People v. Adams

842 N.E.2d 1187, 363 Ill. App. 3d 34, 299 Ill. Dec. 835
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJanuary 24, 2006
Docket1-04-2680
StatusPublished

This text of 842 N.E.2d 1187 (People v. Adams) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Adams, 842 N.E.2d 1187, 363 Ill. App. 3d 34, 299 Ill. Dec. 835 (Ill. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

842 N.E.2d 1187 (2006)
363 Ill. App.3d 34
299 Ill.Dec. 835

The PEOPLE of the State of Illinois, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Stanton ADAMS, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 1-04-2680.

Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, Second Division.

January 24, 2006.

*1188 Michael J. Pelletier, Deputy Defender, and Emily E. Filpi, Assistant Appellate Defender, Office of the State Appellate Defender, Chicago, for Appellant.

Richard A. Devine, State's Attorney of Cook County, Chicago (James E. Fitzgerald, Alan Spellberg, Michelle Katz and Tasha-Marie Kelly, of counsel), for Appellee.

Justice WOLFSON delivered the opinion of the court:

Following a bench trial, the defendant was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, usually considered a Class 3 felony. Because the victim was the defendant's son, the offense was elevated to a Class 2 felony. 720 ILCS 5/9-3(f) (West 2000). *1189 Defendant was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The major issue in this case is whether the change in class violates the defendant's right to due process of law. We conclude it does not.

FACTS

On February 28, 2001, defendant was taking care of his son, Stanton Adams, Jr. Stanton was two months old. According to defendant, he began bouncing Stanton on his knee and tossing him in the air. The last time defendant tossed Stanton in the air and tried to catch him, Stanton slipped through his hands, hit the side of a sofa, and fell to the floor. Defendant picked Stanton up. When Stanton did not respond, defendant panicked and began shaking him. Defendant then attempted CPR. After Stanton did not respond, defendant wrote several suicide notes and attempted to kill himself. Dr. Nancy Jones, assistant medical examiner for Cook County, described Stanton's extensive injuries. Jones opined Stanton died "as a result of cerebral injuries due to blunt head trauma due to child abuse."

The trial court found defendant guilty of involuntary manslaughter. At the sentencing hearing, the trial court found it was undisputed that the victim and defendant shared a father-son relationship. The offense was then elevated from a Class 3 felony to a Class 2 felony pursuant to section 9-3(f) of the Unified Criminal Code (Code). 720 ILCS 5/9-3(f) (West 2000). After reviewing the presentence investigation report and hearing arguments of counsel, the trial court sentenced defendant to 12 years' imprisonment and imposed a $5,000 fine. The court noted defendant spent 1,199 days in custody before the conviction, but did not credit those days against the fine.

DECISION

I. Section 9-3(f)

Defendant contends section 9-3(f) is unconstitutional because it violates his right to due process. He contends the statute bears no rational relationship to the legislature's stated purpose, to fight and deter domestic violence.

Section 9-3(a) states: "A person who unintentionally kills an individual without lawful justification commits involuntary manslaughter if his acts whether lawful or unlawful which cause the death are such as are likely to cause death or great bodily harm to some individual, and he performs them recklessly." 720 ILCS 5/9-3(a) (West 2000). Involuntary manslaughter is generally a Class 3 felony (720 ILCS 5/9-3(d)(1) (West 2000)) for which the penalty is "not less than 2 years and not more than 5 years" (730 ILCS 5/5-8-1(a)(6) (West 2000)). Section 9-3(f), however, provides:

"In cases involving involuntary manslaughter in which the victim was a family or household member * * *, the penalty shall be a Class 2 felony, for which a person if sentenced to a term of imprisonment, shall be sentenced to a term of not less than 3 years and not more than 14 years." 720 ILCS 5/9-3(f) (West 2000).

All statutes are presumed to be constitutional. People v. Wilson, 214 Ill.2d 394, 398-99, 292 Ill.Dec. 887, 827 N.E.2d 416 (2005). The party challenging a statute's validity bears the burden of clearly demonstrating a constitutional violation. Wilson, 214 Ill.2d at 399, 292 Ill.Dec. 887, 827 N.E.2d 416. If reasonably possible, a court should construe a statute so as to confirm its constitutionality and validity. Wilson, 214 Ill.2d at 399, 292 Ill.Dec. 887, 827 N.E.2d 416. Whether a statute is constitutional is a question of law we review de novo. People v. Malchow, 193 Ill.2d 413, 418, 250 Ill.Dec. 670, 739 N.E.2d 433 (2000).

Under the State's police power, the legislature has wide discretion to establish *1190 penalties for criminal offenses. People v. Morris, 136 Ill.2d 157, 161, 143 Ill.Dec. 300, 554 N.E.2d 235 (1990). Legislation will not be invalidated "`unless the challenged penalty is clearly in excess of the very broad and general constitutional limitations applicable.'" Morris, 136 Ill.2d at 161, 143 Ill.Dec. 300, 554 N.E.2d 235, quoting People ex rel. Carey v. Bentivenga, 83 Ill.2d 537, 542, 48 Ill.Dec. 228, 416 N.E.2d 259 (1981). However, "[n]o person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law." Ill. Const. 1970, art. I § 2; Morris, 136 Ill.2d at 161, 143 Ill.Dec. 300, 554 N.E.2d 235.

When reviewing a statute under the due process clause, the test focuses on the enactment's purpose and objective. Morris, 136 Ill.2d at 161-62, 143 Ill.Dec. 300, 554 N.E.2d 235; People v. Bradley, 79 Ill.2d 410, 417, 38 Ill.Dec. 575, 403 N.E.2d 1029 (1980). A statute will be upheld if it "bears a reasonable relationship to a public interest to be served, and the means adopted are a reasonable method of accomplishing the desired objective." People v. Wright, 194 Ill.2d 1, 24, 251 Ill.Dec. 469, 740 N.E.2d 755 (2000); Morris, 136 Ill.2d at 161, 143 Ill.Dec. 300, 554 N.E.2d 235. To satisfy the due process clause, the penalty prescribed for a particular crime need only be reasonably tailored to remedy the evil the legislature has determined to be a threat to the public health, safety, and general welfare. People v. Anderson, 272 Ill.App.3d 537, 540, 208 Ill.Dec. 954, 650 N.E.2d 648 (1995). Courts determine the reasonableness of a statute. Morris, 136 Ill.2d at 161, 143 Ill.Dec. 300, 554 N.E.2d 235.

Defendant contends section 9-3(f) was enacted in order to "fight and deter" domestic violence. He contends section 9-3(f) is not reasonably designed to implement the legislature's purpose because involuntary manslaughter is an unintentional act, and an unintentional act cannot be deterred by an enhanced penalty. See People v. Martin, 119 Ill.2d 453, 116 Ill. Dec. 669, 519 N.E.2d 884 (1988), People v. Fernetti, 104 Ill.2d 19, 83 Ill.Dec.

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Bluebook (online)
842 N.E.2d 1187, 363 Ill. App. 3d 34, 299 Ill. Dec. 835, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-adams-illappct-2006.