Opinion ID: 2215545
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Evidence Seized From Storage Locker

Text: Defendant next claims that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress evidence seized from closed bags within a shared storage locker. Defendant argues that police had no reasonable belief that codefendant Young's authority to consent to search the storage locker extended to search and seizure of evidence within closed bags in the locker. Testimony at the hearing on defendant's pro se motion to quash arrest and suppress evidence established that on May 26, 1992, Young informed police that defendant had placed items used in the robbery and murder in bags and stored them in a storage bin in the basement of the apartment building where she lived with defendant. Young voluntarily executed a consent-to-search form, giving police permission to search the storage locker she shared with defendant. Young accompanied police to the apartment building and unlocked the locker with her keys. Among the items police recovered from the locker were two guns, ammunition, a makeup kit, a beige purse, and a khaki raincoat. The trial judge denied the motion to suppress evidence seized from the locker, finding that Young had authority to consent to the search of the bags within the storage locker. The State argues that defendant has waived this issue for failure to raise it in any of his or his appointed counsel's post-trial motions. It is well settled that the failure of the defendant to raise an issue in a written motion for a new trial constitutes a waiver of that issue. People v. Enoch, 122 Ill.2d 176, 186, 119 Ill.Dec. 265, 522 N.E.2d 1124 (1988). Although Rule 615(a) (134 Ill.2d R. 615(a)) allows review of issues that are plain error, we do not believe that the plain error doctrine will defeat the waiver here. Plain error may be invoked in criminal cases where the evidence was closely balanced or the error was of such magnitude that the accused was denied a fair trial. People v. Bean, 137 Ill.2d 65, 80, 147 Ill.Dec. 891, 560 N.E.2d 258 (1990). We do not believe that either element has been satisfied here. The evidence of defendant's guilt was overwhelming, including in-court identification by five witnesses, physical evidence, inculpatory trial testimony of one codefendant and inculpatory statements by both codefendants. Nor do we believe the alleged error can be described as substantial. Considerable evidence was available to convict defendant without relying on recovery of weapons and other physical evidence found in the storage locker. Accordingly, we consider the matter waived.