People v. Diaz

614 N.E.2d 268, 244 Ill. App. 3d 268, 185 Ill. Dec. 134, 1993 Ill. App. LEXIS 426
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMarch 29, 1993
Docket1-91-0552
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 614 N.E.2d 268 (People v. Diaz) 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. Diaz, 614 N.E.2d 268, 244 Ill. App. 3d 268, 185 Ill. Dec. 134, 1993 Ill. App. LEXIS 426 (Ill. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

JUSTICE O’CONNOR

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant Gilberto Diaz was charged by indictment with the offenses of armed violence, armed robbery, aggravated kidnapping, attempted aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated battery. Following a jury trial, defendant was acquitted of all charges except one count of aggravated battery (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1989, ch. 38, par. 12 — 4). Defendant was subsequently sentenced to 3V2 years’ imprisonment.

Defendant raises the following issues on appeal: (1) the aggravated battery issue instruction violated his constitutional rights under the Illinois and Federal Constitutions where it allowed the jury to return a general verdict of guilt for aggravated battery even though the jury may have disagreed over which of the instruction’s two alternative courses of conduct defendant committed; (2) improper prosecutorial comments during closing argument denied him a fair trial; and (3) the order of sentence and commitment should be amended to reflect his conviction by the jury of one count of aggravated battery, not two.

The events giving rise to defendant’s indictment allegedly occurred in the early morning hours of Sunday, May 6, 1990, and continued through Wednesday morning, May 9,1990.

J.W., the victim, testified that she and defendant had been romantically involved until April 1990. In the early morning hours of May 6, 1990, she and defendant happened to be at the same late-night tavern in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. Defendant attempted to speak with her, but she refused. When she left the tavern, defendant followed her into an alley, grabbed her and began beating her. Defendant also threatened her with a knife. Defendant dragged her up to his apartment.

Inside the apartment, defendant struck J.W. again, tore off her shirt, and threw her beside the bed. Defendant told her to take off her clothes, but she could not. Defendant told her to take a shower, which she did. Defendant gave her a towel, and took J.W. back to bed. She eventually fell asleep.

When J.W. awoke, it was light. Defendant refused to turn over her clothes so she could leave. J.W. remained at defendant’s apartment until Wednesday morning, May 9, 1990, when she found her clothes and slipped out of the apartment.

J.W. went to her mother’s apartment, and the police were contacted that afternoon. Defendant was arrested outside his apartment a short while later.

Defendant testified to a different series of events. In the late hours of May 5 and into the early hours of May 6, he admits seeing J.W. at a

tavern, but left alone to return home. J.W. was very drunk and arguing with some of defendant’s friends. She and defendant were still romantically involved, but seeing less of each other.

While at home, someone rang defendant’s front door bell, but he did not answer. A short while later, J.W. arrived at defendant’s apartment by way of the back porch. She had two black eyes. Defendant brought her some ice, and she took a shower. Afterwards, the two engaged in consensual sex, falling asleep at approximately 6 a.m. Defendant denied striking J.W., and claimed she voluntarily remained at his apartment until Wednesday morning.

Defendant was subsequently acquitted of all charges, including armed violence, but convicted of one count of aggravated battery. Defendant brings this appeal.

Defendant’s first allegation of error concerns the aggravated battery issue instruction with which the jury deliberated. This instruction is a modified version of the aggravated battery issue instruction provided within the Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions (IPI). The instruction provided:

“To sustain the charge of aggravated battery, the State must prove one of the following propositions:
(1) That the defendant intentionally and knowingly caused great bodily harm to [J.W.] or
(2) That the defendant knowingly and intentionally caused bodily harm to [J.W.] and used a deadly weapon.
If you find from your consideration of all the evidence that either one of these propositions has been proved beyond a reasonable doubt, you should find the defendant guilty.
If you find from your consideration of all the evidence that neither one of these propositions has not been proved beyond a reasonable doubt, you should find the defendant not guilty.”

See Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions, Criminal, Nos. 11.08, 11.10 (2d ed. 1981).

Defendant asserts that the above instruction permitted the jury to return a general guilty verdict of aggravated battery even though one or more jurors disagreed as to which alternative course of conduct defendant committed. Defendant accordingly asserts that his Federal and State constitutional rights of due process, jury trial and conviction by a unanimous jury were violated.

The State correctly responds that defendant has waived this issue for review. Neither at trial nor in his post-trial motion did defendant raise this issue. Defendant also failed to tender an alternative instruction. We agree, therefore, that the issue has been waived. (People v. Enoch (1988), 122 Ill. 2d 176, 522 N.E.2d 1124, cert. denied (1988), 488 U.S. 917, 102 L. Ed. 2d 263, 109 S. Ct. 274; People v. Travis (1988), 170 Ill. App. 3d 873, 525 N.E.2d 1137, appeal denied (1988), 122 Ill. 2d 590, 530 N.E.2d 260, cert. denied (1988), 489 U.S. 1024, 103 L. Ed. 2d 209, 109 S. Ct. 1149.) However, given the closely balanced nature of the case (as evidenced by the jury’s verdict), and that the alleged error involves defendant’s substantial rights (the taking of his liberty based on an alleged erroneous instruction), we will address the merits of the argument.

In People v. Travis (1988), 170 Ill. App. 3d 873, 525 N.E.2d 1137, this court addressed a similar allegation of error within the context of a murder issue instruction. The instruction there allowed the defendant to be convicted of murder as a principal or under an accountability theory based on three different states of mind (intent, knowledge or knowledge plus strong probability) or by defendant’s commission of one of three felonies (residential burglary, home invasion or aggravated criminal sexual assault). (Travis, 170 Ill. App. 3d at 888-89.) Defendant there contended that, under the instruction, he could have been convicted of murder under a general verdict even though the jury may not have unanimously agreed as to whether guilt was direct or vicarious, whether defendant or his “agent” possessed one of the requisite states of mind, or whether defendant committed one of three different felonies.

Travis rejected the argument the defendant there presented.

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Bluebook (online)
614 N.E.2d 268, 244 Ill. App. 3d 268, 185 Ill. Dec. 134, 1993 Ill. App. LEXIS 426, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-diaz-illappct-1993.