Court Opinion

ID: 9859490
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 21:54:13.819105+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:50:26.280944
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE FREEMAN, specially concurring: I agree with the majority’s disposition of this case. I write separately merely to note that defendant’s prior convictions could have been offered as substantive evidence of his intent on the charges of possession of title without complete assignment. See People v. Oaks, 169 Ill. 2d 409, 454 (1996) (“[ejvidence of other crimes is admissible if it tends to prove modus operandi, design, motive or knowledge”). However, the record reveals that at trial the State offered defendant’s prior convictions only for impeachment purposes, not as direct evidence of guilt. Accordingly, in this case defendant’s prior convictions cannot be considered as direct evidence of intent. See People v. Hope, 184 Ill. 2d 39, 44 (1998) (arguments not raised by State at trial may not be raised on appeal); People v. Adams, 131 Ill. 2d 387, 395 (1989) (refusing to allow State, as appellee, to argue a theory on appeal for admissibility of evidence which was not raised in trial court). It is thus unnecessary to speculate whether the prior convictions could have constituted sufficient evidence of intent to uphold defendant’s convictions for possession of title without complete assignment in the instant case.