People v. Adkisson

397 N.E.2d 922, 78 Ill. App. 3d 923, 34 Ill. Dec. 250, 1979 Ill. App. LEXIS 3631
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedDecember 7, 1979
Docket78-190
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 397 N.E.2d 922 (People v. Adkisson) 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. Adkisson, 397 N.E.2d 922, 78 Ill. App. 3d 923, 34 Ill. Dec. 250, 1979 Ill. App. LEXIS 3631 (Ill. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE SCOTT

delivered the opinion of the court:

Ricky L. Adkisson, the defendant, entered blind pleas of guilty in the circuit court of Knox County to two charges of attempt murder. Judgments of guilty were entered on the pleas and the defendant was sentenced to two concurrent terms of imprisonment of not less than 40 nor more than 50 years. From these convictions and sentences imposed thereon the defendant appeals.

On May 18, 1977, the defendant was charged by information with one count of rape and two counts of attempt murder. This court directs its attention to the attempt murder counts. One count charged the defendant with the intent to commit the offense of attempt murder, and he performed a substantial step toward the commission of that offense in that he stabbed Rebecca Ann Adkisson without legal justification and with intent to do great bodily harm to her. Another count charged the same offense, used the same language, but named a different victim, to-wit, Robin Ann Adkisson. Pursuant to a motion of the State, the informations on both attempt murder counts were amended by changing the words “with intent to do great bodily harm" to “with intent to kill or do great bodily harm.” These amendments were made on July 28, 1977.

At an arraignment on June 1,1977, the defendant entered pleas of not guilty as to the rape count and two attempt murder counts. On September 12,1977, the defendant by counsel asked to withdraw his not-guilty pleas to the attempt murder counts and in lieu thereof pleaded guilty to each of said counts. The trial court read each of these counts to the defendant and in response to an inquiry of the court stated that he understood with what he was charged. The defendant was then advised by the court that attempt murder was a Class 1 felony with a minimum sentence of four years and an indeterminate maximum term. The defendant again indicated that he wanted to plead guilty to both counts. The trial court further admonished defendant as to his right to trial and attendant rights and made the customary inquiries as to threats, force, coercion, and promises. Receiving satisfactory replies the trial court accepted the guilty pleas.

A factual basis for the attempt murder offenses was then requested by the court. The state’s attorney responded by stating that the evidence would disclose that the defendant was present at a house on Bandy Avenue in Galesburg at approximately 11 p.m. on May 17,1977, and that while there he stabbed his stepmother, Rebecca Adkisson, nine or ten times with a knife and with the intent to kill or do great bodily harm. Robin Adkisson heard her mother scream and tell her to get to a phone; that the defendant then stabbed Robin three times with intent to kill or do great bodily harm. Rebecca was hospitalized for her wounds but recovered. The defendant acknowledged that the account as set forth by the state’s attorney was substantially correct. The trial court then entered a finding of guilty as to the attempt murder count and ordered the dismissal of the rape count.

Subsequently the defendant was sentenced to the concurrent terms which we have previously referred to.

Several issues are raised in this appeal, the first of which is that the defendant was improperly admonished pursuant to the requirements of Supreme Court Rule 402 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 110A, par. 402).

In regard to this issue, it is the defendant’s argument that he was improperly admonished as to the nature of the charge against him in that the counts relating to attempt murder did not correctly describe the mental state which must be attributable to an accused for an offense.

The mental state described in the attempt murder counts and which was read to him by the court stated that he (the defendant) performed acts of stabbing “with intent to kill or do great bodily harm.” Presently the law is that a proper charge for attempt murder must allege that the accused had a specific intent to kill. It is no longer sufficient or correct to allege that the accused was possessed of a mental state to do great bodily harm. (People v. Trinkle (1977), 68 Ill. 2d 198, 369 N.E.2d 888; People v. Harris (1978), 72 Ill. 2d 16, 377 N.E.2d 28.) This court, however, in the instant case is concerned with the law as to the element of an accused’s mental state for the offense of attempt murder which was in esse on September 12,1977, which was the date the defendant pleaded guilty. On this particular date a charge for attempt murder was sufficient which alleged that an accused performed certain acts “knowing such acts created a strong probability of death or great bodily harm.” (See People v. Muir (1977), 67 Ill. 2d 86, 365 N.E.2d 332.) The law as set forth in Muir was overruled by our supreme court in the case of Trinkle on October 5, 1977, and a rehearing in Trinkle was denied on November 23, 1977. Examining the chronology of Muir, Trinkle and Harris, it is clear that at the time the attempt murder counts were drafted, amended, copies provided to the defendant and then read to him when he entered his pleas of guilty, that he was correctly charged and admonished as to the requisite mental state which should be attributed to an accused in order to sustain the charges.

The defendant, however, asserts that he was denied his constitutional right to the effective assistance of counsel during proceedings conducted subsequent to the time he entered his pleas of guilty.

In considering this broad assertion we direct our attention to one of the narrower issues upon which it is predicated. This issue is that defendant’s counsel in a motion to withdraw his client’s guilty pleas pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 604(d) (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 110A, par. 604(d)) failed to raise the issue of improper admonishments pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 402, to-wit, and, inter alia, the nature of the charge, potential penalties, and factual basis for the crime.

While these arguments of the defendant merit careful consideration this court will not consider them in the light of the defendant’s argument that he was denied effective assistance of counsel. The defendant was represented by an experienced public defender who did file a post-guilty plea motion and vigorously represented the defendant in the hearing on the same. The law as to the intent element necessary for an attempt murder conviction was for a time during the defendant’s court appearances in a state of flux. Error or oversight may have occurred to the prejudice of the defendant, but serious as this may have been, the record falls short of setting forth an omission of duty which would support a finding that defendant’s counsel provided incompetent representation.

This court is cognizant of the fact that in the defendant’s motions to withdraw his guilty pleas no grounds were set forth which pertained to Supreme Court Rule 402 admonishments (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 110A, par. 402). Does the failure to raise such grounds constitute a waiver as far as consideration by this court is concerned? We believe not, for we do not deem that the plain error rule (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 110A, par.

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Related

People v. Davis
582 N.E.2d 714 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1991)
People v. Bosworth
513 N.E.2d 1173 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1987)
People v. Adkisson
412 N.E.2d 1106 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1980)
People v. Adkisson
413 N.E.2d 1238 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1980)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
397 N.E.2d 922, 78 Ill. App. 3d 923, 34 Ill. Dec. 250, 1979 Ill. App. LEXIS 3631, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-adkisson-illappct-1979.