People v. Bickham

350 N.E.2d 351, 39 Ill. App. 3d 358, 1976 Ill. App. LEXIS 2577
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 10, 1976
Docket75-157
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 350 N.E.2d 351 (People v. Bickham) 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. Bickham, 350 N.E.2d 351, 39 Ill. App. 3d 358, 1976 Ill. App. LEXIS 2577 (Ill. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE EBERSPACHER

delivered the opinion of the court:

The State appeals from the circuit court of Randolph County’s dismissal of a murder indictment against the defendant, Sidney Bickham, for want of prosecution under section 103 — 5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 (Ill. Rev. Stat., ch. 38, 103 — 5).

This case involves a complex factual situation; this is the second time it has come before us on appeal. The defendant was at all times a prison inmate. He was charged with murder after taking a knife from the inmates’ kitchen, walking into the prisoners’ dining room, and attacking three prison inmates, killing one of them and seriously wounding the other two.

In the first proceedings, defendant plead guilty to the murder. Certain aspects of the defendant’s behavior seemed irrational at the time of trial. Despite requests from the defendant’s attorney that an inquiry be conducted to determine whether the defendant was sane, the court refused to order the defendant examined.

The issue of the propriety of the court’s failure to order a fitness investigation was presented to this court in People v. Bickham, 13 Ill. App. 3d 857, 301 N.E.2d 172. This court ruled that the trial court erred in not ordering a sanity hearing. The judgment was reversed, and the cause was remanded with directions that the plea be stricken and that further proceedings be had consistent with the opinion. From that finding, the People filed a petition in the Illinois Supreme Court for leave to appeal. The petition was denied on February 22, 1974.

At all times mentioned, the defendant was in custody in the State prison at Menard under sentence for another crime.

A writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum was filed by the People, and an order entered on March 14, 1974. On April 2, 1974 (39th day) Edward Fisher was appointed to represent the defendant. Defendant’s attorney visited the defendant several times after that appointment at the prison. Based on the interviews, the attorney for defendant decided that defendant would not require a hearing to determine the defendant’s fitness to stand trial. This was communicated to the People, and on May 30, 1974, the People moved for the appointment of qualified experts to examine the defendant and for a hearing to determine his competency. (May 30 was the 97th day since the February 22,1974, order of denial of leave to appeal.)

The motion was granted on June 10, 1974 (108th day). The defendant refused to be examined by an expert appointed by the court without further consultation with his lawyer.

On October 11, 1974, the defendant moved that he be discharged for failure to prosecute within the 120-day limit set by section 103 — 5(d) of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 103 — 5(d)).

The argument of the defendant was that the “Motion for Fitness Hearing and Appointment of Qualified Expert” filed by the People ostensibly under section 5 — 2—1 of the Unified Code of Corrections (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 1005 — 2—1) was made for purposes of delay only, and did not present a bona fide doubt as to the defendant’s fitness, and that the delay resulting from the State’s action was both arbitrary and capricious.

The trial court agreed with the defendant’s position, and ordered the indictment dismissed for failure to prosecute in a timely fashion. The People have appealed that decision, and argued that the trial court abused its discretion. We agree with the appellant.

Section 103 — 5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 103 — 5) provides as follows:

“(a) Every person in custody in this State for an alleged offense shall be tried by the court having jurisdiction within 120 days from the date he was taken into custody unless delay is occasioned by the defendant, by an examination for competency ordered pursuant to Section 104 — 2 of this Act, by a competency hearing, by an adjudication of incompetency for trial, by a continuance allowed pursuant to Section 114 — 4 of this Act after a court’s determination of the defendant’s physical incapacity for trial, or by an interlocutory appeal.
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(d) Every person not tried in accordance with subsections (a), (b) and (c) of this Section shall be discharged from custody or released from the obligations of his bail or recognizance.”

Section 104 — 2 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 (Ill. Rev. Stat., ch. 38, par. 104 — 2) was repealed by Public Act 77-2097, effective January 1, 1973. It was replaced by section 5 — 2—1 of the Unified Code of Corrections (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 1005 — 2—1). It is clear that the intent of the legislature was that proceedings under section 5 — 2—1 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 1005 — 2—1) would operate to toll the running of the statutory period of section 103 — 5(a) of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 (111. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 103 — 5(a)) even though the legislature did not amend that paragraph to reflect the repeal of section 104 — 2. See Council Commentary, Ill. Ann. Stat., ch. 38, §1005 — 2—1 (Smith-Hurd 1973); People v. Gibson, (1st Dist. 1974), 21 Ill. App. 3d 692, 315 N.E.2d 557, 558-60.

Section 5 — 2—1 of the Unified Code of Corrections (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 1005 — 2—1) provides in material part as follows:

“(b) The question of the defendant’s fitness maybe raised before trial or during trial. The question of the defendant’s fitness to be sentenced may bé raised after judgment but before sentence. In either case the question of fitness may be raised by the State, the defendant or the Court.
(c) When a bona fide doubt of the defendant’s fitness to stand trial or be sentenced is raised, the court shall order that a determination of that question be made before further proceedings.
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(g) If requested by the State or defendant, the court shall appoint a qualified expert or experts to examine the defendant and testify regarding his fitness. The court shall enter an order on the county board to pay the expert or experts.

Whether or not a psychiatric examination and hearing which will result in delay when applied for should be granted is in the discretion of the trial court. In People v. Benson, (1960), 19 Ill. 2d 50, 55, 166 N.E.2d 80 at 83, the court stated:

“Considering the demands of due process, as outlined in People v. Burson, 11 Ill.

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Related

People v. Bailey
490 N.E.2d 1334 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1986)
People v. Sonntag
470 N.E.2d 631 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1984)
People v. Cole
383 N.E.2d 613 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1978)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
350 N.E.2d 351, 39 Ill. App. 3d 358, 1976 Ill. App. LEXIS 2577, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-bickham-illappct-1976.