v.
Russell
2024 IL App (1st) 240535-U No. 1-24-0535B Second Division May 22, 2024
NOTICE: This order was filed under Supreme Court Rule 23 and is not precedent except in the limited circumstances allowed under Rule 23(e)(1). ____________________________________________________________________________
IN THE APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS FIRST DISTRICT ____________________________________________________________________________
) Appeal from the THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ) Circuit Court of ILLINOIS, ) Cook County. ) Plaintiff-Appellee, ) ) No. 24 CR 0269201 v. ) ) MISHA RUSSELL, ) Honorable ) Ruth I. Gudino Defendant-Appellant. ) Judge, Presiding. ____________________________________________________________________________
JUSTICE COBBS delivered the judgment of the court. Presiding Justice Howse and Justice McBride concurred in the judgment.
ORDER
¶1 Held: We affirm the circuit court’s order denying defendant-appellant’s pretrial release where the court found the State had met its burden on all three elements of its detention petition.
¶2 On February 26, 2024, defendant-appellant, Misha A. Russell, was arrested and charged with a forcible felony, specifically first degree murder with intent to kill or do great bodily harm of the victim, Gerald Rhymes, pursuant to section 9-1(a)(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure of No. 1-24-0535B
2012 (720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(1) (West 2024)). Defendant was also charged with unlawful possession of the victim’s stolen vehicle, a Class 2 felony, pursuant to section 5/4-103 of the Illinois Vehicle
Code (625 ILCS 5/4-103(a)(1) (West 2024)).
¶3 On February 28, 2024, the State filed a verified petition for a pretrial detention hearing pursuant to articles 110-2 and 110-6.1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 (Procedure
Code) (725 ILCS 5/110-2, 110-6.1 (West 2022)), as amended by Public Act 101-652, commonly
referred to as “the Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act” or the “Pretrial Fairness Act” (Act). See Pub. Acts 101-652, § 10-255 (eff. Jan. [1], 2023); 102-1104, § 70
(eff. Jan. [1], 2023); Ill. S. Ct. R. 604(h)(1) (eff. Oct. 19, 2023); Rowe v. Raoul, 2023 IL 129248, ¶
52 (lifting stay and setting effective date as September 18, 2023). After appointing counsel for defendant and hearing argument on the petition, the circuit court granted the State’s request.
¶4 On appeal, defendant argues that the circuit court erred in ordering pretrial detention when it found that the State had met its burden on all three elements of its petition. For the reasons that follow, we affirm the decision of the circuit court.
¶5 I. BACKGROUND
¶6 A. Pretrial Detention Petition
¶7 On February 28, 2024, the State filed its verified petition for pretrial detention. [1] Therein, the State argued that the charged offense of first-degree murder was a non-probationable and 240536
No. 1-24-0535B
forcible felony eligible for pretrial detainment pursuant to sections 110-6.1(a)(1) and (a)(5) of the Code (725 ILCS 5/110-6.1(a)(1), (a)(5) (West 2024)); (2) defendant posed a “real and present threat to the safety of any person or persons or the community;” and, (3) there were “[n]o condition or combination of conditions set forth in 725 ILCS 5/110-10(b) [725 ILCS 5/110-10(b) (West
2024) *** to mitigate that risk.”
¶8 B. Pretrial Detention Hearing
¶9 On February 28, 2024, defendant appeared before the circuit court for the first time for, among other matters, a hearing on the State’s petition. The court appointed a public defender for defendant and swore in the prosecuting assistant state attorney under oath. The State indicated to
the court that it had tendered its pretrial detention disclosures to defense counsel prior to the hearing, which included: (a) a copy of the petition; (b) a written copy of the State’s “oral proffer”;
(c) 33 pages of documents, which included law enforcement reports, arrest reports, defendant’s criminal background, and a Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS) report; (d) three videos that included defendant’s statement to police after she was advised of her Miranda rights; and (e) a fourth video containing a statement from Annette Drummer. [2] Defense counsel subsequently acknowledged receipt of these items, indicated that he had a “meaningful opportunity” to speak with defendant, and was ready to proceed.
¶ 10 The court asked the State to proceed both on its petition and on “Gerstein” 3 in its proffer.
In response to defense counsel’s inquiry, the State indicated, and the court confirmed, that its “two- page addendum” was part of the State’s proffer.
240537
No. 1-24-0535B
¶ 11 1. The State’s Proffer
¶ 12 In support of its petition, the State proffered the following. [4] On February 25, 2024, at approximately 8:22 p.m., law enforcement conducted a well-being check at a residence located at
3718 West 168th Street in Cook County, Illinois. The request had been made by the victim’s daughter, who had been unable to make contact with her father via phone or text. Upon arrival at the residence, officers observed through a window on the home’s main level that a television was on with the volume turned up. Officers repeatedly knocked on the front door and received no response.
¶ 13 One officer observed that a bedroom window was slightly open and elevated. He then shone a flashlight into the bedroom in an attempt to make further contact with anyone inside, but did not receive a response. The officer then held his body-worn camera up to the window and used
its live feed to check inside the room. Through the feed, he was able to observe a blanket on the floor in the corner of the bedroom with a body underneath it. Subsequently, the officer summoned medical assistance and additional officers on his radio.
¶ 14 Upon arrival of the additional officers, they entered the residence and proceeded to the bedroom. In the bedroom, which was in disarray, officers found the victim lying on the floor with his head exposed and his body covered by a blanket. The victim appeared to be deceased, with his hands and feet were tied together with neckties. A wooden desk leg was found near his body.
240538
No. 1-24-0535B
Officers also found a three-year-old girl sitting on the bed, who they later determined was the victim’s daughter. Officers removed the child from the home and waited for paramedics to arrive.
¶ 15 Upon arrival, the paramedics pronounced the victim dead and transported him to the medical examiner’s office. The cause of death was later determined to be homicide resulting from blunt force trauma and bleeding on the brain. Later in the hearing, the State noted that the victim had been either 58 or 59 years old at the time of death. Although it did not know the victim’s height and weight, the State indicated that, per a 2018 police report, defendant was five foot seven inches and weighed 185 pounds.
¶ 16 Upon further investigation at the home, detectives discovered that the victim owned a black
2002 Toyota Avalon, which was not at the residence. However, on February 26, 2024, detectives located the victim’s car using a license plate reader. The car was purportedly located between Polk
Street and Kilpatrick Avenue in Chicago. Officers found defendant in the victim’s car and placed
her into custody. Officers then searched the vehicle and retrieved a stun gun, a metal pipe, a wig, and bloodied clothing hidden in various parts of the car. Once at the police station, defendant was
advised of her rights. Defendant initially denied any knowledge of the murder, the victim, and where she had found the car. Defendant then recanted her statement and spoke to officers.
¶ 17 According to defendant, the victim was her “sugar daddy” who she had known for about a
month. On the date of the incident, the victim invited her to his home via text. Once she arrived, she sat in the living room and the victim asked her to have anal sex with him. She refused and told
him she was going to leave. The victim then retrieved a metal pipe to block her from exiting the home. He swung at her with the pipe, but she was able to take it from him and began striking him all over his body. A scuffle continued, and the two ended up in the victim’s bedroom. Defendant continued to strike the victim until he was on the ground and at some point used a Taser on him.
240539
No. 1-24-0535B
She further admitted that she was “stronger” and “larger” than the victim. After the fight, defendant
remained in the victim’s home for a few hours. She admitted to looking through his wallet for money but did not find any. She then “panicked,” found his car keys, and took his phone so he could not call the police. Before she left, she also used neckties to bind his hands and feet to prevent him from calling for help.
¶ 18 Following the State’s proffer, the court determined that there was probable cause pursuant to Gerstein. The State confirmed that it was relying on the same proffer to support its detainment petition, and subsequently provided evidence of defendant’s criminal background. According to the State, defendant had been arrested three separate times in 2018. One arrest stemmed from domestic battery, which was “Soled.” 5 Another arrest was for battery, for which she was convicted and served three days in prison. The final arrest was for resisting and battery, which was also
“Soled.” The State further indicated that defendant had a warrant from 2019, which had been
related to one of her misdemeanor offenses. Upon further investigation during the hearing, the State confirmed that the victim here had not been a complainant in any of those prior incidents.
¶ 19 2. Pretrial Services Assessment
¶ 20 A representative from “pretrial services” indicated that defendant’s “new criminal activity”
score was a “2,” a “3” for “failure to appear,” and a “yes” on the “violence flag” based on the nature of the pending charges. [6] The representative further indicated that the scores correlated to a
“supervision level 3,” which equated to a recommendation for “maximum conditions.” 7
240540
No. 1-24-0535B
¶ 21 3. Defendant’s Argument in Mitigation and for Pretrial Release
¶ 22 In mitigation, defense counsel asserted that defendant was 29 years old and a lifelong Cook
County resident. Defendant currently lived in Matteson with her parents, graduated from Rich
Central High School in 2012, and had attended some college. She was currently unemployed but was scheduled to begin a job within the next week as a caregiver at “Assisting Hands.” She had
also previously worked as a manager at Journey’s in Orland Park Mall until December 2023, and had also worked at an “aftercare” childcare program at an indeterminate time. Defendant was significantly involved in her church as a youth minister, volunteered at women’s shelters and food drives, and had been on a missionary trip to Benin, Africa. Defense counsel asserted that defendant did not have a history of serious violence, with her sole past conviction being a misdemeanor.
¶ 23 Defense counsel further indicated that defendant had been a victim of “serious violence,” including “significant domestic abuse” by a “number of men,” and as a result suffered from post- traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues. Upon questioning by the court, defense counsel acknowledged that he did not have documentation to support this, but knew that defendant attended therapy with a psychiatrist on a weekly basis. Defense counsel further confirmed that defendant’s relationship with the victim had been about a month long, and he did not know whether the victim had abused defendant in the past.
¶ 24 In arguing that the State could not meet its burden on the first element of the petition, defense counsel clarified that he was not challenging whether the charges were detainable offenses, but rather took issue with the State’s proffer, which he argued was unreliable and unsupported by the documents tendered to him in discovery. Specifically, defense counsel pointed to “paragraph four” of the State’s addendum regarding the search of the victim’s car. Defense counsel indicated
240541
No. 1-24-0535B
that he had not been tendered any reports concerning the vehicle’s recovery, its subsequent search, or any narratives regarding defendant’s arrest.
¶ 25 The State responded, asserting that it had met its obligation to turn over any documents in its possession. It further confirmed that it did not have an “approved narrative” from law enforcement regarding defendant’s arrest, as this was a “new case.” However, the State indicated that, under the Procedure Code, it could proceed on its petition by proffer so long as the facts were based on a reliable source. The State asserted that the proffer was reliable as it had been “taken”
by colleagues in the felony review division. Finally, the State noted that it had provided a copy of its “oral proffer” to defense counsel, even though it was not required to do so under the Procedure
Code. The court indicated that it would note defense counsel’s objection for the record.
¶ 26 Next, defense counsel challenged the State’s contention that defendant posed a real and present threat. Although he acknowledged the tragedy of the situation, defense counsel characterized defendant’s actions as “reasonable” and “in self-defense.” According to defense counsel, the victim had been the initial aggressor when he utilized a metal pipe to block defendant’s exit and attempted to attack her after pressuring her into nonconsensual sexual activity. Defense counsel pointed out that it was unclear as to when defendant left the victim’s home, but, based on
the State’s proffer and his own communications with his client, the victim had been conscious and breathing at the time she left. According to defendant, she had further told police that she had never fought back against an abuser and did not believe she had assaulted him with “extra violence other than what she thought she needed to [do to] protect herself.” With regard to the victim’s tied hands
and feet, defense counsel characterized these actions as indicative of defendant being “fearful” and wanting to ensure that he could not continue to harm her. Defense counsel reasoned that defendant would not have tied the victim up had she believed he was already dead.
240542
No. 1-24-0535B
¶ 27 Finally, defense counsel argued that any threat or danger could be mitigated by electronic monitoring and pretrial services such as monitored curfew, conditions to maintain her weekly therapy sessions, and a requirement to continue any prescribed medications. The court questioned
whether electronic monitoring could be imposed without an “identifiable victim,” given that the victim was dead. Defense counsel responded that the court was “correct about monitoring” and maintained that defendant was not a threat.
¶ 28 4. The State’s Reply
¶ 29 In addressing the first element of the petition, the State agreed with defense counsel that there were “certain portions” of its proffer which “len[t] some credibility” to defendant’s claim that the incident “may have started out as self-defense.” Nevertheless, the State maintained that there was no evidence to support the theory that the victim was the original aggressor other than defendant’s statements to police. The State also acknowledged that it was unclear as to whether the victim had been unconscious or deceased while defendant remained in the home, and that some of defendant’s statements suggested that he might have still been alive. However, the State pointed out, defendant’s actions indicated that even if he had been alive, she had still left him there to die by tying him up to prevent him from moving or calling the police, and she also had not reported the incident. The State further reiterated that defendant had also gone through the victim’s home and clothes for money, and eventually stole his car. This, the State reasoned, were actions that
went beyond the claim of self-defense because, even if not intentional, defendant knew “at the very least” that he was going to die.
¶ 30 Regarding the last two elements of the petition, the State also conceded that, under the Procedure Code, the court could consider defendant’s psychological state, and that based on her statements to police, defendant claimed to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or a
240543
No. 1-24-0535B dissociative personality disorder. However, the State reasoned that such psychological history actually supported the finding that defendant was a threat which could not be mitigated by any
conditions such as curfew or electronic monitoring. The State indicated that in statements to police, defendant had referred to herself as a prostitute and the victim’s stolen car as her “pimp’s vehicle.”8
Thus, the State concluded, without pretrial detention, there was a risk that defendant would reach out to other men and engage in similar conduct if she was triggered by any of their advances.
¶ 31 Prior to the conclusion of the hearing, the following exchange occurred between the court and the parties:
“THE COURT: Okay. Now, [defense counsel], in your argument, you had stated at the time that the defendant left the home, she was not sure that the victim had [died]. She’s
charged currently with first-degree murder, which is a detainable offense. But would the parties agree that if her belief at the time was that he hadn’t passed, at a minimum, there
had been an aggravated battery deadly weapon [offense] already offended—committed, and that is in and of itself a detainable offense?
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Your Honor, if I could just—I prefer not that she just wasn’t sure if he was dead, that she told the police that he was indeed conscious at that time. And as to your question, I would argue that depending on the affirmative defense of self-defense—