Opinion ID: 2118364
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Other-Crimes Witnesses:

Text: Improper Testimony Defendant next argues that he is entitled to a new sentencing hearing because the trial court erred in allowing the State to present victim impact evidence from the victims of prior crimes. Specifically, defendant raises issue with two of the State's aggravation witnesses, Nicole Stieber and Lisa Trone. Trone's home was burglarized by defendant. Trone merely described what it was like entering her home on November 6, 1997, after it had been burglarized. Trone found the front door jarred open and saw large muddy footprints on her white carpet. Due to seeing exactly where the burglar had traveled throughout her home, Trone testified to having an eerie feeling. Since defendant failed to object to Trone's testimony in his post-trial motion, as required by the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 (725 ILCS 5/116-1 (West 1996)), the State argues that defendant waived this issue as it pertains to Trone. We agree. This court has stated the general rule that the failure to raise an issue in a written motion for a new trial results in a waiver of that issue on appeal. People v. Enoch, 122 Ill.2d 176, 185-86, 119 Ill.Dec. 265, 522 N.E.2d 1124 (1988). To preserve an issue on appeal, a defendant must object to the purported error at trial and include it in his written post-trial motion. Enoch, 122 Ill.2d at 186, 119 Ill.Dec. 265, 522 N.E.2d 1124. A defendant must follow this same procedure if he wishes to raise errors which occurred at sentencing or risk waiving them on appeal. People v. Mahaffey, 166 Ill.2d 1, 27, 209 Ill.Dec. 607, 651 N.E.2d 1055 (1995). In this case, defendant failed to raise Trone's testimony in his post-sentencing motion; therefore, defendant waived the issue. Defendant does not raise the issue of plain error and, as noted above, the aggravation evidence was overwhelming and not closely balanced. See People v. Simpson, 172 Ill.2d 117, 147, 216 Ill.Dec. 671, 665 N.E.2d 1228 (1996) (stating that the defendant did not raise the issue of plain error and noticing that the evidence at trial was overwhelming and not closely balanced). We now turn to defendant's properly raised contention concerning Nicole Stieber's testimony. Stieber testified that she dated defendant in 1992 and that he bragged about previous burglaries he had committed. After four months of dating, Stieber tried to break the relationship off with defendant. Even though Stieber invoked restraining orders and orders of protection, defendant would always come back and break into her home. On August 26, 1992, defendant was drunk when he called Stieber at her home, and later that evening, defendant went to Stieber's house. Defendant yelled at Stieber and began hitting her with anything he could put his hands on, including a ceramic cup. During the assault, Stieber protected her face with her hands. Due to this incident, Stieber's right hand was severely damaged and remains crippled. Stieber further told the trial court that she underwent seven surgeries on her hand, gave details of the procedures performed, and stated how the injury has affected her life. In addition, continuing therapy requires Stieber to wear a brace for six hours every night on her hand to help with mobility. It is well established that at the second stage of a capital sentencing hearing, the standard for admissibility of evidence is relevance and reliability, and that evaluation is left to the sound discretion of the trial judge. People v. Hope, 184 Ill.2d 39, 51, 234 Ill.Dec. 379, 702 N.E.2d 1282 (1998). Defendant contends that Stieber's detailed testimony concerning the after effects of defendant's offense was neither reliable nor relevant and that it is victim impact testimony that is barred by the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act (725 ILCS 120/1 et seq. (West 1996)). The State responds that Stieber's testimony was relevant and reliable and that the trial court's decision to admit the evidence was not an abuse of discretion. The State contends that Stieber's detailed account regarding the extent of her hand injury was relevant because it highlighted defendant's taste for violence. We disagree. While the details of prior crimes are considered relevant aggravation because they illuminate the character and record of a capital defendant [citation], the unforeseen effects of those prior crimes on their victims are of no such assistance. Hope, 184 Ill.2d at 52, 234 Ill.Dec. 379, 702 N.E.2d 1282. In this case, Stieber testified to her encounters with defendant, which included the assault upon her and the injury resulting therefrom. However, upon further questioning by the State, Stieber went into detail concerning the unforeseen consequences of the injury and its effect on her life. We find Stieber's detailed account regarding defendant's offense to be irrelevant victim impact testimony. However, we conclude the State's introduction of this victim impact evidence not to be so unduly prejudicial that it renders the capital sentencing hearing fundamentally unfair. At the second stage of the sentencing hearing, the State presented evidence in aggravation, through 47 witnesses, of, inter alia, defendant's criminal background, his numerous burglaries and assaults, and his misconduct in prison. Stieber's impact testimony covered approximately four pages in the record. Considering the voluminous amount of aggravation evidence presented, we conclude that the State's error was harmless and not so egregious as to deprive defendant of a fair sentencing hearing. See, e.g., People v. Hall, 195 Ill.2d 1, 19, 252 Ill.Dec. 552, 743 N.E.2d 126 (2000) (significant evidence in aggravation compelled finding that, even if the brief answer given by the aggravation witness violated Hope rule, supra, such error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt).