People v. Daniel

2014 IL App (1st) 121171
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMay 22, 2014
Docket1-12-1171
StatusUnpublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2014 IL App (1st) 121171 (People v. Daniel) 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.

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People v. Daniel, 2014 IL App (1st) 121171 (Ill. Ct. App. 2014).

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People v. Daniel, 2014 IL App (1st) 121171

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Appellate Court ASHTON DANIEL, Defendant-Appellant. Caption

District & No. First District, Fourth Division Docket No. 1-12-1171

Filed May 22, 2014

Held Defendant’s armed robbery conviction was affirmed where the (Note: This syllabus identification procedures were not unduly suggestive, his guilt was constitutes no part of the established beyond a reasonable doubt, and the prosecution’s opening opinion of the court but statement and closing argument were not improper or prejudicial; has been prepared by the further, defendant’s sentence to 34 years’ imprisonment was not an Reporter of Decisions abuse of discretion, the trial court’s error in instructing the jury on for the convenience of armed robbery with a dangerous weapon rather than armed robbery the reader.) with a firearm was forfeited and did not rise to the level of plain error, and the Apprendi error that occurred when defendant’s use of a firearm during the armed robbery was not submitted to the jury when it was used to enhance his sentence was also forfeited and did not constitute plain error; however, defendant’s conviction for unlawful restraint arising from the same incident as the armed robbery was vacated pursuant to the one-act, one-crime doctrine.

Decision Under Appeal from the Circuit Court of Cook County, No. 10-CR-15889; the Review Hon. Nicholas Ford, Judge, presiding.

Judgment Affirmed in part and vacated in part. Counsel on Michael J. Pelletier, Alan D. Goldberg, Lindsey J. Anderson, and S. Appeal Emily Hartman, all of State Appellate Defender’s Office, of Chicago, for appellant.

Anita M. Alvarez, State’s Attorney, of Chicago (Alan J. Spellberg, Michelle Katz, Kathleen Warnick, and Susanna Bucaro, Assistant State’s Attorneys, of counsel), for the People.

Panel JUSTICE EPSTEIN delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Justices Fitzgerald Smith and Lavin concurred in the judgment and opinion.

OPINION

¶1 Following a jury trial, defendant Ashton Daniel was convicted of armed robbery and aggravated unlawful restraint and sentenced to concurrent 34- and 5-year prison terms. His convictions stem from the May 28, 2010, robbery of Ayoob Shafi’s store. Defendant raises eight issues on appeal: (1) the photo array and lineup identification procedures were unduly suggestive; (2) the State failed to prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt; (3) the State made improper and prejudicial comments during opening statement and closing argument; (4) his sentence is excessive; (5) his aggravated unlawful restraint conviction violates the one-act, one-crime doctrine; (6) the jury was not properly instructed regarding armed robbery with a firearm; (7) the jury did not make the requisite finding to support a 15-year firearm enhancement; and (8) he was improperly assessed a $200 DNA indexing fee. We vacate defendant’s aggravated unlawful restraint conviction, because it was carved from the same physical acts as his armed robbery conviction. We also vacate his $200 DNA indexing fee under People v. Marshall, 242 Ill. 2d 285 (2011), because defendant’s DNA was previously obtained and indexed. We otherwise affirm defendant’s conviction and sentence.

¶2 BACKGROUND ¶3 Shafi and Naveed Khan were working in the rear office of Shafi’s South Side Health Food Store at 8609 South Cottage Grove Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. At approximately 3:20 p.m., Shafi met a customer at the front counter and agreed to check his Link card balance.1 After Shafi swiped the card, the man drew a gun and demanded money. Shafi removed money from his cash register, but the man ordered Shafi to lie on the ground, threatened to shoot him, and removed additional money from the register. At this point, a second offender entered the store. The first man ordered Shafi to crawl to the back of the store and kicked and

“A Link card is a public aid card that gives an individual a certain amount of cash and food 1

stamps.” People v. Sterling, 357 Ill. App. 3d 235, 239 (2005). -2- beat him along the way. He demanded more money, and Shafi relinquished his wallet. The man placed his gun in Shafi’s mouth and said that he would shoot if Shafi talked. The offenders then broke down the door to the rear office and discovered Khan. While they threatened Khan, Shafi quickly exited through the front door. The two men briefly chased Shafi, but soon fled the scene, absconding with between $450 and $500. The offender left his Link card in Shafi’s store. ¶4 Shafi described the offender to police as a 5-foot-7-inch, 200- or 210-pound, dark-skinned black male between 20 and 25 years old and told Detective Mark Pacelli that he had previously seen the man in his store. Pacelli also learned that the Link card belonged to defendant and had been used on May 12, 2010–nearly two weeks before the offense. He also learned defendant had reported the Link card stolen on June 10, 2010–nearly two weeks after the offense. Shafi provided Pacelli with surveillance footage from both May 12 and May 28, 2010. ¶5 On June 16, 2010, Shafi identified defendant in a photo array, stating that “the gentleman in picture number 2 looked like the offender, but he could not be a hundred percent certain from the photograph” and “would need to see the individual in person to make the identification.” On August 22, 2010, following defendant’s arrest for an unrelated offense, Shafi identified defendant in a five-person lineup. Khan did not view the lineup, because it was a religious holiday. ¶6 Prior to trial, defendant moved to suppress Shafi’s identification. At the hearing on the motion, the parties stipulated that Shafi described the offender as a black male, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, 200 to 210 pounds, and between 20 and 25 years old. The parties further stipulated that Shafi viewed a photo array on June 16, 2010, and identified defendant, but stated that “he could not be certain from the picture” and “would need to see the offender in person.” Shafi subsequently viewed a lineup and identified defendant. Defendant argued that the identification procedure was unduly suggestive, where he was the only person in both the photo array and the lineup. The trial court denied defendant’s motion, and the case proceeded to trial. ¶7 Shafi and Khan identified defendant at trial. In addition to presenting the testimony of Shafi, Khan, and several police officers, the State admitted photographs of the scene and Shafi’s injuries; surveillance footage from May 28, 2010; still photographs taken from the May 12 and May 28, 2010, surveillance videos; a copy of the June 16, 2010, photo array; and a photograph of the August 22, 2010 lineup. Defendant presented no evidence. The jury found defendant guilty of armed robbery and aggravated unlawful restraint. Defendant was sentenced to concurrent terms of 34 and 5 years’ imprisonment. He timely appealed.

¶8 ANALYSIS ¶9 Identification Procedures ¶ 10 Defendant argues that Shafi’s pretrial and in-court identifications were tainted by improper identification procedures and must be suppressed. According to defendant, Shafi’s identification three months after the offense was based, not on his independent recollection,

-3- but on the May 12, 2010, surveillance footage that police improperly encouraged Shafi to view. Defendant further argues that he was dissimilar to the other subjects in the photo array, and he was the only subject in common between the photo array and lineup. The State responds that the identification procedures were proper, and Shafi identified defendant because he had seen defendant in his store on previous occasions and had ample opportunity to observe him during the offense. We hold that the identification procedures here were not impermissibly suggestive.

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People v. Daniel
2014 IL App (1st) 121171 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2014)

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2014 IL App (1st) 121171, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-daniel-illappct-2014.