Court Opinion

ID: 9860038
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 23:08:01.995844+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:17:08.482833
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE COOK, specially concurring: I concur, but it does appear the pattern instructions are confusing. If defendant knows that his acts “create a strong probability of death or great bodily harm,” he is guilty of first degree murder. 720 ILCS 5/9 — 1(a)(2) (West 2004). If defendant recklessly performed acts that “are likely to cause death or great bodily harm,” he is only guilty of involuntary manslaughter. 720 ILCS 5/9 — 3(a) (West 2004). There does not seem to be much difference between acts creating “a strong probability” and acts “likely.” A person “acts knowingly” with regard to “[t]he nature or attendant circumstances of his conduct *** when he is consciously aware that his conduct is of such nature or that such circumstances exist.” (Emphasis added.) 720 ILCS 5/4 — 5(a) (West 2004). A person “acts recklessly, when he consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that circumstances exist or that a result will follow.” (Emphasis added.) 720 ILCS 5/4 — 6 (West 2004). There does not seem to be much difference between acting knowingly and acting recklessly, except that “recklessly” is phrased in the negative. There does not seem to be much difference between being consciously aware that acts create a strong probability of death or great bodily harm and consciously disregarding a substantial and unjustifiable risk that death or great bodily harm will result. The analysis may be different in this case than in cases involving a fight situation, such as DiVincenzo. If a defendant is playing with a loaded weapon and it goes off and kills someone, it would appear that defendant was consciously aware that his acts created a strong probability of death or great bodily harm (first degree murder). It would also appear that defendant consciously disregarded a substantial and unjustifiable risk that such a result would follow (involuntary manslaughter). How is a jury to distinguish between the two offenses?