Court Opinion

ID: 9744038
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 21:52:29.409134+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:46.328029
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE KNECHT, dissenting: I respectfully dissent. Supreme Court Rule 615(b)(3) permits a reviewing court to reduce the degree of the offense of which the defendant was convicted. This broad power should only be exercised, as recognized by the majority, when included offenses are involved. What does “involved” mean? The majority notes in this case aggravated battery is an included offense of attempt (murder). The facts do suggest defendant intended great bodily harm to the victim. However, the offense of aggravated battery was not charged. The offense of aggravated battery was not argued to the court in this bench trial. This was not a jury case where the jury was instructed on but rejected an included offense. Should a court of review search the record and our statutes on each reversal for failure of proof to see if the conviction could possibly be reduced to an offense of lesser degree? It is the role of the prosecutor to charge offenses and to argue for a remedy. When no instruction is offered, and no argument is made about an included offense, then 615(b)(3) is inapplicable.