Opinion ID: 3134225
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Ill 2d 564 (1980). Neither prong of the exception is satisfied in

Text: this case. First, the evidence of defendant's guilt was overwhelming. Defendant himself admitted his involvement in the crimes to police officers and acquaintances. Moreover, as noted above, physical and circumstantial evidence presented at trial was substantial and uncontradicted. Second, we do not believe that any of the alleged errors affect a substantial right or call into question the integrity of the proceeding. We note that two of the three remarks were the subject of a contemporaneous objection at trial. In our view, the trial judge's prompt sustaining of the objection adequately prevented any error from reaching constitutional proportions. See People v. Hobley, 159 Ill. 2d 272, 315 (1994). Denial of Appointment of New Counsel for Post-Trial Proceedings Defendant next asserts that the circuit court erred by not appointing a new attorney to argue his pro se post-trial motion which alleged that his trial counsel was ineffective. The record reveals that defense counsel had filed a post-trial motion for a new trial at the conclusion of the sentencing hearing. Shortly thereafter, defendant filed a pro se Motion For a New Attorney, alleging that defense counsel had filed the motion for a new trial without first consulting or seeking defendant's approval. Defendant further complained that his counsel's motion was inadequate to preserve all issues of error for appellate review. Finally, defendant alleged that his counsel had been ineffective throughout the proceedings and requested that the court appoint a new attorney to represent him in the post-trial proceedings. The court denied defendant's pro se motion for a new attorney on April 19, 1995. On that same day, immediately after the circuit court denied defendant's Motion For a New Attorney, the court allowed defendant to file a pro se Amended Post-Trial Motion. In that motion, defendant raised numerous allegations concerning prosecutorial misconduct, judicial bias, and ineffective assistance of counsel. Specifically, defendant contended, among other things, that his attorney failed to adequately prepare for trial because he did not (i) investigate relevant facts and interview relevant witnesses, (ii) utilize available means of discovering exculpatory evidence available to the State or to discover the State's case, (iii) explore plea bargaining opportunities, (iv) have certain physical evidence (i.e., the duct tape and the papers) examined by an independent forensic expert after the court allowed the appointment for such and expert, and (v) present mitigation evidence that was available that would have prevented the imposition of the death penalty. The circuit court denied both counsel's motion and defendant's amended motion. Defendant now contends that the circuit court erred by not appointing a new attorney to investigate and argue defendant's assertions regarding the ineffectiveness of his original trial counsel. He invites this court to remand the matter to the trial court with directions to appoint new counsel and to hold a hearing on the matter. We decline to do so. This court has never held that new counsel must be appointed every time a defendant presents a pro se motion for a new trial alleging ineffectiveness of counsel. See People v. Nitz, 143 Ill. 2d 82, 134 (1991). Rather, to determine whether new counsel should be appointed, the circuit court should examine the factual matters underlying defendant's claims and, if the claim lacks merit or pertains to matters of trial strategy, new counsel need not be appointed. Nitz, 143 Ill. 2d at 134. We have carefully examined defendant's claims and conclude that they do not meet the criteria established in Nitz for the appointment of new counsel. To begin with, four out of the five allegations raised by defendant are conclusory and therefore lack merit. For example, defendant claims that his counsel should have investigated relevant facts and witnesses, but he has offered neither the circuit court nor this court any explanation as to what or to whom he is referring. Likewise, defendant has not set forth the nature of the exculpatory information his counsel should have discovered. Nor does defendant elaborate on how defense counsel's failure to pursue plea bargaining possibilities was anything other than trial strategy, particularly where it is not alleged that the other codefendants were offered pleas. See People v. Palmer, 162