People v. Baker

2014 IL App (5th) 110492
Appellate Court of Illinois·Decided February 6, 2015·No. 5-11-0492·Unpublished

Opinion

NOTICE

2015 IL App (5th) 110492

Decision filed 02/06/15. The text of this decision may be NO. 5-11-0492 changed or corrected prior to the filing of a Petition for Rehearing or the disposition of IN THE the same.

APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS

FIFTH DISTRICT

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, ) Appeal from the ) Circuit Court of

Plaintiff-Appellee, ) Fayette County.

)

v. ) No. 10-CF-130 )

CLIFFORD W. BAKER, ) Honorable ) Michael D. McHaney, Defendant-Appellant. ) Judge, presiding.

PRESIDING JUSTICE CATES delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.

Justices Stewart and Moore 1 concurred in the judgment and opinion.

OPINION

¶1 I. INTRODUCTION

¶2 Following a jury trial, the defendant, Clifford W. Baker, was convicted of two counts of first degree murder and three counts of home invasion. He was sentenced to two mandatory terms of natural life in prison for the murders, and a term of 30 years for each of the home invasions, with one 30-year term to run consecutive to the sentences on

1 Justice Spomer was originally assigned to participate in this case. Justice Moore

was substituted on the panel subsequent to Justice Spomer's retirement and has read the briefs and listened to the tape of oral argument.

all other counts. Although the defendant was 15 years old at the time he committed the murders, he was tried as an adult in accordance with the automatic transfer provision in the Illinois Juvenile Court Act of 1987 (Juvenile Court Act) (705 ILCS 405/5-130(1)(a) (West 2010)). On appeal, the defendant challenges the constitutionality of the automatic transfer provision, the constitutionality of the sentencing scheme as applied to juvenile defendants, the propriety of certain procedural and evidentiary rulings by the trial court, and the effectiveness of his trial counsel. For the reasons to be stated, the defendant's mandatory natural life sentences for murder must be vacated and the cause must be remanded for a new sentencing hearing. We affirm in part, vacate in part, and remand with instructions.

¶3 II. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

¶4 On August 5, 2010, the 15-year-old defendant was charged by information with two counts of first degree murder, under section 9-1(a)(1) of the Criminal Code of 1961 (Code) (720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(1) (West 2010)). The charges arose from the shooting deaths of John Michael "Mike" Mahon and Debra H. Tish at their home in Farina, Illinois, on August 4, 2010. Count I alleged that the defendant shot Mike Mahon with a rifle, without lawful justification and with intent to kill him. Count II alleged that the defendant shot Debra Tish with a rifle, without lawful justification and with intent to kill her. The charges were filed in the circuit court pursuant to the automatic transfer provision in the Juvenile Court Act (705 ILCS 405/5-130(1)(a) (West 2010)).

¶5 On August 9, 2010, the State filed two additional counts of first degree murder arising from the deaths of Mike Mahon (count III) and Debra Tish (count IV), but those

counts were voluntarily dismissed before the case was given to the jury. The State also filed two counts of home invasion under section 12-11(a)(5) of the Code (720 ILCS 5/12- 11(a)(5) (West 2010)). Count V alleged that the defendant knowingly and without authority entered the Mahon-Tish home and intentionally caused injury to Mike Mahon. Count VI was identical to count V, but alleged injury to Debra Tish. In December 2010, the State added another count of home invasion (count VII) under section 12-11(a)(2) of the Code (720 ILCS 5/12-11(a)(2) (West 2010)). Count VII alleged that on August 4, 2010, the defendant knowingly and without authority entered the home of Steve Krajefska and Randy Krajefska and intentionally caused injury to Randy Krajefska.

¶6 A. The Commission of the Offenses

¶7 The basic facts regarding the offenses and the identity of the person who committed them were not disputed at trial. The primary issues in dispute were the defendant's mental capacity at the time he committed the offenses and the voluntariness of his confession. An overview of the evidence follows.

¶8 On August 4, 2010, at approximately 3:30 a.m., Steve Krajefska and his wife, Randy Krajefska, were awakened when someone walked through their bedroom and went into a bedroom closet. Randy switched on her bedside light and walked to the closet. When she was near the closet door, the intruder jumped up, punched her in the jaw, and cut her above her eyebrow with a knife. Randy, dazed by the attack, ran into the bathroom. As Steve stood on the opposite side of the bed, he recognized the intruder as the defendant, a teenager who lived in the neighborhood. The defendant, barefoot and clad only in shorts, was hunched over, as if in "attack mode." He was holding a butcher

knife. Steve ordered the defendant to drop the knife. The defendant lunged toward Steve and swiped at him with the knife, but missed the target. The defendant then exited the bedroom and ran from the house.

¶9 Steve called 911 immediately after the defendant left. While Steve was on the phone with the 911 operator, Randy noticed that the lights were on in the house of their next-door neighbors, Mike Mahon and Debra Tish, so she phoned them. No one answered. As Randy and Steve waited for the police, they saw the defendant walking down the road behind the home of Mike Mahon and Debra Tish and toward his own home. He was screaming. Steve described the scream as high-pitched, "like a woman" would make. Randy though it sounded like a "war whoop."

¶ 10 Two Fayette County sheriff's deputies, Steven Coody and Josh Wattles, were dispatched to investigate the reported home invasion at the residence of Steve and Randy Krajefska, in Loogootee, Illinois. Deputy Coody and Deputy Wattles were just outside Loogootee, when they were notified that the defendant had left the Krajefska residence and was last seen walking toward his home. They drove directly to the defendant's home. When Deputy Coody pulled into the driveway, he observed the defendant and the defendant's father standing inside the garage, yelling at each other. The defendant had a manual staple gun, and he was attempting to shoot staples into his neck and chest. As Deputy Coody approached the garage, the defendant pointed the staple gun at him. The defendant was grunting or growling and acting out of control. The defendant's father grappled with the defendant and snatched the staple gun from him. Deputy Coody then ordered the defendant to come out and place his hands on the patrol car. The defendant

did not comply. He continued to yell as he walked away. Deputy Coody ordered the defendant to turn around and place his hands on the patrol car. The defendant continued to walk the other way. Deputy Coody pulled out his Taser and fired, hitting the defendant in the back with a five-second burst. The defendant fell to the ground. He was handcuffed without a struggle. The deputies helped him to his feet and then conducted a pat-down search. They recovered a cigarette lighter, rolling papers, a bottle of "nitro" pills, and a cell phone. Deputy Coody called for an ambulance. He thought the defendant should be medically evaluated after being tasered.

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