People v. Ike

286 N.E.2d 391, 7 Ill. App. 3d 75, 1972 Ill. App. LEXIS 2210
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedAugust 10, 1972
Docket71-272
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 286 N.E.2d 391 (People v. Ike) 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. Ike, 286 N.E.2d 391, 7 Ill. App. 3d 75, 1972 Ill. App. LEXIS 2210 (Ill. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE CREBS

delivered the opinion of the court:

In a jury trial in the Circuit Court of St. Clair County the defendant herein was convicted of armed robbery and attempted murder. He was sentenced to the penitentiary for concurrent terms of not less than 10 nor more than 20 years for armed robbery and not less than 15 nor more than 20 years for attempted murder. On this appeal he contends that identification procedures were impermissibly suggestive; that proof of the robbery count was insufficient; that the attempted murder conviction should be reversed because it was merely a part of the armed robbery and arose out of the same conduct; and finally, that the sentences were excessive.

At about 9:30 o’clock in the evening on January 16, 1971, the Ace High Liquor Store, located in St. Clair County, was robbed and the clerk in charge was shot. Virginia Mark testified that she and a stock boy were alone in the store when three men, all carrying guns, entered. One of them approached her at the cash register with gun drawn, and told her he wanted the money. After she opened the register to comply he added that he also wanted the change. When she reached below the counter to get a paper bag to put it in, he shot her in the neck from a distance of three or four feet. Identifying defendant as the one who shot her, she stated that the light in the store was excellent, better than in the court room, and that she was face to face with him for two or three minutes, and that she was positive of her identification. The stock boy testified that as the three armed men entered he heard one of them say, “This is a hold-up”. He was then ordered to he on the floor but he caught a glimpse of the man accosting Mrs. Mark at the register and he thought he resembled defendant.

At a hearing on a motion to suppress and at the trial it was brought out that Mrs. Mark had originally told the police that her attacker was a slender, light skinned Negro about six feet tall. She stated that he wore no disguise, no hat, and no sun-glasses. She believed his hair was a little bushy but she did not remember any scars, mustache, goatee, beard, or sideburns. However, she thought he may have had a little facial hair on his chin. One week following the incident, while she was still in the hospital, Mrs. Mark picked out defendant’s picture from a group of 10 or 11 pictures shown her by a detective; and then, two days later at home, she again picked out defendant’s picture from the same set of pictures with the exception that one persons picture was omitted and another substituted for it. One month later she attended a line-up and identified defendant from a group of five men of approximately the same height, age, and color of skin.

From these facts defendant argues that due to Mrs. Mark’s original vague description the subsequent police arranged photographic displays were improper, and that the line-up following the photographic procedures was unduly suggestive because by then she already knew defendant’s name. We find no support in the record for this argument, nor are defendants’ cited cases supportive of his position. In People v. Holiday, 47 Ill.2d 300, one witness was shown defendant’s picture alone and another witness was shown pictures only of defendant and his accomplice. The court held that in view of the meager evidence in the record as to the opportunity of the witnesses to observe the one who did the shooting, the quality and strength of the identification testimony, and the circumstances of the photographic showings, it was necessary to remand for an evidentiary hearing on the total circumstances involved. In People v. Magadanz, 126 Ill.App.2d 335, the court found no independent origin for the in-court identification of the accused other than the highly suggestive and improper “show-up” where the only view of the accused by the witness was in a room with a number of detectives. In People v. Kincy, 72 Ill.App.2d 419, the Court found the record barren of any testimony of any witness who had even seen the face of the perpetrator of the crime.

In contrast to the facts of these cases the eye witness here closely observed the defendant at very close range under excellent lighting conditions and for an appreciable period of time. One week later she twice picked out defendant’s picture from sets of 10 or 11 pictures without any intimation of police suggestion, and then again she identified him in a line-up made up ideally of five men similar in appearance. It is true that in the line-up each man was asked to state his name, but according to both the witness and the police officer this occurred only after she had identified the defendant. Based on the totality of circumstances, as required by Simmons v. United States, 390 U.S. 377, 88 S.Ct. 967, 19 L.Ed.2d 1247, we find no indication of any improper suggestive pre-trial procedures that might have given rise to a misidentification. To the contrary, and after full consideration of defendant’s alibi evidence, we conclude that evidence leads one to an abiding conviction of defendant’s guilt of attempted murder beyond a reasonable doubt. (See People v. Watkins, 3 Ill.App.3d 560.) We also reach the same conclusion on the robbery conviction, for even though there is no direct evidence of what money was taken the evidence is clear that at the demand of defendant Mrs. Mark did open the cash register; there was money in it for she was reaching for a paper bag in which to put it; and though she did not see him take it she testified she was sure it was taken. It is not essential to proof of robbery that a victim actually see the taking.

Next defendant contends that convictions for two offenses arising out of the same conduct can not stand; that since there is no evidence that the shooting and the armed robbery were independently motivated or otherwise separable the attempted murder must be reversed. Though not specificaUy argued, this contention is directed toward an interpretation of section 2 — 4 of the Criminal Code defining “conduct”, (Ill. Rev. Stat. ch. 38, par. 2 — 4), and section 1 — 7 (m) providing that a court may impose consecutive sentences for two or more offenses which did not result from the “same conduct”. Ill. Rev. Stat. ch. 38, par. 1 — 7 (m).

This issue has been before the courts of Illinois a number of times. Defendant cites People v. Stewart, 45 Ill.2d 310, in which the accused in attempting a robbery hit his victim and knocked out several of his teeth. He was convicted on separate counts of aggravated battery and attempted robbery, and the court reversed the former on the grounds that the battery was merely a part of the attempted robbery and defendant’s conduct was not separable. We take this to mean that under the facts of this particular case it was determined that force was an essential element to be shown in proving the offense of attempted robbery, and that, as such, the hitting was an integral and inseparable part of that crime. In other words, the same element of proof (force) was essential to both the robbery and battery. On this same theory multiple convictions have been disaUowed in a number of analogous incidents. (See e.g. People v. Scott, 43 Ill.2d 135, burglary with intent to commit theft — burglary with intent to commit rape — burglary with intent to commit deviate sexual conduct; People v. Duszkewycz, 27 Ill.2d 257, rape — incest; People v.

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Bluebook (online)
286 N.E.2d 391, 7 Ill. App. 3d 75, 1972 Ill. App. LEXIS 2210, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-ike-illappct-1972.