Court Opinion

ID: 9723934
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 10:38:31.621671+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:53.494594
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE BARRY, specially concurring: I concur unqualifiedly with the majority opinion. However, given the import and tenor of Justice Heiple’s dissent, and my total agreement with Justice Alloy’s observations on the issue of sentencing, I believe a brief comment is in order. I am of the opinion that consideration of any aspect other than disparity beclouds the sentencing issue in this case. Contrary to Justice Heiple’s view, this is simply not another case wherein the discretion afforded the trial court judge in sentencing matters is claimed to have been abused. Rather, this is a case where there exists a gross disparity between the sentence received by defendant Kline and those subsequently received by his co-defendants following separate trials. The entire makeup of our court over the past 10 years has agreed that the subject of manifestly disparate, and therefore improper, sentences must be addressed. (People v. Martin (1980), 81 Ill. App. 3d 238, 401 N.E.2d 13; People v. Johnson (1978), 59 Ill. App. 3d 640, 375 N.E.2d 1027.) Therefore it is our duty to address the disparity present in this case, our personal beliefs and preferences notwithstanding. As Justice Heiple himself states: “We should not disturb a sentence unless it clearly appears that the penalty constitutes a great departure from the fundamental law and its spirit and purpose.” Here it cannot be seriously questioned that there exists among codefendants a gross disparity in sentencing. That disparity is not justified by the record before us. To rule as Justice Heiple suggests is contrary to well settled law in this district and elsewhere. The defendant’s sentence, therefore, warrants reconsideration. As indicated by Justice Alloy, the Kline sentence is not final pending appellate review. Kline’s sentence is, and should be, remanded for reconsideration with the benefit of these opinions.