People v. Okoro

2022 IL App (1st) 201254, 208 N.E.3d 1084, 463 Ill. Dec. 16
Appellate Court of Illinois·Decided March 31, 2022·No. 1-20-1254·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

2022 IL App (1st) 201254

SIXTH DIVISION

Filing Date March 31, 2022

No. 1-20-1254

IN THE

APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, )

) Appeal from the

Plaintiff-Appellee, ) Circuit Court of ) Cook County.

v. )

) No. 19 CR 9703

IFEANYI OKORO, )

) The Honorable

Defendant-Appellant. ) Charles Burns, ) Judge, Presiding.

JUSTICE ODEN JOHNSON delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.

Justice Mikva concurred in the judgment and opinion.

Presiding Justice Pierce dissented, with opinion.

OPINION

¶1 Following a jury trial, defendant Ifeanyi Okoro was found guilty of home invasion, attempted criminal sexual assault, robbery, and unlawful restraint. He was sentenced to concurrent sentences of 11 years for home invasion, seven years for robbery, and seven years for attempted criminal sexual assault. On appeal, defendant contends that: (1) his rights under the grand jury clause of the fifth amendment were violated because the evidence at trial and the jury instructions constructively amended the indictment and (2) he was denied his constitutional right to cross

examine the complainant (A.B.) and present his theory of defense. For the following reasons, we affirm.

¶2 I. BACKGROUND

¶3 The circumstances that led to defendant’s June 20, 2019, arrest arise from events that occurred on the morning of May 12, 2019, after defendant gave complainant a ride home. Defendant was later charged by indictment with home invasion, attempted criminal sexual assault and robbery. The home invasion charge specifically alleged that defendant “entered” A.B.’s apartment without authority, and that defendant’s conduct violated 720 ILCS 5/19-6(a)(2) (West 2018).

¶4 On September 3, 2019, the State filed a motion in limine asking that defendant “be precluded from introducing any evidence of the past sexual conduct of the victim” and asserted that such evidence was barred by the rape shield statute, codified coat 725 ILCS 5/115-7 (West 2018). A hearing was held on the motion on September 10, 2019, at which time the following exchange took place:

“THE COURT: Correct me if I am wrong, Mr. Crone, but you’re asking that any prior sexual conduct, activity between the victim and unrelated -- individuals unrelated to this defendant would be barred.

MR. CRONE [(ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY)]: Correct.

MR. RYAN KOSZTYA [(DEFENSE COUNSEL)]: No issue as to that.

However, if I may, indulge me for a second. Four police officers arrive to the scene after the alleged incident. All four police officers have body cams on. Videos at length. She blurts out about an hour and a half in, ballpark time, I have been raped before. No detail, no follow-up question. No further elaboration whatsoever. Just I have been raped before.

THE COURT: What’s your position on that?

MR. CRONE: I would seek that not be [sic] allowed. In fact, be excised from any video that is played as it goes directly to prior sexual conduct of the victim.

THE COURT: Are you saying it should be admissible, [defense] counsel?

MR. KOSZTYA: I should be able to potentially use it and indulge me. The allegation is that after my client was in her condominium unit, he used the bathroom, was purported in the bathroom for 90 seconds. And then the allegation is he essentially started to attack her.

My client’s defense is going to be generally stated I did no such thing. I exited the bathroom and as soon as I got out of the bathroom she started yelling, screaming, carrying on at me. And I didn’t know what happened. Like she had changed from night and day. I want to be able to postulate potentially or at least I want the opportunity to do so, I don’t know if I am going to do so, that based on whatever experience she had with that that she volunteered to the police officers, there was something when my client walked out of the bathroom without any contact, without anything more that triggered an emotional reaction from her.

I want to be able to potentially at least have the door open to touch on it.

THE COURT: How can you do that. That’s really speculative unless you have a good faith basis to follow up on it.

MR. KOSZTYA: My good faith is based on what she volunteered and there was no questioning of the officers of whether she’s been involved in something like this before. She literally stated it out of the blue and volunteered it.

THE COURT: Counsel.

MR. CRONE: Even an allegation of being a prior victim of this sort of offense is still of a sexual nature. It’s still barred by the rape shield.

I don’t know of any rule, of any case law of [sic] anything like that provides an exception for being a victim previously. I believe that the statute and the pounds of case law following that statute would still apply.

THE COURT: Obviously in a case such as this the victim’s credibility is at issue.

Obviously[,] the victim’s credibility is the [l]ynch pin of this particular case.

The reason rape shield is law is number one, they don’t want parties to be able to infer that an individual that might have had sexual contact with another individual would be more likely to give consent on a particular occasion. In other words, putting the victim on trial.

The mere fact that she said she might have been raped before, I don’t know how it would come into play whatsoever. She could have been - - there’s no allegation that she made a false accusation of rape before. Nor is there any allegation that she’s been raped before and what happened.

I understand your position here, counsel, but I think it’s really speculative that you’re trying to as you say, postulate the fact that she might have been hypersensitive with regard to being alone with a person and therefore cried rape. But I don’t believe there’s a sufficient nexus here. I think it’s prohibited by statute.

MR. KOSZTYA: I didn’t mean to interrupt you. That’s the crux of my whole defense.

THE COURT: I understand that.

MR. KOSZTYA: That’s his case.

THE COURT: I do understand that but the mere fact that it’s the crux of your defense

doesn’t allow something that is inadmissible to become admissible. If you want to brief this, you want to give me some case law. If I erred in this ruling I will be more than willing to reconsider it. But the mere fact that she might have said that, I don’t believe that opens the door with regard to any prior conduct.

MR. KOSZTYA: If you’re granting that request on behalf of the State and that’s paragraph number eight for the record is clear, I ask that you do so without prejudice and allow me an opportunity to make that argument.

THE COURT: Absolutely. I never make a final ruling as to anything except maybe I’ve ruled on the same thing three times before. But if you can bring me some case law or some surrounding circumstances[,] I will be more than willing to revisit this.”

¶5 The record does not indicate that defense counsel filed any additional pleadings or submitted any caselaw regarding this matter. Defendant’s jury trial commenced on September 18, 2019.

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People v. Okoro, 2022 IL App (1st) 201254, 208 N.E.3d 1084, 463 Ill. Dec. 16 (Ill. Ct. App. 2022).

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