2023 IL App (1st) 210902-U

No. 1-21-0902 

FIRST DIVISION

April 24, 2023 

NOTICE: This order was filed under Supreme Court Rule 23 and may not be cited as precedent 

by any party except in the limited circumstances allowed under Rule 23(e)(1).

____________________________________________________________________________ 

IN THE

APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS

FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT

____________________________________________________________________________ 

PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, 

Plaintiff-Appellee, 

v. 

DENELL LOGAN, 

Defendant-Appellant. 

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Appeal from the Circuit Court

of Cook County.

No. 18 CR 3371

The Honorable

Michelle McDowell Pitman, 

Judge Presiding. 

____________________________________________________________________________

JUSTICE PUCINSKI delivered the judgment of the court.

Justices Hyman and Coghlan concurred in the judgment. 

ORDER

¶ 1 Held: Defendant’s five-year sentence affirmed where it fell within the statutory sentencing range 

and was not excessive.

¶ 2 Following a bench trial, defendant Denell Logan was convicted of multiple counts of unlawful 

use or possession of a weapon, one count of unlawful use of a weapon, and one count of reckless 

discharge of a firearm. He was sentenced to concurrent sentences of five years’ imprisonment. On 

appeal, defendant challenges the sentence imposed, arguing that the trial court abused its discretion 
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and sentenced defendant to an excessive term of imprisonment. For the reasons set forth herein, 

we affirm the judgment of the circuit court.

¶ 3 BACKGROUND

¶ 4 Defendant was charged by indictment with six counts of unlawful use or possession of a 

weapon by a felon (720 ILCS 5/24-1.1(a)); one count of unlawful use of a weapon (a shotgun less 

than 26 inches in length) (720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(7)(ii)); and two counts of reckless discharge of a 

firearm (720 ILCS 5/24-1.5(a)). During a pre-trial status hearing, defense counsel sought a plea 

offer from the State, the State extended an offer, and on the next court date, defense counsel 

informed that trial court that defendant did not accept the State’s offer. 

¶ 5 On the day that the case was set for trial, the trial court inquired as to the status of any prior 

plea negotiations between the parties. The trial court passed the case to give the parties time to 

continue discussions about a possible plea agreement. Afterwards, defense counsel asked the trial 

court to conduct a Rule 402 hearing. The trial court learned that the State had tendered an offer 

“over the minimum” and defense counsel sought a statutory minimum sentence. The trial court 

explained, “...I’ll give an offer in a 402, but that offer is going to be for today or proceed to trial. 

The witnesses are here, we’ll proceed to trial.” The trial court provided admonishments regarding 

this participation in the Rule 402 conference, including that he was “free to accept or reject my 

sentencing recommendation. You can certainly persist in your plea of not guilty of you wish and 

take the case to trial or accept my sentence and plead guilty...” The trial court did not hold the 

Rule 402 conference on the record.

¶ 6 The case was recalled, and the trial court stated that it “made the recommendation of the 

minimum penitentiary sentence available.” Defense counsel stated that defendant wanted to 
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proceed to a bench trial. The trial court stated, “Offer is revoked at this point[,] and defendant 

responded, “Yes, ma’am.”

¶ 7 Valerie Walker (Valarie), defendant’s wife, testified that on February 8, 2018, she lived in a 

two-bedroom, first-floor apartment in a three-story apartment building in Calumet City, Illinois. 

She shared the apartment with her son, his girlfriend, and their three children. Defendant lived 

with other family members but “would come over often enough” because he worked as the 

“maintenance man” for the apartment building. Shortly after 6:00 p.m. on February 8th, she left 

her apartment to go to a grocery store across the street because she “didn’t want to talk with 

[defendant].” The store owner and Denise Mason (Denise) were also inside the store. Valerie knew 

that defendant was looking for her. She asked the store owner and Denise to use their phones, but, 

ultimately, did not make any phone calls. Defendant came into the store while she was still there. 

She left the store with Denise and went to Denise’s apartment, located across the hallway from 

Valarie’s apartment.

¶ 8 While Valerie and Denise were in the dining room of Denise’s apartment, Valerie heard Denise 

call the police. She also heard someone knocking on the door to her own apartment door. She 

thought it might be her daughter. She did not recall hearing anyone knocking on the door to 

Denise’s apartment, but she did recall hearing defendant calling her name. Valerie left Denise’s 

apartment and went to her own apartment to check on her grandchildren. She found her 

grandchildren “in the room praying.” Then, she heard the police knocking on Denise’s apartment.

¶ 9 She did not recall if the police searched her apartment, and she did not see the police take a 

gun from her apartment, but “they said they did.” She was “too busy trying to make sure my grand 

kids was [sic] okay.” She also did not recall telling an officer that the defendant had been inside 

her apartment, and she left after defendant threatened to kill her. She did recall that when she was 
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inside Denise’s apartment, she “heard something loud outside[,]” but she could not tell if it was a 

gunshot because she was too upset. She heard the officer on the telephone says that “it sounded 

like a gunshot...” The police came to her apartment the next day and asked her if she knew that 

there was a gun inside her apartment. She denied that she told the police that she knew defendant 

had a firearm or that she did not want firearms in her apartment because she lived there with her 

grandchildren. On cross-examination, she testified that she did not see defendant in possession of 

a gun inside the store or at any point that day, or discharging a firearm outside a window. 

¶ 10 Denise Mason testified that on February 8, 2018, she knew Valerie and defendant for 

approximately five years and lived across the hallway from them. On that date, shortly after 6:00 

p.m., she went to the “mini mart” across the street. She saw Valerie, who asked her to use her 

phone. She noticed that Valerie “looked a little distraught about something” and was not wearing 

shoes or a coat. She saw that Valerie had used her phone, and then she defendant come into the 

store. She heard defendant tell Valerie to “come back home across the street.” He sounded angry. 

Defendant said, “okay, you not coming okay...” and left the store. After defendant exited the store, 

Denise and Valerie walked across the street to Denise’s apartment. Valerie told her that she did 

not want to go back to her own apartment because “she had been arguing.”

¶ 11 Inside Denise’s apartment, Valerie asked Denise to call the police because she was too upset 

to make a call. While Denise was on the phone with the police, defendant “banged” on the door to 

Denise’s apartment two or three times. Defendant told Valerie to come out of the apartment, but 

Valerie would not leave. Defendant stopped banging, and she could hear him yelling from the front 

of the apartment building. He was trying to convince Valerie to come outside. During this time, 

Denise remained on the phone speaking with the police dispatcher. 
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¶ 12 At that point, Denise heard a gunshot from the front of the building, the same location where 

she had just seen defendant. Both Denise and Valerie hid in the bathroom and waited for the police 

to arrive. She could not hear if anything happened outside after she went into the bathroom to hide. 

She heard someone knocking on her door again after she heard the two gunshots.

¶ 13 When the police arrived, both walked outside. Denise spoke with a police officer and told the 

officer that she had been at the store across the street. She ran into Valerie, and defendant came 

into the store, yelling for Valerie to come home. She told the officer that defendant threatened to 

kill Valerie when he was “banging” on her door, but she denied that she told the officer that 

defendant also threatened to kill her. When Denise went back into her own apartment, she saw a 

“couple of dents” in her door. During Denise’s testimony, the State played the audiotape of her 

911 call in which she said that she heard two shots outside her home and asked the police to hurry. 

Defendant was outside at the time that she heard the two gunshots. On the audiotape, she also told 

the police that defendant had a gun, but she testified that she did not see defendant with a gun or 

discharging a gun.

¶ 14 Lakeisha Walker (Lakeisha) testified that on February 8, 2018, she was living in Calumet City, 

Illinois, with her mother, Valerie Walker, and defendant, along with other family members. In the 

early evening, she and her friend, Roy Ray (Roy), picked her up at her home in a car, went to a 

store, and then she came back home. When Roy dropped her off, she saw defendant outside, near 

the front gate to the apartment building. He was walking towards the front entrance to the 

apartment building. She did not see defendant holding anything. She heard three gunshots, but she 

did not see anyone fire a gun. When she heard the gunshots, defendant was “walking in the gate.” 

She immediately looked for her mom to see if she was okay. She then ran into the building to look 

for her mother. Defendant was right behind her as she opened to door to the apartment building 
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and entered the building at that time. She came back outside and hid behind a nearby garbage can. 

She called the police on her cell phone.

¶ 15 When the police arrived, she recalled talking to them, but she did not recall what she 

specifically told them. She did not recall telling the police that she had seen defendant with a brown 

rifle in his hands, or that she had seen him shoot at Roy. She recalled telling the police that she 

heard gunshots and that she saw Roy leave the scene. Later that evening, defendant was arrested. 

She did not recall seeing one of the officers being handed a brown gun, and she denied previously 

seeing defendant with that gun.

¶ 16 Roy Ray testified that he was friends with Lakeisha and picked her up from her home around 

6:00 p.m. on February 8, 2018. At that time, he was unfamiliar with Lakeisha’s family, but he had 

seen defendant when he had previously picked her up from her home. He drove the car, and they 

went to some stores before he dropped her back at her home at approximately 6:30 p.m. He saw 

Lakeisha, after she exited his car, speaking with a person that he believed was defendant, based 

upon his height and weight, while they were in the doorway to the apartment building. The door 

appeared to be open. When Lakeisha walked inside, he pulled away. As he pulled away, he heard 

a noise that “sounded like a tire pop or some kind of noise” coming from behind him. He looked 

back and saw defendant standing in the doorway. He saw defendant holding something in both 

hands, but he could not tell what it was because it was dark. He quickly drove away from the scene 

because he got nervous after he saw defendant standing in the middle of the doorway. He explained 

that he thought he was getting shot at because he “turned around and seen the defendant I thought 

I believed to be somebody shooting at me.” He described the object that defendant was holding as 

“black and it was long.” He pulled into the intersection without looking for other traffic because 
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he believed that defendant was shooting at him. He immediately called Lakeisha and asked her 

what had happened and to make sure that she was okay. 

¶ 17 Calumet City Police Officer Bradley Begeske testified that, in response to a radio call, he and 

other officers formed a perimeter around the apartment building. He spoke with Lakeisha near the 

front entrance to apartment building. At that time, he looked through the glass portions of the front 

door on the first floor and saw defendant standing inside the apartment building. He then saw that 

defendant walked upstairs to the second floor and the third floor while looking through the exterior 

windows along the stairwell. As defendant opened up a door on the third floor, Officer Begeske 

ordered him to “show his hands[.]” Defendant came back down to the first floor and exited the 

front entrance. Lakeisha, who had remained by the officer during this time, then identified this 

person as her stepfather. The officer noticed that defendant had a strong odor of an alcoholic 

beverage, his speech was slurred, and his balance was unsteady. He placed defendant under arrest 

and put him in his squad car.

¶ 18 While Officer Begeske was still at the scene, he spoke with Lakeisha, who told him that she 

had been outside with her boyfriend Roy, who was about to leave in his car. She saw defendant 

exit the apartment building holding a brown rifle, and she saw him fire a shot at Roy, who then 

left the scene. Officer Begeske also spoke with Valerie Walker, and both Valerie and Lakeisha 

allowed officers to enter their apartment to search it. Inside the apartment, Officer Wojcik handed 

him a brown wooden sawed-off shotgun. He noticed that the shotgun had been disassembled, 

meaning the barrel had been separated from the grip. Lakeisha identified it as the gun that 

defendant had in his possession. 

¶ 19 Calumet City Police Officer Gary Wojcik testified that he was working as a patrol officer on 

the date of this incident and went into the apartment previously identified as belonging to Valerie. 
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Inside the main bedroom, he lifted the corner of the mattress and saw a double-barrel shotgun lying 

there in two pieces near the edge of the mattress. He recovered it and handed it to Officer Begeske 

when they were outside the apartment building.

¶ 20 Officer Begeske also spoke with Denise Mason at the scene and learned that she lived in the 

apartment directly across the hallway from Valerie and Lakeisha. She told him that defendant had 

threatened to kill her while at the corner store. He also observed “three separate strikes” with 

indentations and discoloration on the exterior portion her apartment door. The officer subsequently 

learned that another officer had recovered the foregrip of the sawed-off shotgun outside the 

apartment building laying on the ground outside the front entrance where Lakeisha had told him 

that defendant had fired the weapon. At the police station, Officers Begeske and Banksi 

reassembled the weapon and measured the barrel as 12 inches in length and found one spent shell 

casing inside the barrel.

¶ 21 Calumet City Sergeant Keith Kwiatkowski testified that he was working as a detective on this 

case, and he and Captain Erickson interviewed defendant in the lockup area of the police station 

on February 9, 2018, at 12:50 p.m. This interview was audiotaped and videotaped. The interview 

was delayed because defendant was intoxicated when he was first brought into the station. As they 

entered the interview room, defendant “blurted out that he fired a gun in the air” before the officers 

had the opportunity to inform him of his Miranda rights. After he was given and waived these 

rights, defendant stated that he was arguing with his wife, and she went to the “quickie mart” 

wearing no shoes or coat. He went to the store to see what she was doing. He came back and 

knocked on the neighbor’s door with a baseball bat, looking for his wife. Then, he was outside 

with his stepdaughter, Lakeisha, and he had a double barrel sawed-off shotgun in his hand, cocked 

the gun and fired a shot. He stated that he did not mean to fire a shot in the air. He went back to 
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his apartment and put the gun underneath his bed. While defendant was at the police station, he 

consented to have a swab taken of his DNA, and Calumet City Sergeant Brian Smith took a buccal 

swab of defendant.

¶ 22 The State also presented testimony related to the testing for the presence of DNA. William 

Anselma, a forensic scientist with the Illinois State Police, received items in this case to examine 

them for the presence of DNA, including a shotgun grip and two pieces of a shotgun. He took 

swabs from various portions of these items, and he preserved these swabs as well as the buccal 

swab standards from defendant. Lyle Boicken, also a forensic scientist with the Illinois State 

Police, determined that a swab taken from the gun grip of the shotgun generated a mixture of at 

least four people, and he could not find a major DNA profile from the mixture. From the swab 

taken from the shotgun, he found a mixture of two people with one major DNA profile. He 

generated a DNA profile standard from defendant’s buccal swab and compared it to the major 

profile from the shotgun. Defendant could not be excluded from the major DNA profile. He 

testified that one would expect to observe this profile in a general population only one time in 3.6 

septillion individuals.

¶ 23 Jeffrey Parise, also a forensic scientist with the Illinois State Police, testified that he received 

parts of the shotgun, as well as two fired shells to analyze. He examined the spent shells from the 

test-fired shots with the two fired shells he received. He determined that the two fired shells he 

received were fired from the shotgun in this case. The State also introduced certified copies of 

defendant’s convictions for possession of a stolen motor vehicle and burglary. 

¶ 24 The trial court found defendant guilty of six counts of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, 

one count of unlawful possession of a weapon, and one count of reckless discharge of a firearm 
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pertaining to endangering individuals in the vicinity of the apartment building. The trial court 

found him not guilty of reckless discharge of a firearm pertaining to Roy Ray. 

¶ 25 At the sentencing hearing, the trial court stated that it had received the presentence 

investigation report and would consider it for purposes of evidence in aggravation and mitigation. 

Defense counsel tendered to the trial court “numerous letters of accolades from family and friends” 

in support of defendant. The trial court stated it had already reviewed this material. The trial court 

noted that defendant had been convicted of two Class 2, non-probationable felonies, as well as one 

Class 3 offense and one Class 4 offense. The State stated that, because the law had recently 

changed, defendant was no longer Class X based upon his background. His prior felony 

convictions included a 1984 conviction for possession of a stolen motor vehicle, in which he was 

sentenced to 18 months’ probation, terminated unsatisfactorily. In 1985, he was convicted of 

burglary, and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. In 1987, he was convicted of possession of 

a stolen motor vehicle and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment. More recently, he also had been 

convicted of nine prior misdemeanor convictions. The State also pointed out that defendant’s 

conviction was tied to his history of domestic battery when he had a prior misdemeanor conviction 

for domestic battery. The State asked the trial court to sentence defendant to a “meaningful amount 

of time in the Illinois Department of Corrections.” Defense counsel argued that the majority of 

defendant’s prior convictions were committed “a number of years ago,” and that he “would be a 

good candidate for the minimum amount of time...” In allocution, defendant stated that he “ain’t 

no perfect person, and I know you are fixing to judge me.” He stated that he loved his family even 

though he “don’t do right all of the time.” He asked the trial court for mercy.

¶ 26 The trial court stated that it had considered the mitigating and aggravating evidence contained 

in the pre-sentence investigation report as well as the letters written by family and friends. The 
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trial court stated that defendant “should not be standing in front of a criminal judge facing a 

penitentiary sentence again, sir. That is based on your actions.” The trial court noted that defendant 

was a grown man who should “know better, than to do this type of behavior.” The trial court stated 

that “it’s not easy for the Court of law a judge to sit here, see a wonderful family, see the thing in 

life, and have to sentence you, by law, to a penitentiary sentence.” The trial court looked at the fact 

that defendant had a polite demeanor when he interacted with the police and in the courtroom. The 

trial court also found that the majority of defendant’s convictions occurred several years ago. The 

trial court then sentenced defendant to five years’ incarceration for the six counts of unlawful use 

or possession of a firearm by a felon and the one count of unlawful use of a weapon, to run 

concurrent to a three years’ incarceration for reckless discharge of a firearm. Defense counsel made

a motion to reconsider sentence and asked if the trial court would consider sentencing defendant 

four years’ imprisonment. The trial court denied the motion to reconsider sentence.

¶ 27 ANALYSIS

¶ 28 Defendant contends that the trial court abused its discretion in sentencing him to five years’ 

imprisonment, two years above the statutory minimum, where his prior felony convictions were 

committed many years ago, the nature of the offense, and his rehabilitative potential. He also relies 

on the trial court’s decision to offer to sentence him to the statutory minimum during a pre-trial 

Rule 402 conference and suggests that the increase in sentence was unjustified. The State, in turn, 

argues that the trial court exercised appropriate discretion in sentencing defendant to a term within 

the statutory sentencing range and that defendant does not provide any evidence to show that this 

sentence was manifestly erroneous, disproportionate to the several offenses that he committed, or 

greatly at variance with the spirit or purpose of the law.
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¶ 29 A sentence that falls within the applicable statutory sentencing range is presumed to be proper. 

People v. Knox, 2014 IL App (1st) 120349, ¶ 6. A reviewing court may reduce a sentence imposed 

by the trial court only when the record affirmatively shows that the trial court abused its discretion. 

People v. Andrews, 2013 IL App (1st) 121623, ¶ 23; People v. Perruquet, 68 Ill.2d 149, 154 (1977). 

That power, however, should be exercised “cautiously and sparingly.” Alexander, 239 Ill.2d at 

212. A sentence is considered an abuse of discretion only where it is “greatly at variance with the 

spirit and purpose of law, manifestly disproportionate to the nature of the offense.” Id. at 212. The 

spirit and purpose of the law are promoted when a sentence reflects the seriousness of the offense 

and gives adequate consideration to the rehabilitative potential of the defendant. People v. Boclair, 

225 Ill.App.3d 331, 335 (1st Dist. 1992). 

¶ 30 It is well-established that sentencing decisions are entitled to great weight and deference. 

People v. Latona, 184 Ill.2d 260, 272 (1998). The trial court, having observed the defendant and 

the proceedings, has a far better opportunity to consider these factors than the reviewing court, 

which must rely on the “cold” record. People v. Alexander, 239 Ill.2d 205, 213 (2010). The trial 

court’s decision regarding the appropriate sentence is given great deference because they are in 

the best position to weigh the numerous factors that may influence the appropriateness of a 

sentence. Id. at 212 (2010) (citing People v. Fern, 189 Ill.2d 48, 53 (1999)). Relevant factors in 

determining an appropriate sentence include the nature of the crime, protection of the public, 

deterrence and punishment, and the defendant's rehabilitative prospects and youth. People v. Bobo, 

375 Ill. App. 3d 966, 988 (1st Dist. 2007); People v. Lamkey, 240 Ill.App.3d 435, 441-42 (1st Dist. 

1992). Additionally, a trial court must base its sentencing determination on the particular 

circumstances of each case, considering such factors as the defendant's credibility, demeanor, 

general moral character, mentality, social environment, habits, and age. People v. Streit, 142 Ill. 
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2d 13, 18-19 (1991). The weight attributed to each factor in aggravation and mitigation in imposing 

a sentence depends on the particular circumstances in each case. People v. D'Arezzo, 229 Ill. App. 

3d 428, 430 (2nd Dist. 1992). A reviewing court should not discount or alter the judgment of the 

trial court simply because it would weigh those factors differently. Alexander, 239 Ill.2d at 205; 

People v. Stacey, 193 Ill.2d 203, 209 (2000). The trial court is presumed to have considered all of 

the factors presented before it, absent evidence to the contrary. People v. Jones, 2019 IL App (1st) 

170478, ¶ 54, People v. Ramos, 353 Ill.App.3d 133, 137 (1st Dist. 2004). 

¶ 31 In determining an appropriate sentence, the trial court must consider both “the seriousness of 

the offense” and “the objective of restoring the offender to useful citizenship.” Ill. Const. 1970, 

art. I, § 11; People v. Hernandez, 2016 IL 118672, ¶ 9. Indeed, “a defendant’s potential for 

rehabilitation is but one factor for a sentencing court to consider, and it must be weighed against 

other countervailing factors, including the seriousness of the crime.” People v. Evans, 373 

Ill.App.3d 948, 968 (1st Dist. 2007). Without diminishing the significance of rehabilitative 

potential as a factor to be considered, we note that the sentencing court is not required to give this 

factor any greater weight than it affords the seriousness of the offense. See People v. Gordon, 2016 

IL App (1st) 134004, ¶ 52. Unless the sentence given is grossly disproportionate to the nature of 

the offense committed, we should defer to the trial court’s discretion and the sentence should be 

affirmed. People v. Tijerina, 381 Ill.App.3d 1024, 1039 (1st Dist. 2008). 

¶ 32 Here, defendant was convicted of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon pursuant to section 24-

1.1 of the Criminal Code, which constitutes a Class 3 felony with a sentencing range of two to 10 

years’ imprisonment. 720 ILCS 5/24-1.1(e). Because defendant had a prior conviction for 

burglary, an offense that constitutes a forcible felony, defendant was subject to Class 2 sentencing 

for a range of three to 14 years’ imprisonment. Id. Because each of defendant’s sentence falls 
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within its respective statutory range, his sentence is presumed to be proper. People v. Knox, 2014 

IL App (1st) 120349, ¶ 46.

¶ 33 Furthermore, we are not persuaded that the trial court abused its discretion in imposing 

sentence. Defendant argues that no one was harmed by his actions, however, the evidence at trial 

established that defendant actions scared multiple people at the scene. Defendant ultimately hid 

the sawed-off shotgun inside the apartment at a time when three young children were inside that 

apartment and were found by Valerie, praying in the other bedroom. Valerie and Denise were 

fearful after hearing the gunshot and hid in Denise’s bathroom. Defendant also threatened to kill 

Denise when he was banging on her apartment door. Upon hearing the gunshots, Lakeisha ran 

inside to try to find her mother and then ran back outside to hide behind a garbage can. Roy was 

so fearful, because he believed that defendant had shot at him, that he immediately drove away 

and pulled into the nearby intersection without checking for other traffic. Defendant admitted that 

he argued with his wife, she left their home without shoes and a coat, and then he later knocked 

on the neighbor’s door with a baseball bat while his wife was inside. He also admitted that he fired 

the sawed-off double barrel shotgun in the air. 

¶ 34 At sentencing, the trial court emphasized defendant’s prior felony convictions, even 

recognizing that the felony convictions occurred when defendant was younger. “Prior convictions, 

or recidivism, [are] a traditional, if not the most traditional, basis for...increasing an offender’s 

sentence.” People v. Fields, 383 Ill.App.3d 920, 921 (1st Dist. 2008) (citations and quotations 

omitted). The trial court also heard that defendant had been previously employed, was remorseful 

of his actions, cared for some older family members, struggled with alcoholism, and had support 

from several family members and friends. Considering the seriousness of the offense, we cannot 

say the court abused its discretion in sentencing defendant to terms within the statutory guidelines. 
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See People v. Decatur, 2015 IL App (1st) 130231, ¶ 12 (“it is the seriousness of the crime – rather 

than the presence of mitigating factors – that is the most important factor in determining an 

appropriate sentence”).

¶ 35 Defendant does not point to anything in the record to demonstrate that the trial court refused 

to consider the mitigating evidence, and, instead, focuses on how the trial court chose to weigh the 

mitigating evidence. However, a reviewing court may not reweigh the factors involved in a 

sentencing decision. People v. Alexander, 239 Ill.2d 205, 214 (2010). Additionally, the mitigation 

evidence presented does not persuade us to find that the trial court abused its discretion, being 

mindful of the fact that the trial judge is in the best position to consider all of the factors presented 

before the court and weigh them accordingly in determining the appropriate sentence. 

¶ 36 Nonetheless, defendant asserts that because the trial court offered him the statutory minimum 

sentence of three years’ imprisonment in exchange for a plea of guilty at a pretrial Rule 402 

conference, his five-year sentence constituted a penalty for his decision to exercise his right to 

trial.

¶ 37 “[A] defendant cannot be punished by the imposition of a heavier sentence merely because he 

exercises his constitutional right to be tried before an impartial judge or jury.” People v. Carroll, 

260 Ill.App.3d 319, 348 (1992). A trial court may, however, grant ‘dispositional concessions” in 

exchange for a plea of guilty. People v. Moss, 205 Ill.2d 139, 171 (2001). “[A] sentence greater 

than that offered before trial may be explained by the court’s consideration of additional evidence 

regarding the circumstances of the crime admitted at trial.” People v. Brown, 2018 IL App (1st) 

160924, ¶ 14. Thus, we do not presume that a sentence following a trial was imposed as punishment 

merely because it was greater than the one previously offered. See People v. Andrews, 2013 IL 

App (1st) 121623, ¶ 19. Rather, there must be a clear showing in the record, which exists when a 
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trial court makes explicit remarks concerning the harsher sentence or where the actual sentence is 

“outrageously higher” than the one offered during plea negotiations. Carroll, 260 Ill.App.3d at 

349. In making this determination, we consider the entire record, rather than focusing on a few 

words or statements of the trial court. People v. Johnson, 2018 IL App (1st) 153634, ¶ 18.

¶ 38 Here, we find that defendant’s sentence was not punishment for exercising his right to trial. 

The record shows that the trial court did not make any negative comments concerning defendant’s 

decision to proceed to trial. Instead, the trial court properly considered the evidence at trial as well 

as the aggravating and mitigating factors. Moreover, the Rule 402 conference was conducted offthe-record, so the record does not establish what counts were the subject of the court’s offer 

following the Rule 402 conference. The trial court may not have been apprised of all the 

aggravating circumstances that were adduced at trial. See Brown, 2018 IL App (1st) 160924, ¶ 14. 

Defendant’s sentence of five years’ imprisonment is not significantly shorter than the three-year 

sentence considering that defendant was sentenced within the statutory guidelines – and 

considerably lower than the statutory maximum – we cannot say his sentence was “outrageously 

higher” than the trial court’s pre-trial offer. See Carroll, 260 Ill.App.3d at 349. Therefore, 

defendant has not established that the trial court penalized him for proceeding to trial.

¶ 39 Based upon the facts presented to the trial court at the sentencing hearing, we agree with the 

State that the evidence does not show that the trial court abused its discretion in sentencing 

defendant to five years’ imprisonment. Consequently, we affirm defendant’s sentence.

¶ 40 CONCLUSION

¶ 41 For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the judgment of the circuit court of Cook County.

¶ 42 Affirmed.