People v. Coleman

571 N.E.2d 1035, 212 Ill. App. 3d 997, 157 Ill. Dec. 16, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 632
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedApril 19, 1991
Docket1-89-0573
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 571 N.E.2d 1035 (People v. Coleman) 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. Coleman, 571 N.E.2d 1035, 212 Ill. App. 3d 997, 157 Ill. Dec. 16, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 632 (Ill. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

JUSTICE LaPORTA

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant, Melvin Coleman, was charged by indictment with 12 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, two counts of criminal sexual assault, one count of attempted murder, one count of aggravated battery, three counts of armed violence, three counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of unlawful restraint. Following a bench trial, defendant was convicted of all charges and was sentenced to a term of 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on 12 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and on one count of criminal sexual assault.

On appeal, defendant contends that (1) the trial judge abused his discretion in sentencing him without first conducting a sentencing hearing; (2) he was deprived of the right to a fair trial because defense counsel was not given an opportunity to make or waive closing argument; (3) the trial court erred in convicting and sentencing him on 12 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and on one count of criminal sexual assault where the evidence established that he committed only three acts of penetration; and (4) he was deprived of the right to due process where the trial judge considered his presentence investigation report prior to adjudicating the case on the merits.

The record reveals that defendant was arrested on December 28, 1985. A presentence investigation report was ordered on September 18, 1986, and was completed on October 6, 1986. On November 24, 1986, defendant was found unfit to stand trial and was remanded to the custody of Chester Mental Health Center of the Illinois Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. In February 1988 and again in March 1988, Robert A. Reifman, director of the Psychiatric Institute of the Circuit Court of Cook County, found that with medication, defendant was mentally fit for trial, and Reifman stated that in his opinion defendant was legally sane at the time of the alleged offense. In October 1988, Albert H. Stipes, staff psychiatrist for the Psychiatric Institute of the Circuit Court of Cook County, also found that, with medication, defendant was fit for trial, and Stipes stated that in his opinion defendant was legally sane at the time of the alleged offense. Defendant was tried on all charges on February 15, 1989.

The evidence adduced at trial established that on December 27, 1985, the complainant, then aged 46, was working as a cleaning woman and supervisor in the 100 North La Salle Building in Chicago, Hlinois. At approximately 5:30 p.m. that evening, after cleaning an office on the 23rd floor, complainant stepped out into the hallway and saw defendant standing near the elevators on that floor. Complainant summoned an elevator, but when it arrived, defendant stood in front of her, preventing her from entering it. Defendant then pulled a knife from his pocket and ordered complainant into a nearby restroom. Complainant screamed for help, and a struggle ensued during which complainant grabbed the- hand in which defendant held the knife, but he pulled it back and cut her hand. Complainant then wiped her hand on his light brown jacket. Defendant struck complainant on the head, causing her to fall down, and stabbed her in the back, abdomen, neck, and hands.

Thereafter, defendant forced complainant into the bathroom, locked the door, and while holding the knife, forced her to take off her clothes. Defendant ordered complainant to sit on the toilet and forced his penis into her mouth. He subsequently ordered her to lie facedown on the floor and unsuccessfully attempted to insert his penis into her vagina. He then ordered her to lie on her back, and he had sexual intercourse with her. Defendant threatened to kill complainant if she did not keep quiet. He subsequently got dressed and threatened to kill her if she left the room or called the police.

Defendant left the restroom, and complainant locked the door and remained inside until she heard the elevator arrive. When she walked out into the hallway, defendant yelled at her to go back or he would kill her. She went back into the restroom, locked the door, and waited until she heard the elevator open and close again. She then left the restroom, took the elevator to the lobby, and told a security guard that she had been raped by a black man. The security guard called the police, and when they arrived, complainant gave them a description of her assailant. The officers then took complainant to Henrotin Hospital for examination and treatment. They subsequently took her to the police station.

Defendant was arrested in a tavern at approximately 1 a.m. on the following morning. During the pat-down search incident to defendant’s arrest, Chicago police detective McMurdo recovered from defendant’s jacket pocket a serrated knife with stains on the handle and blade. The detective also recovered a pair of gloves, a beige jacket, and a white shirt with a plaid design. The jacket and shirt both had brownish-red stains on them.

At approximately 2 p.m. on December 28, 1985, complainant viewed a lineup and identified defendant as her assailant. Defendant was advised of his constitutional rights, interviewed by Chicago police sergeant Barnes and Assistant State’s Attorney Levy, and gave a statement. Defendant then signed the written summary of his statement prepared by Levy.

Defendant told Barnes and Levy that at about 6:30 p.m. on December 27, 1985, he was in a building near Wacker Drive and Wabash Avenue looking for an attorney. The attorney was not there, and defendant took a bus to a liquor store on Roosevelt and Wabash. There, he purchased from an unknown male, a coat, shirt, hat, and earmuffs for $5. It was dark, and defendant did not notice that there was blood on the jacket or shirt. He said that when he put the coat on, he found a steak knife in the pocket which he kept. Defendant stated that when the police originally stopped him, he had lied to them and told them he was eating a steak and spilled the juice on his shirt and jacket, and that was how the stains got there. He stated that the story he told the police earlier was a lie and that this statement was the truth.

The parties stipulated that complainant sustained multiple small puncture wounds by a knife on her left hand, on her chest, and on her back. A vaginal smear obtained from the complainant revealed the presence of spermatozoa, and extracts of fluid recovered from the floor of the washroom revealed human blood. Human blood was found on the knife, jacket, and shirt recovered from the defendant. The steak knife recovered from his pocket had a 41/2-inch blade with a serrated edge.

Defendant testified on his own behalf that on December 27, 1985, he was- unemployed, homeless, and receiving disability benefits because he suffered from dizziness and insomnia. During the three years between his arrest and trial, defendant received court-ordered psychiatric treatment because he initially had been found unfit to stand trial. Treating clinical psychologists and psychiatrists at the Chester Mental Health Center determined that defendant suffered from atypical bipolar disorder and antisocial personality disorder.

Defendant testified further that on the evening of December 27, 1985, he went to the building at 100 North La Salle in Chicago.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
571 N.E.2d 1035, 212 Ill. App. 3d 997, 157 Ill. Dec. 16, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 632, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-coleman-illappct-1991.