Court Opinion

ID: 9942804
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-21 21:03:39.298064+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:44:42.525927
License: Public Domain

2024 IL App (2d) 230070-U
                                         No. 2-23-0070
                                 Order filed February 21, 2024

      NOTICE: This order was filed under Supreme Court Rule 23(b) and is not precedent
      except in the limited circumstances allowed under Rule 23(e)(1).
______________________________________________________________________________

                                            IN THE

                             APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS

                              SECOND DISTRICT
______________________________________________________________________________

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE                ) Appeal from the Circuit Court
OF ILLINOIS,                           ) of Kane County.
                                       )
      Plaintiff-Appellee,              )
                                       )
v.                                     ) No. 15-CF-506
                                       )
ENRIQUE B. JAQUEZ,                     ) Honorable
                                       ) John A. Barsanti,
      Defendant-Appellant.             ) Judge, Presiding.
______________________________________________________________________________

       JUSTICE SCHOSTOK delivered the judgment of the court.
       Justices Hutchinson and Mullen concurred in the judgment.

                                           ORDER

¶1     Held: (1) Defendant’s convictions of attempted murder and home invasion do not violate
             the one-act, one-crime rule even though both offenses involved discharge of a
             firearm inside a dwelling, because the home invasion involved the separate act of
             entering the dwelling. Also, attempted murder is not a lesser included offense of
             home invasion, as attempted murder contains an element, the specific intent to kill,
             not contained in home invasion. (2) Imposition of a firearm enhancement for both
             attempted murder and home invasion is not an improper double enhancement, as
             these were separate offenses and the legislature clearly authorized an enhancement
             for each.

¶2     Defendant, Enrique B. Jaquez, appeals his convictions of attempted murder (720 ILCS 5/8-

4(a), 9-1(a)(1)) (West 2014)) and home invasion (720 ILCS 5/19-6(a)(5) (West 2014)), contending
2024 IL App (2d) 230070-U

that his conviction of attempted murder violates the one-act, one-crime rule and, alternatively, that

his sentence for attempted murder must be vacated because the imposition of a 25-year firearm

enhancement for both attempted murder and home invasion constitutes an improper double

enhancement. Because the attempted murder conviction does not violate the one-act, one-crime

rule and the trial court properly imposed a 25-year firearm enhancement for both attempted murder

and home invasion, we affirm.

¶3                                      I. BACKGROUND

¶4        The State indicted defendant on one count of attempted first degree murder based on his

discharging a firearm, with the intent to kill, at Juan Gomez and causing him great bodily harm

(720 ILCS 5/8-4(a), 9-1(a)(1) (West 2014)), one count of home invasion based on his entering a

dwelling place and discharging a firearm that proximately caused Gomez great bodily harm (720

ILCS 5/19-6(a)(5) (West 2014)), one count of aggravated battery based on his discharging a

firearm that injured Gomez (720 ILCS 5/12-3.05(c)(1) (West 2014)), one count of aggravated

discharge of a firearm based on his discharging a firearm in the direction of Gomez (720 ILCS

5/24-1.2(a)(2) (West 2014)), and one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon based on his

possession of a firearm while being a convicted felon (720 ILCS 5/24-1.6(a)(1)(3)(A-5) (West

2014)).

¶5        The following facts were developed at defendant’s jury trial.       Maria Martinez was

defendant’s ex-girlfriend. They had dated for several years and had a daughter together. A few

months after she broke up with defendant, Martinez began dating Gomez, and he eventually moved

into her house in Aurora. On Easter Day 2014, defendant had a physical altercation with Gomez

at Martinez’s home. In the fall of 2014, defendant confronted Martinez at defendant’s parents’

house about whom she was dating and struck her in the face with his fist. On Christmas Day 2014,

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while Martinez and Gomez were at Gomez’s mother’s house, defendant arrived uninvited and was

very angry.

¶6     At around 10 a.m. on March 27, 2015, Martinez and Gomez were working in separate

upstairs bedrooms of her house when someone repeatedly rang the front doorbell and knocked on

the door. Gomez looked out the bedroom window and saw defendant in front of the house.

Martinez went downstairs to the front door.

¶7     Martinez described the front entry as having both an interior door and a combination screen

and glass storm door. Martinez opened the interior door but not the storm door. According to

Martinez, defendant appeared very angry and demanded to see her “bitch,” who she interpreted to

mean Gomez.

¶8     While defendant was still outside, Gomez joined Martinez at the storm door, which was

still closed and locked. Defendant then pulled out a silver handgun and pointed it at Martinez and

Gomez. Gomez ran into the living room while Martinez stayed at the storm door.

¶9     Defendant then charged the storm door. According to Martinez, the storm door had two

windows, one at the top and one at the bottom. Defendant kicked in the bottom window and

crawled through that opening. Although Martinez tried to close the interior door, defendant forced

his way into the house.

¶ 10   After entering, defendant went into the living room. (Martinez and Gomez described the

lower level as having an open floor plan with a living room, dining room, and kitchen.) Martinez

then jumped on defendant and tried to restrain him. Meanwhile, Gomez went into the kitchen area

and then toward the storm door, intending to flee the house.

¶ 11   As Gomez approached the storm door, he paused when he saw Martinez and defendant

struggling. Gomez asked defendant what his “problem” was. Defendant then fired the gun twice

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at Gomez, striking him. After being shot, Gomez managed to exit through the storm door.

Defendant also left the house and drove away.

¶ 12   Martinez located Gomez in front of the house and called 911 to report the shooting. Gomez

was transported to the hospital and underwent surgery for a single gunshot wound. The bullet had

passed through Gomez’s torso, injuring his lung, liver, and digestive tract. He continued to have

occasional shortness of breath and stomach issues at the time of trial.

¶ 13   During their investigation, police found two shell casings inside the house. One was found

near the front door and the other behind a living room couch cushion. The police also found two

fired bullets. One was found in the laundry room below the garage, and the other on the sidewalk

near the front of the house. No gun was found at the house. A forensics expert concluded that the

casings were ejected from the same gun and that the bullets were fired from the same gun.

However, because no gun was recovered, the expert could not opine whether the casings and the

bullets came from the same gun.

¶ 14   Aurora police sergeant Don Flowers conducted a photo lineup with Gomez at the hospital.

Gomez identified defendant as the shooter.

¶ 15   Although the police searched for defendant after the incident, they did not find him. On

December 25, 2016, Martinez received several text messages from a phone number with a Mexican

area code. From the content of the messages, which referred to Martinez’s breast surgery, the size

of her nose, and the shooting of Gomez, Martinez believed that defendant had sent the messages.

Martinez reported the messages to Aurora police sergeant Jeffrey Hahn. After learning that

defendant had fled to Mexico, Hahn turned the investigation over to federal authorities in El Paso,

Texas. On September 22, 2018, defendant was taken into custody as he tried to enter the United

States at El Paso.

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¶ 16     Aurora police detective Alexandra Martyn testified for defendant that Gomez’s medical

records indicated that he told paramedics that he had been shot in a drive-by shooting. On cross-

examination, Martyn acknowledged that all evidence collected at the scene indicated that the

shooting occurred inside the house.

¶ 17     The jury found defendant guilty of all charges. The jury also specifically found that

defendant discharged a firearm that proximately caused great bodily harm to Gomez.

¶ 18     At the sentencing hearing, defendant argued, among other things, that the one-act, one-

crime rule required the trial court to merge his attempted murder conviction into his home invasion

conviction because both convictions were based on defendant’s discharging a firearm at Gomez

and causing him great bodily harm. The court rejected that argument, ruling that separate

convictions and sentences were proper because the two offenses had different elements. The court

merged the aggravated battery and aggravated discharge convictions into the attempted murder

conviction. The court then sentenced defendant to six years in prison for attempted murder, six

years in prison for home invasion, and five years in prison for aggravated unlawful use of a

weapon. The court imposed a 25-year firearm enhancement on both the attempted murder and

home invasion convictions and made all sentences consecutive, for an aggregate sentence of 67

years.

¶ 19     Defendant filed a timely notice of appeal. At the time, defendant had a pending motion to

reconsider his sentence. Defendant later withdrew the motion, and the appellate defender filed an

unopposed motion in this court, seeking a ruling that we have jurisdiction over the appeal. We

ruled that we have jurisdiction. Thus, we proceed to the merits of the appeal.

¶ 20                                      II. ANALYSIS

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¶ 21   On appeal, defendant first contends that his attempted murder conviction must be vacated

because it is predicated on the same act as his home invasion conviction and, thus, violates the

one-act, one-crime rule. Alternatively, he contends that his sentence for attempted murder must

be vacated and the cause remanded for resentencing because the 25-year firearm enhancement

imposed for that offense is an improper double enhancement given that the firearm enhancement

for home invasion is based on the same conduct of discharging a firearm.

¶ 22   We first address whether defendant’s attempted murder conviction violates the one-act,

one-crime rule. It does not. “[A] criminal defendant may not be convicted of multiple offenses

when those offenses are all based on precisely the same physical act.” People v. Coats, 2018 IL

121926, ¶ 11. Deciding whether the one-act, one-crime rule bars multiple convictions requires a

two-step analysis. Coats, 2018 IL 121926, ¶ 12. First, the court ascertains whether the defendant’s

conduct consisted of a single act or separate acts. Coats, 2018 IL 121926, ¶ 12. If it is determined

that the defendant committed multiple acts, the court then moves to the second step of the analysis

and determines whether any of the offenses are lesser included offenses. Coats, 2018 IL 121926,

¶ 12. If none of the offenses is a lesser included offense, then multiple convictions are proper.

Coats, 2018 IL 121926, ¶ 12. Whether the one-act, one-crime rule was violated is a question of

law, which we review de novo. Coats, 2018 IL 121926, ¶ 12.

¶ 23   For purposes of the rule, an “act” is “ ‘any overt or outward manifestation which will

support a different offense.’ ” Coats, 2018 IL 121926, ¶ 15 (quoting People v. King, 66 Ill. 2d

551, 566 (1977)). Under King, “[a] person can be guilty of two offenses when a common act is

part of both offenses [citation] or part of one offense and the only act of the other offense

[citation].” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Coats, 2018 IL 121926, ¶ 15. “As long as there

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2024 IL App (2d) 230070-U

are multiple acts as defined in King, their interrelationship does not preclude multiple convictions

***.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) People v. Siguenza-Brito, 235 Ill. 2d 213, 233 (2009).

¶ 24   Here, although there was an act common to both attempted murder and home invasion, i.e.,

the discharge of the firearm, the home invasion involved the separate act of entering the victim’s

dwelling. See People v. McLaurin, 184 Ill. 2d 58, 105 (1998) (convictions of intentional murder

and home invasion were proper because, although both involved the common act of setting a fire,

the physical act of entering the dwelling of the victim was a separate act that supported the home

invasion conviction); People v. Marston, 353 Ill. App. 3d 513, 519 (2004) (convictions of home

invasion and aggravated battery were proper, despite the common act of striking the victim with a

pole, because the defendant’s entry into the home was a separate act that supported the home

invasion conviction).   Under well-established law, the separate act of entry into the home

supported the home invasion conviction. Thus, the convictions of attempted murder and home

invasion were predicated upon multiple acts.

¶ 25   Because separate acts supported the two convictions, we must next determine if attempted

murder is a lesser included offense of home invasion. It is not.

¶ 26   When the issue of lesser included offenses arises in a one-act, one-crime challenge, we

apply the abstract elements approach. People v. Smith, 2019 IL 123901, ¶ 37. That approach

ensures that the defendant will be held accountable for the full measure of his conduct and the

harm caused. Smith, 2019 IL 123901, ¶ 37. Under the abstract elements approach, we compare

the statutory elements of the two offenses. Smith, 2019 IL 123901, ¶ 37. Where a statute sets forth

alternative ways of committing an offense, we consider only the subsection under which the

defendant was actually charged and convicted. People v. Reveles-Cordova, 2020 IL 124797,

¶¶ 16, 20. According to the abstract elements approach, “[i]f all the elements of one offense are

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included within the second offense and the first offense contains no element not included in the

second offense, the first offense is deemed a lesser[ ]included offense of the second.” Smith, 2019

IL 123901, ¶ 37. For one offense to be a lesser included offense of another, “it must be impossible

to commit the greater offense without necessarily committing the lesser offense.” Reveles-

Cordova, 2020 IL 124797, ¶ 13. If that is the case, the less serious offense must be vacated. Smith,

2019 IL 123901, ¶ 37.

¶ 27   Here, defendant was charged with attempted murder based on his discharging a firearm

with the intent to kill the victim. The statutory elements of attempted murder as charged were that

defendant (1) with an intent to commit a specific offense (intentional murder), (2) took a

substantial step toward the commission of that offense (720 ILCS 5/8-4(a) (West 2014)), and

(3) intended to kill the victim by discharging a firearm (720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(1) (West 2014)). The

statutory elements of home invasion as charged were that defendant (1) who was not a peace

officer acting in the line of duty, (2) knowingly and without authority entered the dwelling place

of another, and (3) personally discharged a firearm that proximately caused great bodily harm to

another person in the dwelling. 720 ILCS 5/19-6(a)(5) (West 2014).

¶ 28   Attempted murder contains an element (specific intent to kill) not included in the offense

of home invasion based on the discharge of a firearm. Clearly, a defendant could discharge a

firearm that caused great bodily harm during a home invasion without necessarily intending to kill

someone. On the other hand, a defendant could not commit attempted intentional murder by

discharging a firearm if he lacked the specific intent to kill. Therefore, the jury here was not

required to find that defendant intended to kill Gomez before finding him guilty of home invasion.

However, the jury was required to find that defendant had the specific intent to kill Gomez before

it could find him guilty of attempted murder. Thus, because attempted murder contains an element

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(intent to kill) not included in home invasion, attempted murder is not a lesser included offense of

home invasion. See Smith, 2019 IL 123901, ¶ 37. Thus, both convictions were properly entered.

¶ 29   Defendant’s reliance on Reveles-Cordova is misplaced. In that case, the supreme court

held that criminal sexual assault was a lesser included offense of home invasion based on criminal

sexual assault. Reveles-Cordova, 2020 IL 124797, ¶ 21. It did so because all the elements of

criminal sexual assault were included in the offense of home invasion predicated upon criminal

sexual assault. Reveles-Cordova, 2020 IL 124797, ¶ 21. Here, however, not all the elements of

attempted murder are included in home invasion based on discharge of a firearm. As discussed,

intent to kill is not an element of home invasion based on discharge of a firearm. Thus, Reveles-

Cordova does not support defendant’s position.

¶ 30   We next address whether the imposition of a 25-year firearm enhancement on defendant’s

sentence for attempted murder constitutes an improper double enhancement where the trial court

also imposed a firearm enhancement for home invasion. It does not.

¶ 31   We begin by noting that defendant concedes that he did not properly raise this issue in the

trial court but argues that it should be recognized as plain error. To preserve a sentencing error for

appellate review, a defendant must both make a contemporaneous objection and raise the issue in

a written postsentencing motion. People v. Hillier, 237 Ill. 2d 539, 544 (2010). However, plain

errors or defects that affect substantial rights may be addressed even though they were not brought

to the trial court’s attention. People v. Herron, 215 Ill. 2d 167, 176 (2005). Because sentencing

issues can affect a defendant’s substantial rights, they can be reviewed for plain error. People v.

Donald, 2023 IL App (1st) 211557, ¶ 32.

¶ 32   A reviewing court may address a forfeited claim of sentencing error under the plain-error

doctrine if a clear or obvious error occurred and either (1) the evidence was closely balanced or

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(2) the error was so serious that it deprived the defendant of a fair sentencing hearing. People v.

Thomas, 178 Ill. 2d 215, 251 (1997). Because we hold that no clear or obvious error occurred, we

uphold defendant’s forfeiture. See People v. Keene, 169 Ill. 2d 1, 17 (1995).

¶ 33   Generally, a trial court may not use a factor both as an element of an offense and as a basis

for imposing a harsher sentence than might otherwise have been imposed. People v. Guevara, 216

Ill. 2d 533, 545 (2005). This dual use of a single factor is often referred to as a “double

enhancement.”    People v. Gonzalez, 151 Ill. 2d 79, 84 (1992).          The rule against double

enhancements is premised on the assumption that the legislature considered the factors inherent in

the offense in determining the appropriate range of penalties for that offense. People v. Rissley,

165 Ill. 2d 364, 390 (1995). However, where the legislature clearly intended to enhance the penalty

for a crime, even in a way that might constitute a double enhancement, a court will not overrule

the legislature. People v. Sharpe, 216 Ill. 2d 481, 530 (2005). Whether a sentence constitutes an

improper double enhancement is reviewed de novo. People v. Phelps, 211 Ill. 2d 1, 12 (2004).

¶ 34   Here, we note that defendant does not assert that imposition of the 25-year firearm

enhancement for attempted murder was itself a double enhancement. Rather, he maintains that,

because he received a 25-year firearm enhancement for his discharge of a firearm as an element of

home invasion, it was improper to also impose a 25-year firearm enhancement for attempted

murder. We disagree.

¶ 35   Defendant’s argument overlooks the fact that the double enhancement rule assumes that

the subject of the enhancements is a single offense. As discussed, although attempted murder and

home invasion overlapped to a degree, they were distinct offenses for purposes of the one-act, one-

crime rule because home invasion involved the separate act of entering the home. And as also

discussed, attempted murder is not a lesser included offense of home invasion. Imposing firearm

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enhancements for separate offenses is not the same as elevating a single sentence. “[E]ven when

subject to consecutive sentencing, ‘[e]ach conviction results in a discrete sentence that must be

treated individually.’ ” (Emphasis in original.) Phelps, 211 Ill. 2d at 14 (quoting People v. Carney,

196 Ill. 2d 518, 530 (2001)). See People v. Trujillo, 2023 IL App (4th) 210489-U, ¶¶ 88-91

(firearm enhancements for both first degree murder and armed robbery did not constitute a double

enhancement, as “[n]o enhancement was used twice to improperly elevate a single sentence” but,

rather, “[the] defendant’s discrete sentences were statutorily enhanced as the legislature

intended”). We reject defendant’s attempt to conjoin two distinct convictions, each of which

permits the imposition of a firearm enhancement, to argue that the trial court imposed an improper

double enhancement.       We are aware of no authority that expands the rule against double

enhancement—which prohibits using a factor that is an element of a single offense to increase the

sentence for that particular offense—to a combination of offenses where each offense is otherwise

properly subject to a sentencing enhancement based on the same conduct. Because the trial court

did not err in imposing a 25-year firearm enhancement for both attempted murder and home

invasion, defendant is not entitled to plain error relief.

¶ 36                                     III. CONCLUSION

¶ 37    For the reasons stated, we affirm the judgment of the circuit court of Kane County.

¶ 38    Affirmed.

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