People v. Lyles

567 N.E.2d 396, 208 Ill. App. 3d 370, 153 Ill. Dec. 438, 1990 Ill. App. LEXIS 1941
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedDecember 27, 1990
Docket1-87-1207
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 567 N.E.2d 396 (People v. Lyles) 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. Lyles, 567 N.E.2d 396, 208 Ill. App. 3d 370, 153 Ill. Dec. 438, 1990 Ill. App. LEXIS 1941 (Ill. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

JUSTICE JOHNSON

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant, Enice Lyles, was charged with murder (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 38, par. 9 — 1) in a three-count indictment as to Mary (Nichols) Thigpen and her two sons, Robert and Roderick Nichols. After a jury trial, defendant was found guilty of the murders of Robert and Roderick Nichols, and of voluntary manslaughter (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1977, ch. 38, par. 9 — 2) as to Ms. Thigpen. Defendant was sentenced to death for murder of the two boys and to 14 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the voluntary manslaughter of Ms. Thigpen. The Illinois Supreme Court vacated the judgment and remanded the cause for resentencing. Defendant was resentenced to a term of natural life imprisonment without parole for the two murders.

On appeal, defendant challenges the jury selection process at the original trial. Defendant claims that his case must be remanded because the prosecution exercised its peremptory challenges in a racially discriminatory manner in violation of the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment. The People maintain that a remand of defendant’s claim is barred by the preclusion doctrine of law of the case, and by other such laws and doctrines where the Illinois Supreme Court has found that defendant failed to establish a case of purposeful exclusion in jury selection.

We affirm.

Background

Defendant was charged in 1978 with the murders of Mary Thigpen and her two sons. Jury selection for the trial began on May 26, 1982. The People exercised 12 peremptory challenges to remove 12 African-American venirepersons during the voir dire. After all of the selected jurors were sworn, defendant, through his counsel, moved for a mistrial alleging that he would be denied a fair trial because the State systematically exercised its peremptory challenges to exclude blacks from the jury. In support of his motion, defendant entered into the record the names of the 12 African-American venirepersons whom the People excluded.

The trial court denied defendant’s motion. The trial court also made the following four findings: (1) the assistant State’s Attorney tendered four African-American venirepersons to defendant; (2) the People did not exclude black potential jurors on the basis of their race; (3) there were legitimate reasons for excluding six of the black venirepersons; and (4) the State exercised its challenges in an “honorable manner.” Finally, the court found defendant guilty of murder and voluntary manslaughter.

Defendant was granted a bifurcated sentencing hearing before the same jury. On July 22, 1982, defendant was sentenced to death for the murders, and 14 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for voluntary manslaughter. The sentence was stayed pending direct appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court. Ill. Const. 1970, art. VI, §4(b); 87 Ill. 2d Rules 603, 609(a).

Defendant appealed directly to the Illinois Supreme Court and asked the court to vacate the judgment. Defendant also raised the jury selection issue. Defendant argued that he did not receive a fair trial due to the People’s discriminatory use of peremptory challenges. The court held that defendant failed to show that the State purposefully excluded African-American venirepersons. (People v. Lyles (1985), 106 Ill. 2d 373, 392-93, cert. denied (1985), 474 U.S. 859, 88 L. Ed. 2d 141, 106 S. Ct. 171.) The court found that 11 of the 12 venirepersons excluded were challenged for acceptable reasons and that the challenges had not been exercised solely on the basis of race. (See Lyles, 106 Ill. 2d at 395.) The court noted that nine of the venirepersons had been convicted or accused of a serious crime, or knew someone who had been. The Illinois Supreme Court also vacated the death penalty and remanded the cause for a new sentencing hearing.

On March 23, 1987, defendant was resentenced to a term of natural life without parole for the two murders. Prior to defendant’s second sentencing hearing, the United States Supreme Court decided Batson v. Kentucky (1986), 476 U.S. 79, 90 L. Ed. 2d 69, 106 S. Ct. 1712.

Opinion

Defendant contends that he is entitled to have his case remanded for a full hearing pursuant to Batson v. Kentucky (1986), 476 U.S. 79, 90 L. Ed. 2d 69, 106 S. Ct. 1712. Defendant asserts that he is entitled to a Batson hearing even though he was convicted prior to Batson, because Batson is applicable retroactively to all cases pending on direct appeal or not yet final at the time that Batson was announced. Defendant relies upon Griffith v. Kentucky (1987), 479 U.S. 314, 93 L. Ed. 2d 649, 107 S. Ct. 708. The People maintain that the doctrine of the law of the case precludes this court from remanding the cause where the Illinois Supreme Court reached a conclusion upon the issue in an earlier appeal.

The United States Supreme Court has held that the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment prohibits a prosecutor from exercising peremptory challenges to dismiss potential jurors solely on account of their race. (Batson, 476 U.S. at 89, 90 L. Ed. 2d at 83, 106 S. Ct. at 1719.) The Court mandated that where a defendant objects to the use of peremptory challenges, his cause must be remanded to the trial court for a Batson hearing, where he will have an opportunity to establish a prima facie case of discrimination.

A prima facie case of discrimination may be established in the following manner:

“[Defendant first must show that he is a member of a cognizable racial group, [citation], and that the prosecutor has exercised peremptory challenges to remove from the venire members of the defendant’s race. Second, the defendant is entitled to rely on the fact, as to which there can be no dispute, that peremptory challenges constitute a jury selection practice that permits ‘those to discriminate who are of a mind to discriminate.’ .[Citation.] Finally, the defendant must show that these facts and any other relevant circumstances raise an inference that the prosecutor used that practice to exclude the veniremen from the petit jury on account of their race.” (Batson, 476 U.S. at 96, 90 L. Ed. 2d at 87-88, 106 S. Ct. at 1723.)

“However, as a general rule, the mere number of black venire members peremptorily challenged, without more, will not establish a prima facie case of discrimination.” People v. Garrett (1990), 139 Ill. 2d 189, 203.

Once a defendant shows a prima facie case of purposeful discrimination, the burden shifts to the State to articulate neutral reasons for challenging black venirepersons. (Batson, 476 U.S. at 97, 90 L. Ed. 2d at 88, 106 S. Ct. at 1723.) The trial court will then determine whether the defendant has established a case of purposeful discrimination. (Batson, 476 U.S. at 98, 90 L. Ed. 2d at 88-89, 106 S. Ct. at 1723-24.) “In deciding whether the defendant has made the requisite showing, the trial court should consider all relevant circumstances.” (Batson, 476 U.S. at 96-97, 90 L. Ed. 2d at 88, 106 S. Ct. at 1723.) In People v. Hooper (1989), 133 Ill. 2d 469, the court stated:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
567 N.E.2d 396, 208 Ill. App. 3d 370, 153 Ill. Dec. 438, 1990 Ill. App. LEXIS 1941, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-lyles-illappct-1990.