v.
The Police Board of the City of Chicago
2016 IL App (1st) 141904
SIXTH DIVISION June 30, 2016 Modified upon denial of rehearing August 12, 2016
No. 1-14-1904
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, ) Appeal from the ) Circuit Court of Plaintiff-Appellee, ) Cook County. ) v. ) No. 11 CR 9381 ) KEVIN HUNTER, ) Honorable ) Evelyn B. Clay, Defendant-Appellant. ) Judge Presiding.
PRESIDING JUSTICE ROCHFORD delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Justices Hoffman and Hall concurred in the judgment and opinion.
OPINION
¶1 Following a bench trial, defendant, Kevin Hunter, was convicted of armed robbery, aggravated kidnaping, and aggravated vehicular hijacking, and sentenced to concurrent terms of 21 years’ imprisonment, which included a 15-year enhancement for defendant’s use of a firearm.
Defendant, age 16 at the time of the offense, was tried and sentenced as an adult in accordance with the automatic transfer provision set forth in section 5-130 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987
(Act) (705 ILCS 405/5-130 (West 2010)). On appeal, defendant contends that: (1) the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was armed with a firearm during the charged offenses; (2) the trial court erred in failing to conduct a Krankel inquiry; (3) his case should be remanded for resentencing under new provisions contained in Public Act 99-69, section 10 (eff.
Jan. [1], 2016) (adding 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-105), which took effect during the pendency of his appeal; (4) his case should be remanded for resentencing in the juvenile court under Public Act
99-258, section 5 (eff. Jan. [1], 2016) (amending 705 ILCS 405/5-130, 5-805 (West 2014)), which
No. 1-14-1904 also took effect during the pendency of his appeal; and (5) the mittimus must be corrected to
reflect the proper credit for presentence incarceration. For the following reasons, we affirm the judgment of the trial court and order the mittimus corrected.
¶2 I. BACKGROUND
¶3 We set forth the facts necessary to provide background for defendant’s first claim of error. Additional facts relevant to other issues on appeal will be included as needed throughout our opinion.
¶4 Defendant was charged with aggravated kidnaping, armed robbery, and aggravated vehicular hijacking. At trial, Steven Maxwell, testified that he parked his Jeep on the north side of Chicago at approximately 3:45 a.m. on May 17, 2011, after spending several hours at a bar and drinking one beer. While walking home down a dark street, he was approached by three men, including defendant, who Mr. Maxwell identified in court. One of the men asked Mr.
Maxwell: “what you got.” Then, defendant “flashed a gun” for a few seconds, pulling it slightly
out of his coat and placing it near his chest or stomach. The gun was “squared off” and resembled a “Glock.” Mr. Maxwell, who had a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card and had previously seen a real gun, thought the gun looked real. The first man said that he knew Mr.
Maxwell had a car and ordered him to surrender his keys, phone, and wallet. Mr. Maxwell complied but asked for his FOID card, which the man returned. Mr. Maxwell walked to his Jeep with the three men, and the first man said to Mr. Maxwell: “you’re coming, too.” The third man said that he “didn’t want any part of it,” and walked away.
¶5 Defendant and the first man ordered Mr. Maxwell to enter the rear driver’s side door and to put on a seatbelt. The first man sat in the driver’s seat and defendant sat in the front passenger
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seat. They engaged the child safety locks and told Mr. Maxwell that they would drive around and drop him off “somewhere,” but would not hurt him. The men asked Mr. Maxwell how far they were from his house and for directions to drive south. Defendant told Mr. Maxwell not to lie
because “they knew where [he] lived and where [his] family lived.” Mr. Maxwell did not see the gun again, but defendant repeatedly threatened to shoot him.
¶6 After “circling around” for approximately three hours, the first man drove to a gas station and put gas in the Jeep. No other customers were present. Defendant stayed in the vehicle but ordered Mr. Maxwell to purchase a “Black and Mild” (a type of cigar). Mr. Maxwell walked to the window of the gas station to make the purchase, but did not ask the clerk for help because he had to shout his request and worried that the men would hear him. He did not try to run because he thought that the men would catch him. He returned to the Jeep and the men continued driving
until they released him at 47th and State Streets. Mr. Maxwell went to a police station and reported what had happened. At approximately 9:30 a.m., he went to 75th and State Streets, where he saw his Jeep on the sidewalk, resting on its side against a wall. Later that day, Mr.
Maxwell identified defendant in a physical lineup.
¶7 Officer Chan testified that he was on patrol at approximately 7:30 a.m. on May 17, 2011.
He heard tires screeching and drove toward 75th Street and Indiana Avenue, where he saw a Jeep
“flipped over on the sidewalk.” Defendant exited the driver’s side door, jumped from the car, and fled. Officer Chan detained defendant less than two blocks away and conducted a pat down.
Afterwards, an evidence technician was called to process the Jeep.
¶8 The State published a video of the crash, which was entered into evidence. The defense did not move for a directed verdict, and defendant did not testify.
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¶9 In finding defendant guilty of aggravated kidnaping, armed robbery, and aggravated vehicular hijacking while armed with a firearm, the trial court stated that Mr. Maxwell was “very credible,” and noted that he had described the appearance of defendant’s gun and testified that it looked real. The trial court also observed that Mr. Maxwell had a FOID card and “was aware of weapons.”
¶ 10 At the hearing on defendant’s motion to vacate the convictions, defense counsel contended that Mr. Maxwell was “mistaken” when he testified that defendant had been armed
with a firearm. Counsel argued, inter alia, that Mr. Maxwell had spent the night in a bar, encountered defendant on a dark street, and had seen the alleged weapon for only a few seconds.
According to counsel, the State had attempted to portray Mr. Maxwell as a firearms expert, but
no testimony established that he could distinguish between real and fake firearms. In response, the State contended that Mr. Maxwell’s FOID card and his testimony “demonstrated his familiarity with guns.” The trial court denied defendant’s motion, stating:
“The Court finds that the victim was credible and he was in belief of being ***
shot [by] a firearm and he did say on direct what type. It was a Glock. The victim was the person who possessed the [FOID] card and indicates some familiarity with the weapons.
The Court finds it was long enough of an observation of the flash from this item that was in defendant’s hands and what he described later on as a Glock.
The Court finds that it is sufficient and beyond a reasonable doubt that *** this offense occurred with a firearm.”
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¶ 11 Following a sentencing hearing, the trial court imposed concurrent terms of 21 years’ imprisonment for each offense on May 29, 2014. The 21-year sentence included a mandatory 15- year sentencing enhancement for defendant’s use of a firearm.
¶ 12 II. ANALYSIS
¶ 13 A. Sufficiency of the Evidence
¶ 14 On appeal, defendant first contends that the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable
doubt that he was armed with a firearm during the charged offenses. Defendant submits that the State neither produced the gun at trial nor presented evidence that the gun could have been fired.
Consequently, the only evidence of a firearm was the victim’s testimony, which defendant argues is insufficient to sustain his conviction. Defendant observes that Mr. Maxwell saw the gun for just a few seconds, when defendant “slightly” pulled it from his jacket during their encounter on a dark street. Mr. Maxwell did not describe the color or size of the gun, and only testified that the gun looked like a “Glock” on redirect examination. Thus, according to defendant, Mr.
Maxwell may have seen a BB gun, air pistol, or other device that is excluded from the statutory definition of a firearm. Additionally, defendant argues that the trial court improperly inferred that
Mr. Maxwell’s FOID card bolstered his ability to identify a firearm. Under these circumstances, defendant submits that his repeated threats to shoot the victim were merely intended to “secure
[his] cooperation,” and do not establish that defendant was armed.
¶ 15 The standard of review on a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence is whether, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the State, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. People v. Brown, 2013 IL
114196, ¶ 48. A reviewing court will not substitute its judgment for that of the trier of fact on
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No. 1-14-1904 questions involving the credibility of witnesses or the weight of the evidence. Id. To sustain a conviction, “[i]t is sufficient if all of the evidence taken together satisfies the trier of fact beyond a reasonable doubt of the defendant’s guilt.” People v. Hall, 194 Ill. 2d 305, 330 (2000). A
defendant’s conviction will be reversed only if the evidence is so unreasonable, improbable, or unsatisfactory as to justify a reasonable doubt of the defendant’s guilt. People v. Belknap, 2014
IL 117094, ¶ 67.
¶ 16 In this case, defendant was convicted of aggravated kidnaping, armed robbery, and aggravated vehicular hijacking. 720 ILCS 5/10-2(a)(6), 18-2(a)(2), 18-4(a)(4) (West 2010). On appeal, defendant contests only whether the evidence establishes that he was armed with a
firearm during each of the charged offenses. To determine what constitutes a “firearm” under the Criminal Code of 1961, we look to the meaning ascribed under the Firearm Owners
Identification Card Act (FOID Card Act). 720 ILCS 5/2-7.5 (West 2010). In relevant part, the FOID Card Act defines a “firearm” as “any device *** which is designed to expel a projectile or projectiles by the action of an explosion, expansion of gas or escape of gas.” 430 ILCS 65/1.1
(West 2010). This definition excludes pneumatic guns, spring guns, paint ball guns, certain BB guns, and signal guns. Id. However, the fact that a defendant possessed a firearm, as defined
under the FOID Card Act, need not be established by “direct or physical evidence” because the “unequivocal testimony of a witness that the defendant held a gun is circumstantial evidence
sufficient to establish that a defendant is armed [with a firearm] during a robbery.” People v. Fields, 2014 IL App (1st) 110311, ¶ 36.
¶ 17 Here, the evidence viewed in the light most favorable to the State was sufficient to establish that defendant committed the charged offenses while armed with a firearm. Mr.
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Maxwell testified that defendant “flashed a gun” for several seconds during their initial encounter, pulling it slightly out of his coat and placing it near his chest or stomach. Mr.
Maxwell noticed the gun was “squared off,” and stated that it resembled a “Glock.” He had previously seen a real gun, and thought that defendant’s gun looked real. Additionally, Mr.
Maxwell testified that defendant had threatened to shoot him while displaying the gun, and repeated this threat throughout the encounter. Based on this testimony, the trial court found that
Mr. Maxwell was “very credible,” and was “aware of weapons,” and that he had a sufficient opportunity to observe and identify the object in defendant’s hands.
¶ 18 The court also noted that Mr. Maxwell possessed a FOID card, but contrary to defendant’s assertion, nothing in the record suggests that the court improperly relied on this fact as the basis for accepting Mr. Maxwell’s testimony. Rather, the court’s comments indicate that it considered Mr. Maxwell’s testimony and credibility as a whole in determining that defendant
was armed with a firearm, and we will not disturb these findings on review. People v. Lissade, 403 Ill. App. 3d 609, 612 (2010) (trier of fact is “best positioned to judge the credibility of the witnesses” and its decision “is entitled to great deference”).
¶ 19 Defendant further argues that the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the gun did not fall within the statutory exception to the general definition of a firearm in the FOID
Card Act. However, the trial court was not required to discount Mr. Maxwell’s testimony that the gun looked real or to speculate whether the gun was something other than a firearm as defined by statute. People v. Campbell, 146 Ill. 2d 363, 380 (1992) (trier of fact need not search out explanations consistent with the defendant’s innocence and raise them to reasonable doubt).
Moreover, in view of the victim’s credible testimony, the absence of physical evidence does not
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110311, ¶ 36. Defendant relies upon People v. Ross, 229 Ill. 2d 255 (2008), and People v. Crowder, 323 Ill. App. 3d 710 (2001). However, no evidence at trial suggested that defendant’s gun falls within the statutory exception to the statutory definition of a firearm (Ross, 229 Ill. 2d at 276-77 (police officer testified that defendant’s gun was a “pellet gun”)), nor is this a case
where the State destroyed the gun, precluding the defendant from mounting a defense (Crowder, 323 Ill. App. 3d at 712-13).
¶ 20 Nonetheless, defendant has submitted photographs of air pistols and pellet guns taken from retail websites, and asks this court to take judicial notice that these objects are not statutorily defined firearms, yet nonetheless resemble the gun that the victim described at trial.
This request is improper, as the photographs were not submitted to the trial court. If we were to consider these photographs for the first time on appeal, it “would amount to a trial de novo on an essential element of the charges.” People v. Williams, 200 Ill. App. 3d 503, 513 (1990).
Accordingly, we decline to consider these newly introduced photographs, and conclude that the evidence at trial was sufficient to establish that defendant was armed with a firearm during the charged offenses.
¶ 21 B. Krankel
¶ 22 Defendant next contends that the trial court erred in failing to conduct a preliminary inquiry into his claim, made during his statement in allocution at sentencing, that defense counsel rendered ineffective assistance by usurping defendant’s right to testify. As we find defendant’s statement in allocution did not raise a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, we hold that the 141911
No. 1-14-1904 trial court had no duty to conduct an inquiry pursuant to People v. Krankel, 102 Ill. 2d 181
(1984).
¶ 23 In Krankel, our supreme court established the action to be taken by the court when a defendant asserts a pro se posttrial claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. The court should
first examine the factual basis underlying the defendant’s claim. People v. Taylor, 237 Ill. 2d 68, 75 (2010). If the court determines the claim lacks merit or is addressed only to matters of trial
strategy, new counsel need not be appointed, and the pro se motion may be denied. Id. If, however, the defendant’s allegations reveal possible neglect of the case, new counsel should be appointed to argue the claim of ineffective assistance. Id.; see also Krankel, 102 Ill. 2d at 189.
¶ 24 In order for Krankel to be applicable, however, the defendant must have sufficiently alleged a claim of ineffective assistance. Taylor, 237 Ill. 2d at 75-77. The defendant must “raise
specific claims with supporting facts before the trial court is required to consider the allegations.” People v. Walker, 2011 IL App (1st) 072889-B, ¶ 34. Allegations that are
“conclusory, misleading or legally immaterial, or do not identify a colorable claim of ineffective
assistance of counsel” do not require further inquiry by the trial court. Id. The question of whether a defendant has sufficiently alleged ineffective assistance of counsel is one of law, and, therefore, subject to a de novo standard of review. Taylor, 237 Ill. 2d at 75.
¶ 25 Turning to the record in the present case, the following colloquy occurred after the State rested its case-in-chief:
“DEFENSE COUNSEL: Your [H]onor, I’ve spoken with Mr. Hunter, I don’t believe he’s going to testify.
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THE COURT: Mr. Hunter, this is your trial and you have a right to testify
at your own trial. Is it your decision and your decision only, of course in consultation with your attorney, is it your decision not to testify at your own trial?
THE DEFENDANT: Yes, ma’am.”
¶ 26 Later, during sentencing, defense counsel stated:
“As long as this case has been pending before [Y]our Honor, no adult has
ever shown up for Kevin. The one time someone did show up, it was his twin sister. There was a problem in the courtroom with her. I can tell you that Kevin was sitting next to me at the time his sister created the scene in the courtroom and he was trying to tell her just to be quiet and leave and so I think that does operate as mitigation for him.”
¶ 27 The court then offered defendant the opportunity to speak in allocution. The following colloquy occurred:
“THE COURT: Mr. Hunter, is there anything you wish to say before your sentence?
THE DEFENDANT: I say I change my—
ASSISTANT PUBLIC DEFENDER: Do you want to say anything to the Judge, Kevin? This is your time to say it.
THE COURT: Do you have anything to say about the case that you have been sentenced on? Remember the trial when you sister was here?
THE DEFENDANT: Yeah.
- 10 - No. 1-14-1904 THE COURT: I know you do. Do you have anything to say before I tell you what your sentence is? Anything at all? THE DEFENDANT: I want to say whatever happened that day, that was between her. The witness on the stand. She told me not to get on the stand. I was telling the truth. I wanted to have a chance to tell my side of the story. I didn’t have anything to do with it. THE COURT All right. THE DEFENDANT: She is the one that did it. THE COURT: Beg your pardon. THE DEFENDANT: Go ahead.” ¶ 28 Defendant contends that his statement in allocution advised the trial court that counsel had rendered ineffective assistance by preventing him from testifying at trial, and that the court erred in failing to conduct a preliminary Krankel inquiry into this allegation. Defendant acknowledges that he waived his right to testify. However, defendant contends that his waiver was “irrelevant” to whether the court should have conducted a Krankel inquiry, because without having made an inquiry, the court could not know whether counsel had “unduly coerced [defendant] into the waiver.” ¶ 29 The State responds that defendant did not assert a claim of ineffective assistance when he spoke in allocution, as his statement was incoherent and may have referred to an earlier incident in court involving his sister rather than a disagreement with defense counsel. Additionally, the State argues that the court had previously queried defendant regarding the waiver of his right to testify and had no “sua sponte duty to inquire into the reason for defendant’s decision not to - 11 - No. 1-14-1904 testify at trial.” The State also observes that defendant never informed the court, in either an oral motion or posttrial motion, that he wished to testify but was prevented by defense counsel. Consequently, the State argues that the court had no reason to know from defendant’s statement in allocution that he was alleging that counsel had prevented him from testifying. ¶ 30 In reply, defendant argues that “the record as a whole” suggests that his statement in allocution contained a complaint about defense counsel, rather than his sister. Defendant submits that the record shows multiple instances where he “attempted to raise concerns” regarding his case and his attorney before the court, but was not allowed to speak. According to defendant, these instances explain why he was not more persistent in raising complaints about counsel at sentencing. ¶ 31 After considering defendant’s statement in allocution in context, we find that defendant did not raise a claim for ineffective assistance of counsel and, therefore, the trial court did not err in not conducting a Krankel inquiry. Both the trial court and defense counsel encouraged defendant to “say anything” he wished. Defendant’s statement was rambling and “amenable to more than one interpretation.” Taylor, 237 Ill. 2d at 77. Moreover, we cannot say that defendant’s remarks at previous appearances in his case placed the trial court on notice that defendant was raising a claim of ineffective assistance at his sentencing hearing, as his statement in allocution neither mentioned his attorney nor made a specific claim of ineffective assistance. People v. Porter, 2014 IL App (1st) 123396, ¶ 12 (awareness by the trial court that defendant has complained of counsel’s representation “imposes no duty by the trial court to sua sponte investigate defendant’s complaint”); see also People v. Gillespie, 276 Ill App. 3d 495, 502 (1995) (“Nothing in Krankel suggests that if the issue [of ineffective assistance] is not raised - 12 - No. 1-14-1904 before the trial court a duty should be placed on the trial court to raise the issue of ineffectiveness of counsel sua sponte.”). ¶ 32 Assuming, arguendo, that defendant’s remarks referred to defense counsel, it is apparent that he never contended that counsel prevented him from testifying at trial. Rather, defendant stated that “she told me not to get on the stand” and that he “wanted to have a chance to tell [his] side of the story.” See People v. Hernandez, 2014 IL App (2d) 131082, ¶ 33 (finding no ineffective assistance where “defendant’s allegations reflect that counsel did not prohibit defendant from testifying but, rather, counsel gave strategic advice, defendant listened to that advice, and defendant chose not to testify” (emphasis in original)). In this case, where the record reveals “no clear basis for an allegation of ineffectiveness of counsel,” the trial court “had no duty to conduct a preliminary investigation of the factual matters underlying defendant’s claim.” People v. Garland, 254 Ill. App. 3d 827, 834 (1993). Consequently, defendant’s claim that the trial court erred in not conducting a Krankel inquiry is without merit. ¶ 33 C. Resentencing ¶ 34 After defendant filed his brief on appeal, he filed a supplemental brief arguing that certain statutory amendments that took effect while his appeal was pending should be applied retroactively to his case. [1] Specifically, defendant contends that his case must be remanded for resentencing under new sentencing provisions contained in Public Act 99-69, section 10 (eff. Jan. [1], 2016) (adding 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-105) and Public Act 99-258, section 5 (eff. Jan. [1], 2016)