People v. Humphrey

2020 IL App (1st) 172837, 169 N.E.3d 1078, 446 Ill. Dec. 221
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedAugust 14, 2020
Docket1-17-2837
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2020 IL App (1st) 172837 (People v. Humphrey) 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. Humphrey, 2020 IL App (1st) 172837, 169 N.E.3d 1078, 446 Ill. Dec. 221 (Ill. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

Digitally signed by Reporter of Decisions Reason: I attest to Illinois Official Reports the accuracy and integrity of this document Appellate Court Date: 2021.07.06 12:52:48 -05'00'

People v. Humphrey, 2020 IL App (1st) 172837

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

District & No. First District, Sixth Division No. 1-17-2837

Filed August 14, 2020

Decision Under Appeal from the Circuit Court of Cook County, No. 82-CR-00761; the Review Hon. James Michael Obbish, Judge, presiding.

Judgment Affirmed.

Counsel on James E. Chadd, Patricia Mysza, and Ashlee Johnson, of State Appeal Appellate Defender’s Office, of Chicago, for appellant.

Kimberly M. Foxx, State’s Attorney, of Chicago (Alan J. Spellberg, Annette Collins, and Ashlee Cuza, Assistant State’s Attorneys, of counsel), for the People.

Panel PRESIDING JUSTICE MIKVA delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Justices Connors and Harris concurred in the judgment and opinion. OPINION

¶1 Defendant, Fred Humphrey, appeals from the circuit court’s denial of his request for leave to file a successive petition for relief pursuant to the Post-Conviction Hearing Act (Act) (725 ILCS 5/122-1 et seq. (West 2016)). On appeal, Mr. Humphrey argues that this denial was in error because his claim that his natural-life sentence for offenses he committed at the age of 21 was unconstitutional pursuant to the eighth amendment of the federal constitution (U.S. Const., amend. VIII) and the proportionate penalties clause of the Illinois Constitution (Ill. Const. 1970, art. I, § 11) satisfied the cause-and-prejudice test. For the following reasons, we affirm.

¶2 I. BACKGROUND ¶3 Mr. Humphrey’s convictions stem from events occurring on January 8, 1982, when he— along with his codefendants Lydell White and Lawyer Pace—robbed Harrison Young outside of Mr. Young’s apartment. Mr. White and Mr. Pace both pleaded guilty prior to Mr. Humphrey’s trial and are not parties to this appeal. The facts outlined below are taken from Mr. Humphrey’s direct appeal unless otherwise noted. ¶4 The evidence at trial showed that, on January 8, 1982, Mr. Young was returning to his apartment when Mr. Humphrey, Mr. White, and Mr. Pace robbed him at gunpoint, taking his wallet and 11 cents. As they turned to go, Mr. Young asked for his identification cards back. The men then forced Mr. Young to let them into his apartment, where Mr. White proceeded to rob two individuals who lived with Mr. Young—Dorothy Gordon and Stanley Stinson—taking $130 from Mr. Stinson and 30 cents from Ms. Gordon. Mr. Pace forced Mr. Young into a bedroom, and eventually one of the men entered the room, wrapped a blanket around Mr. Young’s head, tied his feet and hands, and dragged him to the bathroom. Later, someone shoved a plastic bag into Mr. Young’s mouth, wrapped a second blanket around his head, and then shot him twice in the face. ¶5 Ms. Gordon was raped twice by Mr. Pace, once by Mr. Humphrey, and was shot in the side. Mr. Stinson was shot multiple times in the face. Before leaving the apartment, the men turned on the gas stove and extinguished the pilot light, leaving the victims inside. Mr. Young survived the incident, Ms. Gordon also survived but was paralyzed, and Mr. Stinson died from his wounds. ¶6 Mr. Pace turned himself in to the police approximately 10 hours after the incident. Mr. Humphrey was arrested soon after and eventually admitted his role in the incident, including raping Ms. Gordon. He also submitted a written statement confirming these events. When he testified at trial, however, while repeating much of his statement to the police, he denied raping Ms. Gordon. ¶7 The jury found Mr. Humphrey guilty of murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, home invasion, and rape. Prior to sentencing, the circuit court received a presentence social investigation report concerning Mr. Humphrey, which detailed, among other things, his education history, employment history, criminal background, and family background. Mr. Humphrey was adjudicated a delinquent in 1975 for armed robbery, in 1976 for possession of a sawed-off shotgun, and later that same year for murder. During the sentencing hearing, Mr. Humphrey argued in mitigation that he was only 15 and 16 at the time of the prior offenses and that he was “a product of the [Chicago Housing Authority].” He argued, “there is a lot of

-2- peer pressure on a young individual who has no money and is unable to do really much outside the boundaries of Cabrini-Green” and further noted that while he was incarcerated in the Juvenile Department of Corrections, “he had some adjustment problems, but around 1979 he started to make extremely good progress” and was released on parole in September 1980. Finally, Mr. Humphrey noted that he “didn’t initiate or instigate this series of events” or take part in any planning, but rather that “[t]he case against him is based on accountability.” Mr. Humphrey’s pastor also testified on his behalf at sentencing. ¶8 On December 9, 1982, the circuit court sentenced him to natural life in prison, reasoning: “All I can say is I s[aw] you during the trial. You have no remorse. You have no remorse even today, despite the fact that this is one of the most vicious killings, one of the vicious acts of cruelty of one man to another that I have ever seen in my thirteen years on the criminal bench. And I don’t see any possibility of you being rehabilitated *** as far as I am concerned, there is no hope for you. Therefore I am going to give you natural life. And I think that is the only way I am going to keep you out of hurting some more people.” ¶9 Mr. Humphrey appealed his conviction, and this court affirmed it on December 17, 1984. People v. Humphrey, No. 1-82-2999 (1984) (unpublished order under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 23). Thereafter, Mr. Humphrey filed his first postconviction petition, which the circuit court denied on January 24, 2002, and this court affirmed on March 30, 2004. People v. Humphrey, No. 1-02-0350 (2004) (unpublished order under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 23). ¶ 10 Mr. Humphrey filed his successive postconviction petition—the subject of this appeal— on May 15, 2017, arguing that the United States Supreme Court case Miller v. Alabama, 567 U.S. 460 (2012), and its Illinois progeny, specifically People v. House, 2015 IL App (1st) 110580, vacated, 2019 IL App (1st) 110580-B, and People v. Harris, 2018 IL 121932, rendered his natural-life sentence unconstitutional in light of his age at the time he committed the offenses. Mr. Humphrey requested a new sentencing hearing so his youth and attendant characteristics could be considered. ¶ 11 On September 15, 2017, the circuit court denied Mr. Humphrey’s motion for leave to file a successive postconviction petition. The circuit court distinguished House and Miller, stating Miller applied only to juveniles—those under 18—and House did not extend Miller to youthful offenders who were 21 or older at the time of their crimes. Specifically, the circuit court noted “the defendant in House was 19 years old whereas petitioner here was older and more developed at 21 years old [and] the House defendant merely served as a lookout” while Mr. Humphrey “actively participated in the events that day, including his rape of [Ms.] Gordon.” ¶ 12 Mr. Humphrey now appeals.

¶ 13 II. JURISDICTION ¶ 14 The circuit court denied Mr. Humphrey’s motion for leave to file a successive postconviction petition on September 15, 2017. Mr. Humphrey dated his notice of appeal October 8, 2017, and the envelope was postmarked October 11, 2017. The circuit court received his notice on October 17, 2017—32 days after the circuit court denied Mr. Humphrey’s motion for leave to file his petition.

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People v. Humphrey
2020 IL App (1st) 172837 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2020)

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Bluebook (online)
2020 IL App (1st) 172837, 169 N.E.3d 1078, 446 Ill. Dec. 221, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-humphrey-illappct-2020.