have any money or dope.
	Defendant also claimed that it was Hoover's idea to kill Shorter.
Defendant said that when they stopped in the alley where Shorter's
body was found, Hoover grabbed the .357, opened the trunk and
ordered Shorter out. Defendant knew Hoover planned to kill Shorter,
so he closed the trunk of the car, walked around to the front of the
car, and told Hoover that he was not going to have anything to do
with the shooting. Defendant got into the driver's seat of the car and
waited for Hoover. While he was waiting, he heard two shots. Hoover
then got into the passenger's side and they drove off. Defendant drove
for a short time and then pulled the car over. At that point, Hoover
got out of Shorter's car and Knight got in. Defendant admitted that he
dropped the .357 and Shorter's car keys while the police were chasing
him.
	Defendant denied shooting Shorter and claimed that he had lied
when he confessed in his statement to being the shooter. Defendant
explained that when he learned his wife was in custody, he asked a
detective if there was anything defendant could do to ensure that his
wife would go free. The detective did not promise defendant anything,
but told defendant the officers would have to see how the story went.
Defendant said he told the officers about the incident in Kenosha, but
did not mention Hoover at first. Defendant told the officers that he
had killed Fred Jones and also told them that Knight, not Hoover,
helped him carry Jones' body out of the apartment. Defendant said
that he did not mention Hoover at first because he thought Hoover
could take care of Lyda while defendant was in prison. Defendant also
lied to police when he told them that he made Lyda watch him beat
Fred Jones to death and that he told Lyda she would be next if she
said anything to the police. Defendant said that he initially ran from
Officers Lott and Lopresti because he wanted to throw away the gun
and the car keys.
	At the close of trial, the jury found defendant guilty of first
degree murder, aggravated vehicular hijacking, and aggravated
kidnapping. At the subsequent death penalty hearing, the same jury
found the defendant eligible for the death penalty based on his having
committed murder during the course of another felony (720 ILCS
5/9-1(b)(6) (West 2000)). The jury also found that there was no
factor in mitigation sufficient to preclude the imposition of the death
penalty and sentenced defendant to death for the murder of Ervin
Shorter. Defendant also was sentenced to consecutive prison terms for
aggravated vehicular hijacking and aggravated kidnapping. Defendant
now appeals his convictions and sentences, claiming numerous
pretrial, trial and sentencing errors.

ANALYSIS
Motion to Suppress
	Defendant's first issue on appeal is that the trial court erred in
denying defendant's motion to quash his arrest, to suppress the
evidence recovered along the route of the chase, and to suppress his
statement to police which was introduced at trial. We first review the
circumstances under which defendant made the statement. We then
consider the testimony presented at the suppression hearing.
	Defendant was interviewed four times at the police station by
Detective David Ryan and Officer Thomas Keane. During each
interview, defendant stated that he understood his Miranda rights and
was waiving them.
	The notes of Detective Ryan and Officer Keane revealed that
defendant's first interview took place at 2:10 p.m. on December 2,
1995. Defendant stated that he lived in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with his
wife, Lyda Antia, and sold drugs for a living. On November 30, 1995,
he killed Fred, a drug dealer, because Fred had sold him some bad
drugs. Defendant had sold those drugs to his customers, and his
customers complained. Defendant choked Fred and beat him to death
at defendant's apartment. Defendant forced Lyda to watch the beating
and told her that he would kill her if she said anything. Later,
defendant burned Fred's body somewhere on the west side of
Chicago. Although Fred had a gun, Fred never pulled the gun on
defendant. Defendant took Fred's gun.
	Defendant said that on December 2, 1995, he, Lyda, Knight and
Hoover were driving in Chicago when defendant saw a newer Chevy
Impala in a restaurant parking lot near the Garfield Avenue exit to the
Dan Ryan expressway. Defendant forced the owner of the Impala,
Ervin Shorter, to move to the passenger side of the car. Knight drove
the Impala while defendant rode in the back. Defendant instructed
Lyda to follow in Knight's car. They drove to the area around
Belmont Avenue, where defendant spotted some banks that he wanted
to check out in more detail. At some point, defendant put Shorter in
the trunk of the Impala. Defendant and Knight drove around looking
for a spot to kill Shorter. They forced Shorter to get out of the trunk.
Defendant ordered Shorter to kneel. Shorter pleaded for his life and
covered his face. Defendant shot him twice. Defendant and Knight got
back into the Impala, with defendant driving.
	Defendant's second interview took place at 3 p.m. on December
2, 1995. In that interview, defendant gave further details concerning
the murder of Fred in Kenosha. Defendant said that he used a four
iron golf club to beat Fred. He then took $200 from Fred's body, tied
his body with a cable and wrapped it in a blanket. Lyda called Knight
to the apartment to help defendant remove the body. Defendant
bought two cans of lighter fluid, opened the blanket, and sprayed the
fluid directly on the body. Defendant then set the body on fire and
threw the cans of lighter fluid on the roof of a nearby school building.
	Following Fred's murder, defendant wanted to rob a bank so he
would have money to go to Atlanta, where an uncle lived. Lyda was
given the job of "casing" the bank. Knight would help and would
share in the proceeds of the robbery. They saw a banner on a bank
indicating that the bank would open at 8 a.m. Meanwhile, defendant
wanted to kill Shorter. Defendant and Knight were driving in the
Impala. They pulled into an alley and forced Shorter out of the trunk.
Shorter pleaded for his life. Defendant shot Shorter twice. Defendant
also told Knight to shoot Shorter because defendant did not want the
only bullets in Shorter's body to be from defendant's gun. Knight,
however, did not fire his gun.
	The third interview of defendant took place at 7 p.m. on
December 2. In this interview, defendant stated that Brian Hoover was
with Lyda and defendant when they burned Fred's body, and said that
Hoover had taken the money from Fred's body. Hoover used some of
Fred's money to buy the lighter fluid. Hoover also was along during
Shorter's kidnapping and murder. Defendant had not told the officers
of Hoover's role in the events because he wanted Hoover to remain
free to take care of Lyda.
	The fourth interview of defendant took place at 8:35 p.m. In this
interview, defendant detailed the group's intention to rob Shorter and
use his car in a bank robbery. Defendant also detailed the roles that
Lyda, Knight and Hoover were to play in the bank robbery. While
they were waiting for the bank to open, defendant told Hoover and
Knight that he needed to find a spot to get rid of Shorter. They drove
to one alley, then to another. Defendant forced Shorter out of the
trunk. Shorter pleaded for his life as he knelt on the ground.
Defendant shot Shorter twice. Defendant drove away in the Impala
with Knight. Defendant parked the Impala because they had planned
to use Knight's car to case the bank.
	In addition to his interviews with Detective Ryan and Officer
Keane, defendant also spoke with Assistant State's Attorney Steven
DiNolfo. DiNolfo first met with defendant around 10 p.m. on
December 2, 1995. DiNolfo advised defendant of his Miranda rights,
and defendant stated he understood those rights. Defendant then
agreed to talk to DiNolfo about the shooting of Ervin Shorter.
Defendant spoke with DiNolfo for around 25 to 30 minutes.
	DiNolfo interviewed defendant a second time around 12:15 a.m.
on December 3, 1995. Prior to this second interview, DiNolfo again
advised defendant of his Miranda rights. DiNolfo spoke with
defendant for approximately 20 minutes. At the conclusion of this
interview, defendant chose to have DiNolfo prepare a handwritten
statement. DiNolfo prepared the handwritten statement around 12:45
a.m. Defendant initialed each page of the statement and made
corrections to the statement. As noted, this statement was introduced
into evidence at trial.
	The circuit court held a hearing on defendant's motion to
suppress. At the hearing on defendant's motion to suppress, Officer
Lotts testified that on Saturday, December 2, 1995, he and Lopresti
were wearing uniforms and were in a marked squad car. Lotts said
that when defendant and Knight were crossing Paulina, they looked
and made eye contact with the officers. Lotts testified that the men
had a look of surprise, shock and fear when they made eye contact
with him.
	When the officers saw defendant and Knight begin running, they
parked their squad car and pursued them. Lotts testified that he knew
the area had a problem with auto theft, so when he saw the men run
into the alley, he believed there was a possibility that the Impala was
stolen. At that point, however, Lotts had no information that the car
in fact had been stolen.
	Lotts temporarily lost sight of the men, but surmised that they
had jumped a six-foot-high metal fence when he heard the lock on the
fence clanging. Lotts looked in the direction of the fence and saw
defendant and Knight crouched in the gangway between two homes
on School Street. Lotts yelled, "Stop, police." Defendant and Knights
made eye contact with Lotts, then continued running northbound
through the alley. Lotts again yelled at the men to stop. Because Lotts
was separated from defendant and Knight by a six-foot fence, he ran
back out of the alley to Paulina, where he met up with Officer
Lopresti. The officers got back into their squad car and saw the men
run out of another alley heading westbound toward Henderson. The
officers then drove down Henderson. The officers saw a man on the
street point toward the direction of 1727 West Henderson. There the
officers saw Knight enter a narrow gangway. Lotts and Lopresti got
out of the squad car and chased Knight. They were able to apprehend
and handcuff Knight.
	Lopresti then ran through the backyard of 1727 West Henderson
and into an alley, at which point Lotts lost sight of Lopresti. Lotts
walked Knight back to Henderson, then radioed for a police car to
come and pick up Knight. Lotts ran the license plates on the Impala
and, as he was doing so, Lopresti came back to the squad car. Lotts
ran the plates around 8:08 a.m.
	On cross-examination, Lotts testified that while he was running
the plate on the Impala, he was joined by Officer Goldman as well as
Officer Lopresti. Officer Goldman said that a citizen had flagged him
down because the citizen had seen a hand reaching out from the trunk
of a car with the license plate ETM 734. Less than a minute after
calling in the license plate, Lotts learned that the owner of the car was
Ervin Shorter.
	Lotts further testified on cross-examination that prior to the time
that he ran the Impala's license plate, he heard over the radio that
Officer Hanrahan was being dispatched to the 1800 block of Newport,
where a man had been shot. Around 8:10 a.m., Lotts heard Officer
Hanrahan radio that he had identified the victim as Ervin Shorter.
	Officer Lopresti testified at the hearing on defendant's motion to
suppress that, after Knight was handcuffed, he went to an alley in the
1700 block of Henderson looking for defendant. Lopresti met up with
Officer Conley. Lopresti and Conley saw defendant hidden behind
some garbage cans. Defendant ran out and continued to run even after
Lopresti yelled for defendant to stop. Lopresti chased defendant but
was unable to catch him. Lopresti then saw defendant hiding under
some debris in a garage at 1753 West School Street. Prior to seeing
defendant hiding under the debris, Lopresti had not received any
information about any crimes committed in the vicinity, had not
received any information regarding the Impala, and had not received
any information concerning defendant. Lopresti and another officer
pulled defendant from the debris and placed him in handcuffs. Lopresti
explained that he was detaining defendant to determine why he had
been running from the police. Lopresti said there had been a high
number of garage burglaries and auto theft in the area. In addition,
when defendant and Knight first saw the officers, they looked at the
officers very suspiciously with fear in their eyes and did not stop when
ordered to do so. Lopresti explained that the neighborhood where the
activities took place was a residential, primarily white neighborhood.
Defendant ultimately was detained around 7:50 a.m.
	On cross-examination, Lopresti testified that immediately after
defendant was detained, he heard the dispatcher call Officer Hanrahan
with a report of a person shot in the alley at 1830 West Newport.
1830 West Newport is approximately 2 to 2½ blocks from where the
chase of defendant had started. Around two minutes later, Lopresti
heard Officer Hanrahan over the radio report that the shooting victim
was deceased. At 8:10 a.m., Lopresti heard over the radio that the
Impala was registered to Ervin Shorter. Lopresti also heard Officer
Hanrahan over the radio respond that Ervin Shorter was the victim
that he had in the alley.
 	Following the hearing, the trial court made its findings of fact and
conclusions of law. The trial court found that defendant had been
taken into custody at 7:52 a.m. on December 2, 1995. The trial court
further found that neither officer had knowledge of a particular
offense during the chase or apprehension of defendant, nor was the
apprehension of defendant based upon a search warrant, arrest
warrant or any other legal process. At 8:01 a.m., the officers learned
that the Impala was registered to Ervin Shorter. At 8:06 a.m., Officer
Goldman told Officer Lotts that a citizen had seen a person's hand
coming out of the trunk of an Impala with license plate number ETM
734. Officer Hanrahan was dispatched to a shooting in the 1800 block
of west Newport, 2½ blocks from where the Impala had been parked.
By 8:10 a.m., Officers Lotts and Lopresti learned that the victim in the
shooting was Ervin Shorter.
	Based upon the foregoing facts, the trial court found that the stop
of defendant was a Terry stop. The trial court further held that there
was a sufficient basis for the stop, given the officers' knowledge of the
area and their observations of defendant and Knight prior to their
detention. The trial court also held that even if it were to find that
defendant was subject to a full custodial arrest at the time he was
placed in handcuffs, there was a sufficient intervening factor which
provided a basis to arrest defendant and Knight.
	With regard to the trial court's ruling, defendant argues that his
confession should have been suppressed because his detention was an
arrest, not a Terry stop, and was not supported by probable cause. In
the alternative, defendant maintains that even if his detention was a
proper Terry stop, his detention nonetheless was unlawful because the
officers had no reasonable suspicion when they stopped him. Finally,
defendant claims that his statements should have been suppressed
because they were not sufficiently attenuated from his illegal arrest.
	A trial court's ruling on a motion to suppress evidence will be
reversed only if that ruling is manifestly erroneous. People v. Mitchell,
165 Ill. 2d 211, 230 (1995). However, if neither the facts nor the
credibility of witnesses is questioned, de novo review is appropriate.
Mitchell, 165 Ill. 2d  at 230. Because defendant does not contest the
facts or the credibility of the witnesses, we will review this issue de
novo.
	In support of his claim that the detention was an arrest rather
then a Terry stop, defendant notes that he was apprehended by
multiple officers, was handcuffed, and was placed in a squad car.
Defendant maintains that no reasonable person would feel they were
free to leave under the circumstances. Defendant further argues that
his arrest was without probable cause because at the time of his arrest,
the officers had no reason to believe that a crime had been committed
in the vicinity or that defendant had committed a crime. Consequently,
defendant contends that because he was placed under arrest without
probable cause, the fruits of that illegal arrest-his subsequent
statements, confession and the items recovered from the chase
route-should have been suppressed.
	Before this court, the State concedes that defendant's detention
was an arrest. The State argues, however, that the physical items
recovered from the chase route were not subject to suppression
because they were abandoned by defendant during the chase and were
not recovered during the stop of defendant. The State further argues
that prior to defendant's statement and confession, the police had
probable cause, derived from sources independent of defendant's
seizure, to seek defendant's indictment. Therefore, defendant's
statements were attenuated from his illegal arrest and were properly
admitted into evidence.
	As a preliminary matter, we address defendant's claim that the
trial court should have suppressed the physical evidence recovered
along the route of the chase. The United States Supreme Court has
considered the issue of whether a court should grant a motion to
suppress evidence thrown away by a defendant shortly before his
arrest. See California v. Hodari D., 499 U.S. 621, 113 L. Ed. 2d 690,
111 S. Ct. 1547 (1991).
	In Hodari, two police officers in an unmarked police car turned
a corner and saw four or five youths, including the defendant, huddled
around a small red car. Hodari, 499 U.S.  at 622, 113 L. Ed. 2d  at
695, 111 S. Ct.  at 1549. The youths panicked and fled at the sight of
the officers, causing the officers to give chase. Hodari, 499 U.S.  at
622-23, 113 L. Ed. 2d  at 695, 111 S. Ct.  at 1549. Seeing an officer
was almost upon him, the defendant tossed away what appeared to be
a small rock, later determined to be rock cocaine. Hodari, 499 U.S. 
at 623, 113 L. Ed. 2d  at 695, 111 S. Ct.  at 1549. The officer then
tackled the defendant, handcuffed him, and radioed for assistance.
Hodari, 499 U.S.  at 623, 113 L. Ed. 2d  at 695, 111 S. Ct.  at 1549.
	The California Court of Appeals held that the defendant had been
seized when he saw the officer running toward him, that the seizure
was unreasonable under the fourth amendment, and that the evidence
of cocaine had to be suppressed as the fruit of the illegal seizure.
Hodari, 499 U.S.  at 623, 113 L. Ed. 2d  at 695, 111 S. Ct.  at 1549.
Upon review, the Supreme Court initially held that the defendant had
not been seized at the time he dropped the cocaine. Hodari, 499 U.S. 
at 626, 113 L. Ed. 2d  at 697, 111 S. Ct.  at 1550. The Court noted
that an arrest requires either physical force, such as the laying on of
hands, or restraint of movement, or in the absence of physical force,
submission to an officer's assertion of authority. Hodari, 499 U.S.  at
626, 113 L. Ed. 2d  at 697, 111 S. Ct.  at 1550. Because the defendant
did not stop when pursued by the officer, he was not seized until the
officer tackled him. Hodari, 499 U.S.  at 629, 113 L. Ed. 2d  at 699,
111 S. Ct.  at 1552. Consequently, the Court held that the cocaine that
was thrown away during the chase was abandoned prior to the seizure
and, thus, was not subject to suppression as the fruit of the illegal
seizure. Hodari, 499 U.S.  at 629, 113 L. Ed. 2d  at 699, 111 S. Ct.  at
1552.
	Here too, defendant and Knight failed to submit to the officers'
show of authority and requests to halt. Defendant was not seized until
Officer Lopresti pulled him out of the debris and placed him in
handcuffs. This seizure occurred after defendant had abandoned the
physical evidence along the chase route. Accordingly, as in Hodari,
the evidence recovered along the chase route could not have been the
fruit of an illegal arrest. The trial court, therefore, properly denied
defendant's motion to suppress that evidence.
	Having found that the trial court properly denied defendant's
motion to suppress the physical evidence, we now consider whether
the trial court properly denied defendant's motion to suppress his
statements and his confession. As noted, the State concedes, and we
agree, that defendant's detention constituted an arrest rather than an
investigatory Terry stop.
	Under Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 20 L. Ed. 2d 889, 88 S. Ct. 1868 (1968), which has been incorporated into our criminal code (see
725 ILCS 5/107-14 (West 1994)), law enforcement officers may
detain and question individuals under certain circumstances where
probable cause to arrest is lacking. However, the investigative
detention must be temporary and must last no longer than necessary
to effectuate the purpose of the stop. People v. Brownlee, 186 Ill. 2d 501, 519 (1999). Consistent with Terry, unprovoked flight from police
officers may support a finding of reasonable suspicion to stop an
individual and investigate further. Illinois v. Wardlow, 528 U.S. 119,
124-25, 145 L. Ed. 2d 570, 576-77, 120 S. Ct. 673, 676 (2000). If the
officer does not learn facts rising to the level of probable cause, he
must allow the detained individual to go on his way. Wardlow, 528 U.S.  at 126, 145 L. Ed. 2d  at 577, 120 S. Ct.  at 677.
	The officers' initial decision to pursue defendant was justified
under Wardlow. Once Lopresti pulled defendant from the debris,
however, he did not question defendant, nor did he detain defendant
while he investigated further. Rather, he handcuffed defendant and had
other officers transport him to the police station in a squad car. In
doing so, Lopresti exceeded the bounds of an investigatory stop. See
Florida v. Royer, 460 U.S. 491, 501, 75 L. Ed. 2d 229, 239, 103 S. Ct. 1319, 1326 (1983) (proper investigatory stop evolved into more
serious intrusion on defendant's personal liberty when detectives
moved defendant from airport concourse to interrogation room
approximately 40 feet away). As a practical matter, once defendant
was handcuffed and transported to the police station, he was under
arrest.
	Our inquiry, however, does not end there. The determination that
an illegal arrest has occurred does not resolve the question of whether
a defendant's confession is admissible. People v. Foskey, 136 Ill. 2d 66, 85 (1990). Rather, the relevant inquiry is whether the confession
was obtained by exploitation of the illegal arrest or was obtained " 'by
means sufficiently distinguishable to be purged of the primary taint' "
of the illegal arrest. Wong Sun v. United States, 371 U.S. 471, 488, 9 L. Ed. 2d 441, 455, 83 S. Ct. 407, 417 (1963), quoting Maguire,
Evidence of Guilt 221 (1959). Factors to be considered in determining
whether a confession was the product of an illegal arrest include: (1)
the proximity in time between the arrest and the confession; (2) the
presence of intervening circumstances; (3) the purpose and flagrancy
of the police misconduct; and (4) whether Miranda warnings were
given. Foskey, 136 Ill. 2d  at 85-86, citing Brown v. Illinois, 422 U.S. 590, 603-04, 45 L. Ed. 2d 416, 427, 95 S. Ct. 2254, 2261-62 (1975).
The burden of showing the admissibility of the statement rests on the
prosecution. Brown, 422 U.S.  at 604, 45 L. Ed. 2d  at 427, 95 S. Ct. 
at 2262.
	Here, there is no question that defendant was given his Miranda
warnings prior to giving each of his statements and his confession.
Although this is a factor to be considered, however, the fact that
Miranda warnings were given is not sufficient in itself to purge the
taint of illegality. Foskey, 136 Ill. 2d  at 86.
	With regard to intervening circumstances, the State argues that
the presence of intervening probable cause weighs in favor of finding
that defendant's confession was attenuated from his illegal arrest. We
agree.
	The presence of intervening probable cause does not assure in
every case that an illegal arrest has not been unduly exploited. See
People v. Ornelas, 295 Ill. App. 3d 1037, 1045 (1998); People v.
Pierson, 166 Ill. App. 3d 558, 564 (1988), citing United States v.
Cherry, 759 F.2d 1196, 1212 (5th Cir. 1985). However, it is an
important factor in the attenuation analysis. See Ornelas, 295 Ill. App.
3d at 1045; Pierson, 166 Ill. App. 3d at 564. Here, the development
of intervening probable cause occurred almost simultaneously with
defendant's illegal detention. Just prior to the time that Officers Lotts
and Lopresti noticed and began their pursuit of Knight and defendant,
Judith Dean observed a hand sticking out of the trunk of a car with the
license plate ETM 734 and called 911. While the officers were
pursuing defendant and Knight, Officer Hanrahan was dispatched to
an alley where he discovered the body of Ervin Shorter, killed so
recently that steam was coming from his head where he had been
sweating. Before Officer Lopresti returned from his pursuit of
defendant, Officer Lotts had called in the license plate of the Impala.
Lotts was joined by Officer Goldman, who told him that a citizen had
reported seeing a hand reaching out from the trunk of a car with the
same license plate as the Impala. Defendant was arrested before
information came back on the plate's registration. Shortly thereafter,
Lotts learned that the plate was registered to Ervin Shorter and that
Shorter was the victim discovered by Hanrahan.
	At this point, the officers had probable cause to connect
defendant with the murder of Ervin Shorter. Probable cause exists
where the totality of circumstances and facts known to officers is such
that a reasonably prudent person would believe that the suspect is
committing or has committed a crime. People v. Montgomery, 112 Ill. 2d 517, 525 (1986). The information giving rise to probable cause was
obtained independently of defendant's illegal arrest. Indeed, all of the
information other than confirmation concerning the registration of the
Impala was obtained prior to defendant's illegal arrest and well before
defendant's first statement in this case.
	Had the officers decided at this time that defendant's initial
detention was illegal, they could have released him and then, based
upon the probable cause that developed independently of his initial
arrest, immediately arrested him again. Under this scenario, there
would be no question that defendant's statements and confession
would be admissible. It follows, then, that the probable cause that
would support a second arrest only minutes after defendant's first
arrest also serves to break the causal connection between defendant's
first illegal arrest and the statements defendant gave six hours later. As
our appellate court has noted, it would place an unreasonable burden
on the police to require officers to release an illegally arrested
defendant and then, based upon probable cause obtained after the
illegal arrest, arrest him again when he reached the sidewalk. See
People v. Berry, 314 Ill. App. 3d 1, 17 (2000); People v. Wright, 294
Ill. App. 3d 606, 613 (1998); People v. Lekas, 155 Ill. App. 3d 391,
414 (1987). In the case at bar, the probable cause to arrest defendant
for the murder of Ervin Shorter developed independently of
defendant's illegal arrest. Moreover, that independent probable cause
arose only minutes after defendant's arrest. This is not a case,
therefore, where the police illegally arrested an individual and then,
during the time of the illegal detention, went out and developed
probable cause to support the arrest. Cf. Cherry, 759 F.2d  at 1212.
Accordingly, under the circumstances of this case, the development of
independent probable cause weighs heavily in favor of finding that the
taint of defendant's illegal arrest had been purged prior to the time he
gave his statements to the police.
	The next factor we consider is the proximity in time between
defendant's illegal arrest and confession. This court has recognized
that the temporal proximity between an arrest and a confession often
is an ambiguous factor, the significance of which will depend upon the
circumstances of each particular case. People v. White, 117 Ill. 2d 194, 223-24 (1987). For example, on the one hand, in the absence of
intervening circumstances, "a long and illegal detention may in itself
impel the defendant to confess" and, thus, may constitute a serious
exploitation of an illegal arrest. White, 117 Ill. 2d  at 224. On the other
hand, a lengthy period of detention may be viewed as helping "to
purge the taint of a prior illegality by allowing an accused to reflect on
his situation, particularly when attended by other factors ameliorating
coercion, such as Miranda warnings." Lekas, 155 Ill. App. 3d at 414.
In the case at bar, defendant was illegally arrested at
approximately 7:50 a.m. Probable cause to detain defendant
developed independently of any illegal police action only minutes later.
Defendant was first interviewed at 2:10 p.m., approximately six hours
after probable cause to arrest defendant had developed. He was also
interviewed at 3 p.m., 7 p.m., 8:35 p.m. and 10 p.m. on December 2,
1995, and at 12 a.m. on December 3, 1995. As noted, probable cause
to detain defendant developed independently of any illegal police
action only minutes after defendant's arrest. Thus, while defendant
was illegally detained for a few minutes, he was immediately thereafter
in lawful custody. Approximately six hours of lawful custody then
passed before defendant gave his first statement to the police.
Therefore, under the facts at bar, to the extent that the passage of time
itself impelled defendant's confession, that passage of time-since it
was almost entirely during a period of lawful custody-must be viewed
as a factor which weighs in favor of finding that the illegality of
defendant's arrest had been purged by the time he gave his statements
to the police.
The final factor in determining whether defendant's statements
and confession were admissible is the purpose and flagrancy of the
police conduct. Defendant argues that the police conduct here was
flagrant because his illegal arrest was undertaken as a "fishing
expedition" in the hopes that detaining defendant would yield evidence
of a crime.
Although defendant is correct that illegal arrests have been held
to be purposeful and flagrant when undertaken solely to conduct
"fishing expeditions" (see Brown v. Illinois, 422 U.S. 590, 45 L. Ed. 2d 416, 95 S. Ct. 2254 (1975)), this is not such a case. In Brown,
flagrant police conduct was found where the defendant's arrest was
undertaken for investigation and without any probable cause, in the
hope that something might turn up, and was effected in a manner
calculated to cause fright, surprise and confusion. Brown, 422 U.S.  at
605, 45 L. Ed. 2d  at 428, 95 S. Ct.  at 2262.
Here, in contrast, the evidence does not show that the police
were acting upon such an absence of probable cause as to render
entirely unreasonable any belief that probable cause existed. The
officers' initial pursuit and detention of defendant fell within the
parameters of Wardlow. That detention exceeded the bounds of a
proper investigatory stop only when defendant was handcuffed and
transported to the police station. At that point, however, intervening
probable cause had developed. Consequently, there is no evidence that
defendant's subsequent statements and confession were the result of
flagrant police misconduct.
Considering the totality of the circumstances, we find that the
taint of defendant's illegal arrest had been purged by the time he gave
his statements to the police. Defendant's statements and confession
thus were not the fruit of his illegal arrest but instead were attenuated
from that illegal arrest. We therefore affirm the trial court's order
denying defendant's motion to suppress.

Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
Defendant contends that he was denied the effective assistance of
counsel. Defendant maintains that his trial counsel mistakenly
discussed the murder of Fred Jones in her opening statement to the
jury and subsequently allowed defendant to testify concerning the
murder of Fred Jones, even though the trial court had agreed to
exclude that evidence from trial. The following facts are relevant to
the disposition of this issue.
Prior to trial, defense counsel filed a "Motion To Bar Use Of
Immaterial, Incompetent Prejudicial Evidence" and a "Motion To Bar
Use Of Uncharged Crimes Evidence." In the motion to bar use of
immaterial, incompetent prejudicial evidence, counsel alleged that
Assistant State's Attorney DiNolfo gratuitously included certain
immaterial and prejudicial statements in the confession that he
transcribed. The statements in question were that defendant lived in
Kenosha, Wisconsin; defendant noticed some damage to the trunk of
Shorter's car, indicative of an attempt by Shorter to escape; defendant
and Knight jumped out of Shorter's car and ran away; defendant left
the .357 Magnum and the keys to Shorter's car in the alley; defendant
killed Shorter because Shorter saw what defendant looked like; and
Shorter cooperated with defendant and did not struggle with him in
any way. Defense counsel requested that the trial court redact the
statements from the confession.
In the motion to bar use of uncharged crimes evidence, defense
counsel alleged that the confession transcribed by DiNolfo contained
material extraneous to the crimes charged in the indictment. Counsel
claimed that the material was highly prejudicial since "it purports to
be the thought processes of Richard Morris relating to another,
uncharged crime, namely the robbery of an undetermined bank in
Chicago." Defense counsel requested that the portions of the
confession relating to the robbery be redacted. Counsel did not
reference the murder of Fred Jones in Wisconsin or make any request
regarding Jones' murder. After a hearing, the trial court denied both
motions. Defense counsel filed no other motions in limine.
At a later hearing, as defense counsel sought to convince the
court to ask potential jurors whether they would automatically impose
the death penalty if they decided defendant had committed two
murders, counsel informed the court that the question was necessary
because the court had ruled that evidence of the Jones murder would
be admissible. This colloquy followed:
"THE COURT: What have I ruled?
[Defense Counsel]:You have ruled that the Kenosha
murder may come in.
THE COURT: Where did you get that?
[Defense Counsel]: I had a motion to bar any mention of
the Kenosha case, Judge. You denied that motion.
THE COURT: No, I didn't. I granted that same motion
for Judy Stewart [codefendant Knight's counsel] today. You
never asked me to do that. You gave me a statement to read,
and I said that the reasons he said in the statement of why he
was coming to Chicago could come in, but there was nothing
about a second murder in there.
[Defense Counsel]: Judge, there was a separate motion to
bar the use of uncharged crimes evidence. You denied that
motion. I had a separate motion to bar the use of uncharged
crimes, which was the Kenosha murder. You denied that
motion as to me.
THE COURT: That may be sometime ago. I don't
remember that at all. What about that? Did I do that? That is
obviously not going to come in at the guilt or innocence
stage.
[Defense Counsel]: Judge, that is the motion that is titled,
'Motion to Bar Use of Uncharged Crimes Evidence.' You
denied that on the last court date.
THE COURT: That would be at the sentencing phase.
[Defense Counsel]: We were talking at the guilt and
innocence phase.
THE COURT: I don't believe so.
[Prosecutor]: The Motion to Bar Use of Uncharged
Crimes Evidence, which the Court denied on November 16th
of 1998, was referenced regarding Exhibit A, which was the
handwritten statement of Mr. Morris. The conduct in that
handwritten statement does not describe the events regarding
the murder in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It describes the events
leading up to and including the murder of Ervin Shorter here
in Chicago.
[Defense Counsel]: That was a separate motion. That was
a motion to bar the use of immaterial, incompetent,
prejudicial evidence. That was a separate motion, Judge.
THE COURT: The way I recall, they both said the same
thing. It is not my intention to let in the Wisconsin killing, not
at all. I didn't have that impression that that was the thrust of
your motion.
[Defense Counsel]: Well, I am glad we cleared that up.
THE COURT: [Pardon] me?
[Defense Counsel]: I am glad we cleared that up.
THE COURT: I am glad you did."
Despite this exchange, when the trial began eight days later on
December 1, 1998, defense counsel discussed the murder of Fred
Jones in her opening statement to the jury in considerable detail:
"[Defense Counsel]: Ladies and gentlemen, [the
prosecutor] just told you that the evidence will show Tywon
Knight and Richard Morris guilty. But you don't have Tywon
Knight to judge. You don't have Lyda Antia to judge. You
don't have Brian Hoover to judge. You are called here today
and in the days to come to render a judgment on this man and
this man alone. This is Richard Morris. You are called here
today and in the days to come to measure his legal, his moral
responsibility for what occurred on December 2nd of 1995.
You are called here today and finally in your deliberations to
determine the degree of his responsibility for what happened
to Ervin Shorter. And when you do that, in the process of
that, you will learn some things. You will learn them from the
evidence. You will learn that Richard Morris did not shoot
Ervin Shorter. You will learn that from this witness box.
Because Richard Morris will tell you that himself.
How did we get to that point, [the prosecutor] asked you.
How did we get to the point where Richard Morris will sit in
that witness box and tell you what happened? He mentioned
to you that Mr. Morris had some problems in Kenosha.
Ladies and gentlemen, [the prosecutor] didn't tell it all to
you. *** Three people at a minimum had a very serious
problem on the morning of December 2, 1995 and probably
a fourth one as well. Who had that problem? You have heard
mention of Lyda Antia Morris, L-y-d-a. That is Richard
Morris' wife. You are going to hear that they had been
married for some years, legally married. And that is an
important fact, the relationship between Mr. Morris and his
legal wife, the woman he loved. You are going to hear about
Brian Hoover who is not here before you. You are going to
hear that he had a nickname. His nickname was Taz just like
the Tazmanian main [sic] Devil. You are going to hear about
Tywon Knight who is seated here before you. You are going
to hear that Richard Morris' family and friends know him as
Peanut. Among the people that Richard Morris knew when
he was growing up was a man by the name of Fred Jones.
You have not heard his name yet. I will tell you now that
Fred Jones is an important person in what happened here in
Chicago although he died violently in Kenosha on November
30.
* * *
On November 30 of 1995-well, let me go back even to
August of 1995. Richard Morris, Peanut, had known Fred
Jones when he was younger. He had not been in his old
neighborhood for sometime. He will tell you that he went to
a video store and he got reacquainted with Fred Jones. And
Fred Jones told Peanut that he was on his feet. *** But in
that conversation between Peanut and Fred Jones it meant
one thing. I am now selling weight. Richard Morris will tell
you what weight is. And he will tell you that he was
interested in someone who could sell him weight of cocaine
so that he could cut that weight into bags and sell it to
customers on the street. You will hear him describe for you
and there will be no dispute from the police that a baller is a
dope dealer. *** You are going to hear from Richard Morris
that he did in fact purchase some drugs from Fred Jones
shortly before November 30, 1995. He cut them. You are
going to hear about a scale in his apartment. Remember he is
not on trial here because he is a drug dealer. But you are
going to hear him describe this process to you. And he took
those drugs and sold them to customers on the street and
something unusual happened. Peanut's customers were not
happy with him. And he had to refund some of their money
because the rocks they got from him-we are talking about
rock cocaine-was bad.
Now, along about this time-and you are going to hear
Peanut and Lyda had an apartment in Kenosha. Along about
this time, someone who is a friend of Lyda's and casually
known to Peanut came into their life and started staying with
them and had been staying with them for a few days. And
that person is Taz. And Peanut and Taz and Lyda talked
about this drug business. And Peanut paged Fred Jones to
come to his apartment in Kenosha on November 30 of 1995.
We are talking a period of time roughly thirty-six hours
before Ervin Shorter would die violently in that alley behind
Cornelia Street.
You are going to hear Richard Morris tell you that when
Fred Jones came to that apartment, he was wary. He was
wary because Fred had sold him bad drugs. He was wary
because he knew that Fred carried a gun. And in fact, Fred
was armed that night. And he didn't know what was up with
Fred. But he had a situation he felt he had to deal with. You
are going to hear that when Fred came to that apartment, the
apartment that he came into was shaped sort of like a U. On
one side of the U was a living room. On the other side of the
U so to speak was a kitchen. When Fred came in that
apartment he went into the living room area. In the living
room area were Taz and Lyda. Peanut went to the kitchen to
get the scale. Before he went to get the scale, he saw the
drugs that Fred had brought because when Fred was paged.
He brought drugs with him. And he will tell you what he
thought when he saw the packaging of the drugs that Fred
brought with him. He went to the kitchen to get the scale.
And the next thing he knew his wife came running out of the
living room into the kitchen and right behind her was Fred.
He, Richard Morris, had no idea what had happened in there.
But he will tell you and [the prosecutor] mentioned the look
on Mr. Morris' face when he saw the police, he will tell you
the look on his wife's face as she ran in front of Fred Jones.
And then as he told the police when he was questioned by
them on December 2 and December 3 what happened next
happened too fast to stop it.
* * *
And what happened, next ladies and gentlemen, was a
vicious beating, vicious beating involving a four iron golf club
and strangulation involving a towel. There was blood
everywhere. You are going to hear about cleaning up walls,
plastic bags over the head to prevent the mess from getting
any bigger. The mess from snuffing out a human life. You are
going to hear that after all of this happened, Peanut himself
recovered from Fred's body a .357. And that gun, that .357
is the same gun that roughly thirty-six hours later killed Ervin
Shorter. And you are going to hear more about that gun. You
are going to hear from Richard Morris how Taz also went
through the pockets of Fred Jones and money was found and
other items that you are going to be hearing about. In a very
ironic twist, the money, Fred Jones' money[,] was used in a
very barbaric way against him after he was dead. And you are
going to hear about that. Now, Peanut did not have a car.
Lyda did not have a car. Taz had just gotten out of prison.
He did not have a car. They had among the three of them,
they had a mutual acquaintance named Tywon Knight who is
here before you today. And you are going to hear how they
went to Tywon Knight for the purpose of borrowing his car.
Then Taz, Lyda and Richard Morris drove to Chicago. You
are going to hear how they removed the body. They put the
body into the trunk and they drove down to Chicago. You
are also going to hear, ladies and gentlemen, that of these
three people, Lyda Antia, Taz and Peanut, one of them was
not familiar with the Chicago area. You are going to hear that
Lyda Antia had family here. And in fact Lyda Antia's family
played some part in the arrest of Lyda Antia. You are going
to hear that Taz had lived here for sometime. Of the three of
them, only Richard Morris was not familiar with this area.
They came to Chicago. They came to the west side. You are
going to hear that Richard Morris, Taz, and Lyda bought
lighter fluid and they bought it I am sad to say with Fred
Jones' own money. They took the lighter fluid. They drove
to an alley. The body in the trunk. When they got to the alley,
you are going to hear that that lighter fluid was put not only
on the outside blanket covering Mr. Jones but also that the
blanket was peeled back and actually poured onto his body
and then the body was set on fire early in the morning hours
in an alley on the west side of Chicago.
The cans were thrown up on to the roof of a nearby school
and you are going to hear that fingerprints were recovered
from those cans, the fingerprints of Richard Morris and the
fingerprints of Taz. Having done all of this, Taz, Peanut, and
Lyda got into the car and went back to Kenosha. *** It was
now December 1, 1995, three years ago today. Peanut turned
25 on that day. And you are going to hear from him about the
use of drugs. You are going to hear about something called
blunts, which is marijuana that is the middle part of a cigar is
taken out and marijuana is substituted for it. And you are also
going to hear there was some drinking of a French brandy
called Alize. That went on [sic] off and on during the course
of the day during the night of the 1st into the early morning
hours of the morning when Mr. Shorter was shot."
In the balance of her opening statement, counsel told the jury that
defendant, Taz, Lyda and Knight obtained a second gun in University
Park and made plans to rob a bank in Chicago:
"[Defense Counsel]:You are going to hear that Peanut
decided he needed some money and he needed to get away.
You are going to hear that the subject of bank robberies came
up. You are going to hear that at every step of the way [sic]
every step of the way from the minute Richard Morris left
Kenosha up until the minute that he drove away in Mr.
Shorter's car after Mr. Shorter was dead, at every step of the
way it was Peanut, Taz, Lyda and Mr. Knight. But not all of
them did the same thing. And it's your determination on the
moral responsibility of Mr. Morris that is at issue in this case.
[Prosecutor]: Judge, I am going to object. Misstatement
of the law.
THE COURT: Sustained. Moral responsibility is not
involved here. Legal responsibility is."
Defense counsel then detailed the circumstances of Ervin
Shorter's kidnapping and the hijacking of Shorter's car. Counsel
readily admitted that defendant participated in the kidnapping and
hijacking. Counsel also detailed the circumstances of Shorter's murder
and defendant's arrest. She admitted that defendant was in the alley at
the time of the shooting, but claimed that Hoover shot Shorter. Lastly,
counsel informed the jury that defendant had been convicted of other
felonies and had attempted escape. She concluded:
"You are going to hear from police officers who are going
to tell you he did not want to get arrested and he did
everything he could to escape. And you are going to hear that
is not the first time in his life he [has] done that. You are
going to hear he has been convicted of running from the
police when they are trying to arrest him. Actually felony
convictions. And of course you are going to hear about the
felony convictions for stealing a car, possession of a weapon
were the reasons the police were trying to arrest him.
You are going to see at the close of all the evidence that
there is more and there is less than what [the prosecutor] told
you. After you have considered everything, I am confident
that you will know where to attach responsibility and what
degree of responsibility to attach to Mr. Morris."
At the conclusion of opening statements, the following discussion
took place outside of the presence of the jury:
"[Prosecutor] Briefly, Judge. Frankly I am not certain how
to approach this. But clearly in [defense counsel's] opening
statement in front of the Morris jury, [defense counsel]
alluded to several matters that Mr. Morris moved in limine to
prevent the trier of fact from hearing before we picked this
jury several weeks ago. Especially the murder of Fred Jones,
drug activity in the state of Wisconsin, the concealment of
Mr. Jones' body here in Chicago, the setting him on fire. All
of these matters the defendant moved in limine to keep out.
And apparently [defense counsel] perhaps violated her own
motion in limine by mentioning these things in opening
statement. We were under the impression we weren't going
to get into this evidence. We learned about all this evidence
in front of the Morris jury by way of the defendant's opening
statement. It appears obviously to be a matter of trial
strategy. And I am curious as to whether or not your Honor
would be interested in asking Mr. Morris if he agrees with the
trial strategy in the opening statement given by [defense
counsel].
[Defense Counsel]: Judge, can I respond just briefly?
THE COURT: Sure.
[Defense Counsel]: It's my understanding of the Court's
ruling that the matters would not-the State would not be
allowed to bring them up in their case in chief. But that they
might be matters that could be brought up in rebuttal.
The Court: Well, I think what we were talking about in
particular was what was set forth in Mr. Morris' statement.
And that I was not going to redact things from the statement
that, you know, he would live with whatever he purportedly
said.
[Defense Counsel]: Judge, I had two separate motions.
When we had this very conversation, I mentioned to your
Honor that what I thought I was asking you was exactly what
Ms. Stewart [codefendant Knight's counsel] was asking on
different grounds because Mr. Morris is not in the same
posture as Mr. Knight. But that I was asking for it not to be
admitted period. And your Honor's response was that it
would not be allowed in the State's case in chief. You did not
rule it out in rebuttal. So my understanding was it could come
in anyway.
THE COURT: I thought it could come in?
[Defense Counsel]: Yes, that was my understanding,
Judge.
THE COURT: Certainly it could come in through the
statement of Mr. Morris as to what his intentions were and
how his actions in this case corresponded to other criminal
matters that were articulated.
[Defense Counsel]: That was how I understood your
ruling, Judge.
THE COURT: All right. The fact that you decided to in
fact front that information, I suppose that was a matter of
trial strategy.
[Defense Counsel]: Well, Judge, what I am saying is I had
understood you to say you were not excluding it absolutely.
THE COURT: Okay, fine.
[Prosecutor]: Judge, if I may still renew our request. And
if the Court will forgive me. I have not read People [vs.]
Hattery for sometime but in the back of my mind I seem to
recall a similar scenario about literally in opening statement
giving a statement that in essence inculpates your own client
and the inquiry of whether or not that was done with the
defendant's intent and that it's his desire. I am sure the Court
will recall it better than I do but that is my reaction upon
hearing that."
At the State's request, the judge then asked defendant himself if he
had "any problem" with his attorney's opening statement. Defendant
replied that he did not.
The trial then continued with the presentation of the State's case
in chief, followed by the presentation of the defense. As noted,
defendant testified regarding the circumstances of the murder of both
Fred Jones and Ervin Shorter. At the conclusion of his testimony on
direct examination, defendant was cross-examined by the State at
length regarding the murder of Fred Jones:
"[Prosecutor]: Mr. Morris, would it be fair to say that the
story you've told us today makes you guilty of a murder?
[Defense Counsel]: Objection, Your Honor.
THE COURT: Sustained.
[Prosecutor]: Sir, would it be fair to say that you told us
you killed Fred Jones?
[Defense Counsel]: Objection.
THE COURT: Overruled.
THE WITNESS: Correct.
[Prosecutor]: So you are guilty of murder, correct?
[Defense Counsel]:Objection.
THE COURT: Sustained.
[Prosecutor]: You intentionally took that towel and put it
around his neck, right?
A. Correct.
Q. You intentionally twisted that towel, right?
A. Correct.
Q. You looked down in his eyes when you did that, sir,
right?
A. Incorrect.
Q. You didn't look at him when you killed him, sir?
A. No, sir.
Q. Did you look away as you twisted? I can't hear you.
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Did you look away when you put the bag on his head?
A. No, sir.
Q. You had to look at him to bag him, right?
A. Correct.
Q. You tied that bag around his neck, right?
A. Incorrect.
Q. Did you put the bag around his neck loosely?
A. I put the bag over his head, sir.
Q. You put the bag over his head. Did you tie it over his
head?
A. It wasn't-no.
Q. You just laid it over his head?
A. Correct.
Q. Did you poke any holes in the bag before you put it
over his head?
A. No.
Q. In addition to strangling Fred, you've told us you took
that body from Kenosha, Wisconsin and brought it to
Chicago, right?
A. Correct.
Q. You told us you burned that body, right?
A. Correct.
Q. And it was your idea, was it not, Mr. Morris, to burn
that body?
A. No.
Q. You're telling us it was Taz' idea?
A. Correct.
Q. Let me go back with you about Mr. Jones. You tell us
that you knew Fred Jones because you had grown up
together, right?
A. Correct.
Q. But all of a sudden you happened to renew your
acquaintance?
A. Correct.
Q. And you had no ax to grind with Mr. Jones at that
point, right?
A. Correct.
Q. But you sold-or he sold you some bad dope, right?
A. Correct.
Q. And by the way, how long back in 1995 had you been
in the dope selling business?
A. Since I was released from prison.
Q. Well, you were released, sir, in June of '95, isn't that
what we just heard?
A. Correct.
Q. So was that part of your rehabilitation after your
release to enter in the drug business?
A. No.
Q. You began selling drugs in June of 1995?
A. Correct.
Q. And you became familiar with all the appropriate terms,
right?
A. Correct.
Q. And the street jargon for drug sales, right?
A. Excuse me?
Q. The street jargon for drug sales?
A. What is jargon?
Q. How about selling weight?
A. Correct.
Q. By the way, did you take a course while you were in
the Department of Corrections in how to use a gram scale?
[Defense Counsel]: Objection.
THE COURT: Sustained.
[Prosecutor]: Mr. Jones-strike that. Mr. Morris, did you
learn that as part of your on the job dope dealer training?
A. Correct."
The State then asked defendant to identify a green towel, a pair of
gym shoes and a golf club from the Wisconsin apartment. These
questions followed:
"[Prosecutor]: Mr. Morris, after you strangled Fred, you told
us there was blood, right?
A. Correct.
Q. And you did some cleaning around the house, is that
right?
A. Yes.
Q. And would it be fair to say that you were cleaning up
because you didn't want to leave any evidence, would that be
fair?
A. Yes.
Q. Would it be fair to say you were cleaning up because
you didn't want anybody to find you responsible for Fred's
death, would that be fair?
A. Yes.
Q. Would it be fair to say that you were trying to do
everything you could to clean that scene so nothing would
come back to you about Fred's death, would that be fair?
A. Yes.
Q. You cleaned off the walls, right?
A. Yes.
Q. You cleaned off the club, right?
A. No.
Q. Are you telling us you left the bloody club?
A. I never touched the golf club.
Q. Did you clean the floor?
A. Yes.
Q. And also, Mr. Morris, you wrapped up Fred Jones?
A. Myself and Taz, yes.
Q. And in order to wrap him up you tied him too, right?
A. Correct.
Q. And you used a television coaxial cable, correct?
A. Correct."
The cross-examination continued with the removal of Jones'
body from the Wisconsin apartment, the purchase of the cans of
lighter fluid, and the burning of the body:
"[Prosecutor]: Q. Mr. Morris, I'm going to show you a
bag and its contents that I've marked People's Exhibit No.
112 for Identification. Do you recognize what's in that bag?
A. Yes.
Q. What do you recognize that to be?
A. Two cans of lighter fluid.
Q. They appear to be the same two cans of lighter fluid
that you purchased?
A. Yes, they appear to be.
Q. Now you told us that after you got the cans and you
found a place, I think you said behind the school, right?
A. Correct.
Q. You found a place to burn Fred, right?
A. Yes.
Q. And you agreed to that, right?
A. Yes.
Q. You told us you sprinkled lighter fluid on Fred's body?
A. No.
Q. You didn't sprinkle lighter fluid on Fred Jones?
A. On the blanket.
Q. By the way, who's inside the blanket?
A. Fred.
Q. And both you and Taz lit the body on fire?
A. Correct.
Q. You remember striking a match?
A. Yes.
Q. You remember looking down when you put the match
down?
A. I can't say if I looked down or not.
Q. What part of the body inside the blanket were you
lighting if you remember?
A. I wasn't lighting any part of the body.
Q. What part, whether it was the head area where he was
inside the blanket, or his feet, where were you, at his head or
his feet?
A. I don't recall.
Q. But you do recall lighting him on fire?
A. Yes.
Q. By the way, Taz didn't force you to light him on fire,
did he?
A. No.
Q. Did you watch Fred burn there?
A. No.
Q. How soon after you lit him did you leave?
A. Right after.
Q. Did you watch the flames?
A. No.
Q. Did you see the flames?
A. Yes.
Q. How long did you see the flames?
A. Once I lit the blanket, the flames started, I walked off.
Q. Did you stick around to make sure that he was going to
burn?
A. No.
Q. Well, Mr. Morris, wouldn't it be fair to say that you
were concerned to make sure that that body got covered up?
A. I guess.
Q. You wanted to make sure that there was no evidence
of your killing of Fred Jones, right?
A. Right.
Q. But you're telling us that after you saw a couple of
little flames you walked away?
A. True.
Q. By the way, you came back though, right?
A. Right.
Q. When you came back, you came back to throw those
cans on the roof of the school, right?
A. Yes.
Q. And when you came back was Fred lit up?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you watch Fred burn there a little bit?
A. No.
Q. You did of course see what Fred looked like while he
was burning?
A. No.
Q. You never looked at the body?
A. No.
[Prosecutor]: May I approach, Judge?
THE COURT: Yes.
[Prosecutor]: Mr. Morris, I'm going to show you what I
marked as People's Exhibit 113, a photograph. First of all, do
you recognize the area that's in that photograph?
A. Yes, I do.
Q. What do you recognize that to be?
A. The place where we burned Fred Jones.
Q. And do you recognize the body of Fred Jones in that
picture?
A. No.
Q. You see that black charred area? Do you recognize that
as a body?
A. Not really.
Q. Let me show you People's Exhibit No. 114 for
[i]dentification, which is a photograph. Do you recognize
that?
A. You can see flesh.
Q. You can also see the burnt cable in that photo, is that
right?
A. Yes."
The court then commented on the length of the cross-examination:
"THE COURT: It seems to me that this cross-examination
is inordinately long.
[Prosecutor]: I plan to wrap it up shortly.
THE COURT: It's been about 45 minutes on a crime that
he's not even charged with. There's limitations about how
much of other crime evidence should be introduced. He
conceded it on his direct examination. I would urge you to
wind this thing up.
[Prosecutor]: Understood, Judge.
THE COURT: All right."
At the conclusion of the testimony, the State introduced into
evidence the green towel, the gym shoes, the photograph of the closet
in the Wisconsin apartment, the cans of lighter fluid, the photograph
of the scene of the burning, and the photograph of Jones' charred
body. The court later commented:
"THE COURT: I don't think those exhibits should even
have been in the courtroom in this trial. For the limited use of
proof of other crimes I think the reviewing courts are very
clear that the entire case does not get proved up. And there
really is no foundation for much of what was referred to.
There's some shoes. He did identify a closet.
[Prosecutor]: Judge, I agree with you. We didn't put in the
proof of other crimes.
THE COURT: I know.
[Prosecutor]: This was trial strategy on the defendant's
part."
In closing argument, the State repeatedly reminded the jury of
Fred Jones' murder and asked the jury to draw certain inferences from
defendant's testimony:
"[Prosecutor]:Why are they running, folks? Why are they
running? Morris just killed a man. Morris just kidnapped a
man. Morris has hijacked a man's car. Morris had just killed
before. Morris had just burned a body before.
* * *
Why does he need to flee from Kenosha, Wisconsin to
Georgia? And on the way, stop here in Chicago and rob some
banks. That, ladies and gentlemen, is evidence of his guilt of
the crimes here in Chicago.
* * *
Not only is this man a killer, a kidnapper, a hijacker, a
dope dealer, a concealer of murder, he is a liar.
* * *
Now it may be cold in here this evening but the chills that
came from that stand as that man testified and told you about
the evils that he's done tell you volumes about him, tell you
volumes about his ability to take a gun and coldly execute a
man. It speaks volumes to tell you where the truth is in this
case."
Defendant now contends that his attorney's actions constituted
ineffective assistance of counsel. Defendant argues that his attorney's
performance was deficient because she discussed the murder of Fred
Jones in her opening statement and because she allowed defendant to
testify concerning the murder of Fred Jones even though the trial
court had agreed to exclude that evidence from trial.
Claims of ineffective assistance of counsel are generally evaluated
under the two-part test set forth in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 80 L. Ed. 2d 674, 693, 104 S. Ct. 2052, 2064 (1984).
Under Strickland, a defendant must show both that (1) his attorney's
performance fell below an objective standard of reasonableness, and
(2) that the attorney's deficient performance resulted in prejudice to
defendant. The failure to satisfy either prong of the test will preclude
a finding of ineffective assistance of counsel under Strickland. People
v. Shaw, 186 Ill. 2d 301, 332 (1998).
In certain exceptional situations, however, the two-part
Strickland test need not be applied and prejudice may be presumed.
See United States v. Cronic, 466 U.S. 648, 80 L. Ed. 2d 657, 104 S. Ct. 2039 (1984); People v. Hattery, 109 Ill. 2d 449 (1985). In Cronic,
the Supreme Court noted that when "counsel entirely fails to subject
the prosecution's case to meaningful adversarial testing, then there has
been a denial of Sixth Amendment rights that makes the adversary
process itself presumptively unreliable." Cronic, 466 U.S.  at 659, 80 L. Ed. 2d  at 668, 104 S. Ct.  at 2047.
This court applied the Cronic standard in People v. Hattery, 109 Ill. 2d 449 (1985). In Hattery, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the
murders of a mother and her two children. Hattery, 109 Ill. 2d  at 458.
Nonetheless, during his opening statement, one of defendant's
attorneys conceded that defendant had committed the murders and
was eligible for the death penalty, stating that the only issue was
whether the defendant should be sentenced to death. Hattery, 109 Ill. 2d  at 458-59. During the defendant's trial, defendant's attorneys
advanced no theory of defense, presented no evidence of their own,
and did not make a closing argument to the jury. Hattery, 109 Ill. 2d 
at 459. Instead, defense counsel attempted to show on cross-examination that defendant was compelled to kill the victims. Hattery,
109 Ill. 2d  at 459. Although compulsion may be a mitigating
circumstance sufficient to preclude the imposition of the death
penalty, it is not a defense to murder. Hattery, 109 Ill. 2d  at 459.
Upon review, we held that defense counsel's actions in Hattery
did not subject the prosecution's case to the meaningful adversarial
testing required under the sixth amendment. Hattery, 109 Ill. 2d  at
464. We noted that defense counsel's trial strategy, which attempted
to show that the defendant was guilty of murder but undeserving of
the death penalty, was at odds with the defendant's not-guilty plea.
Hattery, 109 Ill. 2d  at 464. We held that "[c]ounsel may not concede
his client's guilt in the hope of obtaining a more lenient sentence
where a plea of not guilty has been entered, unless the record
adequately shows that defendant knowingly and intelligently
consented to his counsel's strategy." Hattery, 109 Ill. 2d  at 465.
For the following reasons, we conclude that Hattery applies the
appropriate framework for evaluating defendant's claim of ineffective
assistance of counsel.
In the case at bar, the possible trial strategies available to defense
counsel were narrowly limited by the evidence arrayed against her
client. Given defendant's confession, and the fact that defendant was
seen fleeing from Shorter's car only minutes after the murder, counsel
could not credibly argue that defendant was not involved in the
kidnapping and murder of Ervin Shorter at all. The best that counsel
could accomplish was to minimize defendant's culpability for those
offenses. This was in fact what counsel attempted to do in her opening
statement to the jury and throughout the trial. In her opening
statement, counsel maintained that defendant was not the principal
instigator of the kidnapping and aggravated vehicular hijacking. In
addition, counsel stated that defendant did not actually shoot Shorter
and that defendant had lied to the police about shooting Shorter in
order to protect his wife. At the close of trial, defense counsel argued
to the jury that, because defendant was only minimally involved in the
kidnapping and murder, he was not "responsible" for the crimes
committed, either morally or legally. Thus, counsel argued to the jury
that it should "attach responsibility" for the crimes to the other, more
criminally active participants and find defendant not guilty.
Although defense counsel's strategy at trial was to minimize
defendant's culpability, the reasoning which she advanced in support
of that strategy did not legally absolve defendant of guilt for the
charged offenses. Even if the jury accepted everything counsel said in
her opening statement as true, and even if the jury believed all of
defendant's subsequent testimony, defendant could still have been
found guilty on all counts based on a theory of accountability. And, in
fact, at the close of trial, the jury was instructed on the issue of
accountability. The jury was told that defendant could be found guilty
of the charged offenses if the State proved, inter alia, that defendant
"or one for whose conduct he was legally responsible" performed
those offenses. See Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions, Criminal, No.
5.03, Committee Note (4th ed. 2000) (hereinafter IPI Criminal 4th).
The jury was further instructed that defendant could be held legally
responsible for the conduct of another in relation to an offense if,
either before or during the commission of the offense, and with the
intent to promote or facilitate the commission of the offense,
defendant knowingly solicited, aided, abetted, agreed to aid, or
attempted to aid the other person in the planning or commission of
that offense. See IPI Criminal 4th No. 5.03. Thus, for purposes of
establishing defendant's guilt for the kidnapping of Shorter and the
aggravated vehicular hijacking, it did not matter whether defendant
was the principal planner or instigator of those offenses. In addition,
for purposes of establishing defendant's guilt of the murder of Ervin
Shorter, it did not matter whether defendant or Hoover was the actual
shooter. So long as defendant aided Hoover in the murder of Shorter,
defendant could be held legally accountable for that crime.
In her opening statement to the jury, defense counsel readily
admitted that defendant participated in the kidnapping and murder of
Shorter. Counsel told the jury that defendant held a gun to Shorter,
searched him, and found a few dollars on him. Counsel also detailed
the circumstances of Shorter's murder and defendant's arrest and
admitted that defendant was in the alley at the time of the shooting.
Subsequently, defendant took the stand and testified regarding the
circumstances of Shorter's killing. On cross-examination, defendant
admitted that he held a gun on Shorter as they rode in Shorter's car;
that he searched Shorter's pockets for money; that he stood by while
Shorter was placed in the trunk of the car; that defendant then got
back in the car; and that he stood by as Hoover shot Shorter.
Consequently, even though defense counsel argued to the jury that
defendant did not actually shoot Ervin Shorter, and that he was only
minimally culpable for the charged offenses, counsel's argument and
defendant's testimony nevertheless established defendant's guilt based
on accountability to those crimes. Indeed, this was precisely the
position argued to the jury by the State at closing:
"You also, ladies and gentlemen, based on what the
defendant told you, you might as well rip up the not guilty
verdicts on the aggravated vehicular hijacking and the
aggravated kidnapping. Tear them up right away. Because he
just said when he testified, yeah, I participated in all of it. I
held that gun to Ervin Shorter's head in the car. I helped.
When you're in for a penny, you're in for a pound. You're in
for the whole thing. *** If you believe him, he's still guilty."
Defense counsel's opening statement to the jury conceded
defendant's guilt based on accountability. Given this fact, defense
counsel's strategy at trial can only be viewed as an attempt to establish
a nonlegal defense to the criminal charges at issue. Defense counsel's
strategy was essentially to plead to the jury for sympathy based on the
fact that defendant was not actively involved in the crimes and,
therefore, was not "morally responsible" for them. As the State points
out, this was not a legal defense but was, instead, "a plea to the jury
to engage in jury nullification-to find [defendant] not guilty in spite of
the evidence, rather than because of it."
Defense counsel's decision to employ a nonlegal defense is not,
by itself, reason to conclude that counsel's assistance in the case at bar
falls under the standard of per se ineffective assistance described in
Hattery. As this court has held on several occasions, it is not
necessarily per se ineffective assistance for a defense attorney to
advance a nonlegal defense, such as a plea for jury nullification based
on sympathy or compassion, when the circumstances of the case
render other defensive strategies unavailable. For example, in People
v. Ganus, 148 Ill. 2d 466, 473-74 (1992), the defendant maintained
that his trial counsel was constitutionally ineffective because counsel
elicited prejudicial testimony about gang activity and the defendant's
ties to that activity. The testimony had been introduced in an attempt
to establish the affirmative defense of compulsion to the offense of
murder, even though that defense was not available to the defendant.
Ganus, 148 Ill. 2d  at 471. In concluding that trial counsel was not
ineffective, this court stated:
"What the instant case presents is a situation where the
defendant literally had no defense. Evidence of his guilt was
overwhelming. His counsel conceived a compulsion defense
which, though not a legal defense, could or might have
persuaded a jury not to convict. Jury nullification is always a
possibility. It is not inconceivable that a compulsion defense
might have evoked empathy, compassion or understanding
and sympathy in the minds of the jurors. It is a truism that if
a man is drowning, he will grasp at a straw that comes
floating by. A weak or insufficient defense does not indicate
ineffectiveness of counsel in a case where a defendant has no
defense. In this case it would appear that defense counsel
used his imagination and resourcefulness to come up with
something where he had nothing to go on." Ganus, 148 Ill. 2d  at 473-74.
See also People v. Williams, 192 Ill. 2d 548, 567 (2000); People v.
Nieves, 192 Ill. 2d 487, 495 (2000); People v. Shatner, 174 Ill. 2d 133, 147-48 (1996); People v. Page, 155 Ill. 2d 232, 265 (1993).
Under Ganus, defense counsel's performance in the case at bar
cannot be considered per se ineffective simply because the defense
which she offered at trial was a nonlegal plea for jury sympathy.
Although this strategy was perhaps the most minimal trial strategy
possible, it was constitutionally permissible, given the nature and
extent of the evidence against her client. See Ganus, 148 Ill. 2d  at
473-74. The difficulty in the present case, however, and a
distinguishing factor between this case and Ganus, is that in addition
to advancing a minimal, nonlegal defense, counsel in the case at bar
also erroneously introduced defendant's involvement in the murder of
Fred Jones.
With respect to the Jones murder, the State initially contends that
defense counsel merely wanted to "front" information concerning that
murder. According to the State, defense counsel's decision to
introduce the Jones murder was a matter of trial strategy and,
therefore, cannot be considered constitutionally deficient. This
contention is not supported by the record.
After her opening statement to the jury, defense counsel
explained to the trial court that she had discussed the Jones murder
because she thought the court had ruled that evidence of this murder
would be admissible by the State "in rebuttal." Counsel did not state
that she had properly understood the court's ruling and that she was
nevertheless pursuing a strategy that involved raising the Jones
murder. While defense counsel evidently believed that she had to
"front" the Jones murder, the only reason she maintained this belief
was because she had misunderstood the court's ruling on whether
evidence regarding the Jones murder was admissible. Similarly,
defendant's indication that he had "no problem" with defense
counsel's introduction of the Jones murder is of little relevance since
defendant's understanding of the need to discuss the murder was
undoubtedly based on defense counsel's misapprehension that the
evidence would be introduced at trial by the State. Based on the
record before us, it is clear that counsel's decision to introduce
extensive and inflammatory evidence regarding the Jones murder, and
defendant's apparent consent to that decision, were not the product
of an informed, strategic choice. Rather, these actions were the
product of a mistaken belief that the trial court had ruled evidence of
the Jones murder admissible at trial when, in fact, the trial court had
ruled just the opposite.
Defense counsel's fundamental, and inexcusable, failure to
comprehend the trial court's ruling regarding the Fred Jones murder
had severe repercussions at trial. As discussed previously, counsel's
trial strategy was, in effect, a plea for jury nullification based on
sympathy or understanding for defendant's minimal involvement in the
crimes at issue. Any hope of success for this strategy, however
minimal that might have been, rested not only on the jury finding
defendant credible on the witness stand-and thus believing his
explanation that he did not shoot Shorter and was only minimally
involved in the crimes-but also on the jury having some degree of
understanding or empathy for defendant. However, once counsel
introduced extensive evidence regarding the Jones murder, this
strategy was completely destroyed. As defendant points out, the
defense's effort to convince the jury that defendant had waited in the
car while Shorter was murdered-the version of events testified to by
defendant at trial-was wholly undone by evidence that defendant had
been an active participant in another murder just 36 hours before
Shorter was killed. After hearing that defendant had held Jones while
he was beaten with a club and that defendant had then strangled Jones
with a towel, it would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible,
for any juror to believe that defendant had merely sat in the car while
Hoover shot Shorter. More broadly, defense counsel could hardly
have made a credible plea for the jury's sympathy with respect to
defendant's involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Ervin
Shorter when counsel had just graphically, and in considerable detail,
described her client's participation in the brutal murder of Fred Jones.
Accordingly, it is not an overstatement to conclude that defense
counsel's erroneous introduction of the evidence pertaining to the
Jones murder eviscerated the minimal trial strategy that was available
to her.
Our conclusion that defense counsel's introduction of evidence
pertaining to the Jones murder rendered her trial strategy a nullity is
based upon the extremely broad scope and highly inflammatory nature
of the evidence about the Jones murder which counsel introduced.
Before the jury, counsel essentially indicted and tried defendant for
Jones' murder and the concealment of Jones' death. Counsel vividly
described the events leading up to the murder of Jones. She detailed
the "vicious beating," noting that "[t]here was blood everywhere."
She stated that defendant placed a plastic bag over Jones' head "to
prevent the mess from getting any bigger. The mess from snuffing out
a human life." Counsel explained defendant's attempts to conceal the
murder. She told the jury that defendant bought two cans of lighter
fluid with Jones' money. She told the jury that defendant poured
lighter fluid on Jones' body and set it on fire. The jury was then given
proof of Jones' murder when defendant took the witness stand and
testified regarding the murder. In responding to defense counsel's
questions, defendant described the murder in detail. He also described
transporting Jones' body to Chicago and using cans of lighter fluid to
burn the body. Thereafter, defendant was exposed to a lengthy cross-examination by the State regarding Jones' murder. The State was
permitted to introduce into evidence numerous exhibits related to
Jones' murder. These exhibits, including the cans of lighter fluid and
the photographs of Jones' charred body, corroborated counsel's
admission in opening statement that defendant killed Jones and
attempted to conceal Jones' body.
This case contains an unusual convergence of errors that bring it
within the holding of Hattery. Defense counsel's erroneous
understanding of the trial court's ruling on the Jones murder opened
the door to the introduction of graphic details regarding the murder,
to the State cross-examining defendant for 45 minutes about the
crime, and to defendant's admission of guilt for that murder. Once
defense counsel introduced the extensive and inflammatory evidence
regarding the Jones murder, the minimal but constitutionally
acceptable strategy of appealing to the jury's sympathy regarding the
murder of Ervin Shorter was utterly negated. Counsel's deficiencies
in this case are distinguishable from typical trial error "not [in] degree
but [in] kind." Bell v. Cone, 535 U.S. ___, ___, 152 L. Ed. 2d 914,
928, 122 S. Ct. 1843, 1851 (2002). For in all practical effect, as a
result of defense counsel's actions, defendant stood before the jury
throughout the trial with no defensive strategy whatsoever. Even
construing Hattery narrowly, as we must (see People v. Johnson, 128 Ill. 2d 253, 269 (1989)), under the unique and egregious
circumstances presented here, we are forced to conclude that there
was a breakdown of the adversarial process during defendant's trial
such that there was no meaningful adversarial testing of defendant's
case. Accordingly, defendant's convictions must be reversed and the
cause remanded for a new trial.

CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the circuit court is
reversed and the cause is remanded for a new trial.
	Reversed and remanded.
JUSTICE FITZGERALD, specially concurring:
The majority correctly concludes that defense counsel's
inflammatory and highly prejudicial opening statement rendered her
trial strategy a nullity such that there was a total breakdown of the
adversarial process. Defense counsel's egregious conduct in the
course of her opening statement, although a result of
misunderstanding, created a level of prejudice that could not be
undone. Specifically, defendant was left with no meaningful defense
once counsel admitted defendant's participation in the kidnapping of
the victim, followed by her vivid and lengthy description of
defendant's participation in the Kenosha murder, including the vicious
beating, bloody crime scene, and attempted cover-up. It is this
result-the very absence of any meaningful defense-that compels me
to join the majority.
I write separately to underscore a key element of the majority's
holding, namely, that Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 80 L. Ed. 2d 674, 104 S. Ct. 2052 (1984), is still the standard by which we
judge ineffective assistance of counsel claims. It is neither practice nor
custom to presume prejudice, and it is only under the rarest of
circumstances that we will depart from the well-settled standard set
forth in Strickland. The presumption of prejudice only arises where
"counsel entirely fails to subject the prosecution's case to meaningful
adversarial testing." (Emphasis added.) United States v. Cronic, 466 U.S. 648, 659, 80 L. Ed. 2d 657, 668, 104 S. Ct. 2039, 2047 (1984).
In this case, the presumption of prejudice was not warranted based
solely upon the introduction of the Kenosha murder or, alternatively,
upon counsel's admission that defendant's participated in the murder
such that he was liable under a theory of accountability. Rather, as
aptly stated by the majority, it is only the "unusual convergence of
errors" that denied defendant any meaningful defense theory. Slip op.
at 45. Clearly, this holding does not limit the legitimate strategies that
sometimes must be formulated in cases of overwhelming evidence of
guilt. See, e.g., People v. Ganus, 148 Ill. 2d 466, 473-74 (1992).
As an additional matter, like the majority, I observe that counsel's
error was based upon an honest failure to comprehend the trial court's
ruling about the admissibility of the Kenosha murder. See slip op. at
43. I write separately, however, to remind all counsel of their ethical
obligations to both the court and their clients. This case highlights that
counsel are often presented with difficult tactical decisions in their
attempts to achieve the best available defense. Our rules of conduct
require zealous advocacy in pursuit of those interests, and in this case,
there is clearly no suggestion that counsel did not satisfy this
obligation. Nonetheless, I take this opportunity to caution all counsel
that this court will not tolerate the use of unscrupulous tactics in the
name of zealous advocacy. Plainly speaking, this court will not
tolerate counsel "manufacturing" reversible error any more than we
would tolerate a prosecutor using unethical tactics to obtain a
conviction. Our system of justice depends upon the ethical behavior
and integrity of all those who represent it.
JUSTICE FREEMAN joins in this special concurrence.
 

JUSTICE THOMAS, concurring in part and dissenting in part:
I agree with the majority that the trial court properly denied
defendant's motion to suppress, and I therefore concur in that portion
of the majority opinion. However, I disagree with the majority's
finding that, with regard to defendant's claim of ineffective assistance
of counsel, prejudice must be presumed based upon defense counsel's
actions in this case. Therefore, I respectfully dissent from that portion
of the majority opinion.
As the majority observes, the United States Supreme Court
decisions in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 80 L. Ed. 2d 674, 104 S. Ct. 2052 (1984), and United States v. Cronic, 466 U.S. 648, 80 L. Ed. 2d 657, 104 S. Ct. 2039 (1984), set forth the standards
for evaluating ineffective assistance of counsel claims. In general, the
familiar Strickland standard applies: in order to establish ineffective
assistance of counsel, a defendant must show both that his attorney's
performance fell below an objective standard of reasonableness and
that his attorney's deficient performance resulted in prejudice to the
defendant. Strickland, 466 U.S.  at 687-88, 694, 80 L. Ed. 2d  at 693,
698, 104 S. Ct.  at 2064, 2068. However, in Cronic, the Supreme
Court recognized three situations so likely to prejudice an accused
that prejudice would be presumed. Cronic, 466 U.S.  at 658, 80 L. Ed. 2d  at 667-68, 104 S. Ct.  at 2046-47. The first situation is where a
defendant was denied the presence of counsel at a critical stage.
Cronic, 466 U.S.  at 659, 80 L. Ed. 2d  at 668, 104 S. Ct.  at 2047. The
second situation is where counsel entirely fails to subject the
prosecution's case to meaningful adversarial testing. Cronic, 466 U.S. 
at 659, 80 L. Ed. 2d  at 668, 104 S. Ct.  at 2047. The third situation is
where counsel is called upon to render assistance under circumstances
where competent counsel very likely could not due to surrounding
circumstances. Cronic, 466 U.S.  at 659-60, 80 L. Ed. 2d  at 668, 104 S. Ct.  at 2047.
Until today, in addressing the second situation set forth in Cronic,
this court consistently has refused to presume prejudice unless a
defendant's attorney entirely failed to subject the prosecution's case
to meaningful adversarial testing. Thus, in People v. Hattery, 109 Ill. 2d 449 (1985), this court applied the Cronic standard to the
defendant's ineffective assistance of counsel claim, finding that the
defense counsel's actions did not subject the prosecution's case to
meaningful adversarial testing. We observed that one of defendant's
attorneys conceded the defendant's guilt in his opening statement
despite the defendant's not-guilty plea. Hattery, 109 Ill. 2d  at 458-59.
In addition, defense counsel advanced no theory of defense, presented
no evidence of their own, and did not make a closing argument to the
jury. Hattery, 109 Ill. 2d  at 459.
In contrast, in cases subsequent to Hattery, this court declined to
presume prejudice, even where defense counsel conceded a client's
guilt, if the defense counsel otherwise acted as the defendant's
advocate during the proceedings. See People v. Williams, 192 Ill. 2d 548, 567 (2000) (no presumption of prejudice where defense counsel
aggressively cross-examined State's witnesses, argued for not-guilty
verdict in opening statement and closing argument, and moved to
suppress defendant's statement); People v. Nieves, 192 Ill. 2d 487
(2000) (no presumption of prejudice where defense counsel
extensively cross-examined State's witnesses, called witness on behalf
of defendant, and argued forcefully defendant should be found "not
guilty"); People v. Shatner, 174 Ill. 2d 133 (1996) (no presumption of
prejudice where defense counsel aggressively cross-examined virtually
all State's witnesses and called several witnesses on defendant's
behalf); People v. Page, 155 Ill. 2d 232 (1993)(case distinguishable
from Hattery because defense counsel cross-examined State's
witnesses, objected to allegedly improper evidence and argument, and
moved for directed verdict); People v. Ganus, 148 Ill. 2d 466, 473
(1992) (case distinguishable from Hattery because record showed
defendant consented to counsel's trial strategy).
Clearly, then, a presumption of prejudice where defense counsel
entirely fails to subject the prosecution's case to meaningful
adversarial testing requires just that: an entire failure of adversarial
testing. Here, as in Williams, Nieves, Shatner, Page and Ganus,
defense counsel did act as defendant's advocate throughout the
proceedings. Defense counsel made an opening statement and closing
argument and presented evidence on defendant's behalf. Defense
counsel cross-examined the State's witnesses. Defense counsel tried
to persuade the jury that defendant's confession was a lie told to
protect defendant's wife, and that it was Hoover, not defendant, that
killed Shorter. In addition, and in contrast to Hattery, defendant
consented on the record to his counsel's actions in conceding his guilt
to the murder of Fred Jones. The majority's finding that defense
counsel's actions in this case entirely failed to subject the
prosecution's case to meaningful adversarial testing is contrary to the
well-established precedent of this court. In addition, the majority's
decision also is contrary to the recent decision of the United States
Supreme Court in Bell v. Cone, 535 U.S. ___, 152 L. Ed. 2d 914, 122 S. Ct. 1843 (2002). 
In Bell, the Supreme Court explained that "[w]hen we spoke in
Cronic of the possibility of presuming prejudice based on an
attorney's failure to test the prosecutor's case, we indicated that the
attorney's failure must be complete." Bell v. Cone, 535 U.S. 685, ___,
152 L. Ed. 2d 914, 928, 122 S. Ct. 1843, 1851 (2002). Thus, the
Court in Bell rejected a defendant's claim that his case was one in
which prejudice must be presumed. The Court stated that
"respondent's argument is not that his counsel failed to oppose the
prosecution throughout the sentencing proceeding as a whole, but that
his counsel failed to do so at specific points. For purposes of
distinguishing between the rule of Strickland and that of Cronic, this
difference is not of degree but of kind." Bell, 535 U.S. at ___, 152 L. Ed. 2d  at 928, 122 S. Ct.  at 1851.
Defense counsel's failure in this case, while certainly serious and
significant, was not complete. As in Bell, defendant's claim in this
case was not that his defense counsel failed to oppose the prosecution
throughout the trial, but that his counsel failed to do so at specific
points. The majority attempts to fit this case within the parameters of
Bell by finding that "in all practical effect, as a result of defense
counsel's actions, defendant stood before the jury throughout the trial
with no defensive strategy whatsoever." Slip op. at 45. Bell and
Cronic, however, require more than a failure in defensive strategy.
Bell clarifies that Cronic requires a complete failure in advocacy
before prejudice may be presumed. Defense counsel's representation
here did not amount to a complete failure in advocacy. Under the
circumstances, Bell requires analysis of defendant's ineffective
assistance of counsel claim under Strickland, not Cronic. For that
reason, I dissent from the majority's finding that prejudice must be
presumed based upon counsel's actions in this case.
 
 
 
1. After the court heard oral argument in this appeal, and while the case was under 
advisement, former governor George Ryan commuted defendant's death sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or 
mandatory supervised release. People ex rel. Madigan v. Snyder, No. 95663 (January 23, 2004). Thereafter, on our own motion, this 
court issued an order retaining jurisdiction. Although defendant is now serving a life sentence, we continue to have jurisdiction. In the 
interest of judicial economy, we choose to address the merits of defendant's appeal, rather than transfer it to the appellate court.