Opinion ID: 2072259
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Voir Dire and Service of Juror Matthew Evans

Text: Defendant claims that during voir dire, Matthew Evans did not fully divulge what could have been a bias in favor of the State. During trial, it came to defense counsel's attention that Evans was the friend of a judge, and that Evans' father-in-law had been an investigator for the Cook County State's Attorney. Defendant contends that Evans failed to disclose this information when asked. At the close of evidence, the defense moved to reopen the voir dire of Evans, to exclude Evans and for a mistrial. The trial court denied these motions. Prior to trial, the trial judge spoke to the entire venire and asked the following questions: THE COURT: Do any of youthis is a two part question. Do any of you know any Assistant State's Attorneys, Public Defenders or judges? Okay. Now, the second part of that question. The fact that you may know an Assistant State's Attorney, or Public Defender, or a judge, would this in any way prevent you from being fair and impartial? In other words, all we are asking you to do is listen to the evidence, and based on that evidence and the law, come up with a fair and impartial verdict. Would the fact that you may know one of these people, would that in any way affect your ability to do so? (No response.) THE COURT: Okay. No problem there. Defendant contends that Evans failed to disclose that he was a friend of a judge in response to the above question. The record does not disclose which members of the venire, if any, indicated in response to the question that they knew an assistant State's Attorney, public defender or a judge. The defendant, therefore, has not established that Evans failed to answer the question in the affirmative. In any event, Evans indicated during voir dire that he was a police officer in the Chicago suburb of Westchester. Evans candidly admitted knowing numerous policemen and attorneys. In response to the trial judge's inquiry into whether he knew any State's Attorneys, Evans indicated that he knew a former State's Attorney, who was a judge at the time of trial, and a State's Attorney from the Fourth District. Evans stated that he did not believe there was any reason that he could not be impartial in this case. Where neither party has exercised a peremptory challenge against a potential juror, the decision whether to accept the potential juror as an impartial trier of fact is discretionary with the trial judge. ( People v. Taylor (1984), 101 Ill.2d 377, 386-87, 78 Ill.Dec. 359, 462 N.E.2d 478.) In the present case, we do not believe that the additional information regarding Evans' association with a judge or his father-in-law's position with the Cook County State's Attorney put Evans' impartiality in question. There is no evidence in the record that Evans withheld any information that the trial court asked him to disclose. Evans freely admitted that he was acquainted with a State's Attorney and a judge. Defendant fails to explain how Evans' friendship with an additional judge could impair his impartiality or offer defendant further information with which to test the potential juror for bias. Further, due to Evans' friendships and strong ties to law enforcement, the occupation of his father-in-law does little to add to Evans' apparent knowledge of the criminal judicial system. Based on the similarities between the information disclosed by Evans and that discovered by defendant, it was not an abuse of discretion to deny defendant's motion to reopen the voir dire examination of Evans. Defendant also claims that the State exploited Evans' background as a policeman to bring to the attention of the jury the fact that defendant was given a polygraph examination. Defendant contends that this alleged exploitation was in violation of an in limine order. No specific mention of defendant's polygraph examination was made during trial. Defendant, however, claims that the testimony of Sergeant Patrick Garrity, the officer who administered the polygraph examination, was designed to let Evans know that defendant took a polygraph examination. Garrity testified that he worked in the police department's crime lab, and that defendant was brought to him for questioning. Garrity testified that prior to the interrogation, defendant signed a written waiver of his Miranda rights. Garrity stated that he then asked defendant about his background, how he was feeling, whether he was taking any medication, and whether he had consumed any alcohol. Defendant claims these questions had no relevance to the case, and could only be designed to inform Evans that Garrity gave defendant a polygraph examination. Defendant, however, failed to object to the testimony at trial, and has therefore waived the issue on appeal. People v. Shum (1987), 117 Ill.2d 317, 340, 111 Ill.Dec. 546, 512 N.E.2d 1183.