People v. Carter

407 N.E.2d 584, 85 Ill. App. 3d 818, 41 Ill. Dec. 86, 1980 Ill. App. LEXIS 3138
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 9, 1980
Docket77-1234, 79-597 cons.
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 407 N.E.2d 584 (People v. Carter) 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. Carter, 407 N.E.2d 584, 85 Ill. App. 3d 818, 41 Ill. Dec. 86, 1980 Ill. App. LEXIS 3138 (Ill. Ct. App. 1980).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE O’CONNOR

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant Herman Carter was charged with aggravated battery. At the conclusion of the first trial, defendant’s motion for a new trial was granted. On the second trial, defendant was found guilty of four counts of aggravated battery and sentenced to a term of two to six years, from which he appeals. Defendant’s pro se post-conviction petition was dismissed and he also appeals from that dismissal. In his appeal from his conviction he contends (1) defense counsel’s frivolous attitude and failure effectively to represent defendant denied defendant able assistance of counsel, and (2) the sentence imposed upon defendant was improper because it was a penalty for refusing to admit guilt. In his appeal from the dismissal of his pro se petition, he contends that the trial court improperly dismissed the petition before defendant’s court-appointed counsel had an opportunity to read the trial transcript or prepare an amended petition.

Edward Askew testified that on August 19, 1975, he was in the vicinity of 110th Street in Chicago, Illinois, playing a game known as “Kings Corner” with four other people. During this game, defendant approached to within two or three feet of Askew and his companions. Defendant asked the group if they wanted to shoot dice. Askew replied, “No.” On cross-examination, Askew testified that it was Ernest Coleman who asked the group if they wanted to shoot craps and defendant was carrying a pistol at this point. Defendant was with Sherman Carter, who put his finger in Lucius Bums’ nose, asking defendant if “[Bums] was the one.” Frank Carter approached with a pistol in his pants and sáid, “these not the ones.” The Carters then left and went down an alley, out of the view of Askew and his companions. Askew then went and sat on the porch of the house located at 17 West 110th Street with Lucius Bums, Vanessa Lewis, Fred Jones and Shirley Smith. None of the group sitting on the porch with Askew had a weapon.

Between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., Askew again saw defendant. Defendant was then standing in the street, cursing and “hollering ‘Black P. Stones’ ” and about being from the west side. Askew and his friends did not make any comment to defendant. Defendant was in the street for about five or 10 minutes. During that time, Sherman Carter threw a bottle. While defendant was in the street, Askew noticed between five and seven other people standing on the porch across the street from where Askew was sitting, and when defendant finished talking he and the other people went into Frank Carter’s house. Askew then saw five or six people come out of the house across the street and noticed defendant holding something with his hand and arm along the side of his body. Askew watched defendant come down the porch stairs to stand in front of the bushes, while the others remained on the porch. Defendant squatted in front of the bushes and Askew next saw a flash of light and heard a loud blast. Askew and the others with him on the porch started running. All were running in the same direction and then Askew heard another shot, a shot which was softer than the first shot, also fired from the other side of the street. After about a block, Askew and his companions stopped running. Askew noticed Jones, Burns and Smith were bleeding and he had been shot in the chest. Askew and his companions then met a police car and were taken to the hospital.

On cross-examination, Askew admitted to signing a document charging Steven Sneed, a defendant at the previous trial, with the offense of aggravated battery by firing a shotgun at him. Askew testified that he did not know the names of defendant or his co-defendants when he signed the complaint. Askew had had no courses in criminal law and knew nothing about the law of accountability of other people for the acts of the people that actually carry out the crime. Askew further testified that the street lights were on near the porch where he was sitting and he could distinguish the faces of persons in the bushes from where he sat on the porch.

On redirect examination, Askew testified that he had identified defendant as the assailant at the police station on August 19,1975. He also stated that he had viewed defendant from a distance of from two to three feet earlier in the evening, prior to the shooting.

Lucius Bums testified and substantially corroborated Askew as to the shooting. Burns also testified that after the conversation in which defendant asked Frank Carter if Bums was the one, defendant and the people with him got into a car. Burns later saw defendant and the other people in the car when he was standing on the porch of the house located at 17 West 110th Street. The car stopped near a man named Glen Greenleaf, who was on foot. Coleman alighted from the car and fired two shots at Greenleaf. Coleman then got back into the car and the car was driven to the back of Frank Carter’s house. The people from the car, including defendant, came to the front of the house. Defendant went to the middle of the street and addressed Bums and those that were with Burns. Defendant said, “I’m from the west side and you should be afraid,” “Come on in the streets and fight head up, M. F.,” “I’m gonna get y’all for messing with my brother,” “Let’s go head up and fight,” “We got ours. Why don’t you get yours?” The people on the porch at 17 West 110th Street did not say anything to defendant, but just sat and listened.

Burns admitted to signing a complaint against Steven Sneed alleging that Sneed fired the shotgun at him, but that he knew nothing about the law of criminal conspiracy or accountability. Bums also indicated that in July 1976, while talking with the Assistant State’s Attorney preparing the case, he did not know who had the shotgun and that he was relying on the testimony of Edward -Askew and Fred Jones for certain information.

Bums’ and Askew’s testimony as to the shooting was substantially corroborated by Shirley Smith and Fred Jones.

Chicago police officer David Dalponte testified that on August 19, 1975, he was with Officers Cornfield and Fitzmorris serving a search warrant at 10935 South State Street. At about 9:30 p.m., he heard a sound resembling a shotgun blast while they were at the rear of the building at 10935 South State Street. They ran between buildings to the front of the building. When they were east of State Street a half block north of 110th Street, they saw five young men run from an alley west of State Street and get into a car parked on 109th Place. Officer Dalponte and the other officers stopped the car as it pulled away from the curb. There were two people in the front seat of the car and three people in the rear seat. The occupants left the car, with defendant leaving from the rear on the right side of the car. Officer Cornfield found a shotgun in the rear on the right side of the car and a .32 caliber revolver on the front seat. Officer Dalponte testified that he inspected the shotgun by opening it and noticed it had been fired, because the gun was still warm and smelled of gunpowder. He also inspected the revolver by opening the cylinder and noticed that there were one live and four spent cartridges inside. He noticed the revolver felt warm also. Both weapons were taken to the police station and inventoried and then sent" to police headquarters for storage.

Chicago Police Officer James Fitzmorris’ testimony was substantially the same as that of Officer Dalponte.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
407 N.E.2d 584, 85 Ill. App. 3d 818, 41 Ill. Dec. 86, 1980 Ill. App. LEXIS 3138, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-carter-illappct-1980.