People v. Perez

2020 IL App (2d) 180073-U

• Court: Appellate Court of Illinois
• Decided: January 28, 2020
• Docket: 2-18-0073
• Status: Unpublished

Opinion

2020 IL App (2d) 180073-U No. 2-18-0073 Order filed January 28, 2020

NOTICE: This order was filed under Supreme Court Rule 23 and may not be cited as precedent by any party except in the limited circumstances allowed under Rule 23(e)(1).

______________________________________________________________________________

IN THE

APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS

SECOND DISTRICT ______________________________________________________________________________

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE ) Appeal from the Circuit Court OF ILLINOIS, ) of Boone County. ) Plaintiff-Appellee, ) ) v. ) No. 13-CF-270 ) ANTHONY M. PEREZ, ) Honorable ) C. Robert Tobin III, Defendant-Appellant. ) Judge, Presiding. ______________________________________________________________________________

JUSTICE ZENOFF delivered the judgment of the court. Presiding Justice Birkett and Justice Hudson concurred in the judgment.

ORDER

¶1 Held: Defendant’s convictions of first-degree murder and other offenses were affirmed where: (1) the evidence was sufficient to support the convictions, (2) the trial court did not abuse its discretion in determining that defendant’s proposed expert was unqualified to testify, (3) any error in admitting hearsay evidence was harmless, and (4) defendant forfeited his challenges to certain other evidence by presenting only a conclusory argument that the admission of such evidence constituted plain error.

¶2 Following a trial in the circuit court of Boone County, a jury found defendant, Anthony M.

Perez, guilty of three counts of first-degree murder (720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(1) (West 2012)), two

counts of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm (720 ILCS 5/24- 2020 IL App (2d) 180073-U

1.2(a)(2) (West 2012)), unlawful possession of a firearm by a street gang member (720 ILCS 5/24-

1.8(a)(1) (West 2012)), and mob action (720 ILCS 5/25-1(a)(1) (West 2012)). The jury further

found that defendant personally discharged a firearm. The court sentenced defendant to an

aggregate of 95 years in prison. Defendant appeals. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

¶3 I. BACKGROUND

¶4 Giovanni Galicia, Jesus Casas, and Fermin Estrada were all members of the Sureño 13

street gang. Around midnight on November 29, 2013, they arrived together at Estrada’s

girlfriend’s apartment in Belvidere after a trip to McDonald’s. Galicia was in the driver’s seat of

his Chevrolet Impala, Casas sat in the front passenger’s seat, and Estrada sat in the back behind

Casas. A Lincoln Navigator arrived on the scene. Two armed men exited the Navigator. One of

them approached the driver’s side of the Impala, and the other approached the passenger’s side.

After a brief exchange of words, the man on the driver’s side opened fire repeatedly on the vehicle,

killing Galicia. Neither Casas nor Estrada was injured. The suspects returned to the Navigator

and left the scene.

¶5 Shortly after the shooting, a police officer saw a Navigator driving in the direction where

a police dispatch indicated that the perpetrators were expected to be traveling. When the officer

began following the Navigator, the driver of the Navigator led him on a high-speed chase through

Boone and Winnebago Counties. The Navigator eventually came to a stop in Rockford after

sustaining damage during the pursuit. The occupants fled on foot. Police officers arrested Ricardo

Garcia, Ricardo Figueroa, and Cheyanne Patton in a field to the west of the Navigator. Officers

found the murder weapon and other incriminating evidence inside of the Navigator, as well as a

second gun lying in the street nearby. Patton was initially uncooperative with and even belligerent

toward the police. Hours after the shooting, however, she told the police that defendant was a

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fourth occupant of the Navigator who escaped from the scene. Defendant turned himself in

sometime later in the day on November 30, 2013.

¶6 The State’s theory at trial was that the shooting was precipitated by a gang rivalry between

the Sureño 13s and the Latin Kings. According to the State, Garcia was the driver of the Navigator,

and Patton, Figueroa, and defendant were occupants. The State presented evidence that Figueroa

was the person who approached the passenger’s side of the Impala, whereas defendant was the

person who approached the driver’s side of the Impala and fired his weapon. Patton was a key

witness for the State at trial. She portrayed herself as an unwitting participant in the events that

took place on the night of the shooting. Due to the nature of the claims that defendant raises on

appeal, we now summarize the evidence in greater detail.

¶7 A. The Victims’ Accounts

¶8 Neither Casas nor Estrada ever identified defendant as one of the perpetrators.

¶9 Casas did not get a good look at either of the men who approached the Impala. He could

say only that the person who approached the passenger’s side was bigger than the person who

approached the driver’s side. According to Casas, the man on the passenger’s side tapped on the

window with a revolver but did not say anything. Casas observed the man on the passenger’s side

only from the neck down, as it was very dark outside and the man tried to hide his face. The man

on the driver’s side wore a black ski mask that covered his entire face other than his eyes and

mouth. Before the shooting, Casas heard the man on the driver’s side say to the occupants of the

Impala, “What’s your mother fuckers’ bang?” Casas understood this as asking which gang they

claimed.

¶ 10 Estrada testified that the man who approached the passenger’s side of the Impala weighed

about 200 pounds. Estrada did not see that man’s face. Estrada noticed that the person on the

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driver’s side was wearing dark clothes, including a hoodie. According to Estrada, that man was

skinny, of “dark color,” had long, curly hair, and had either a mask or a shirt covering his face.

Estrada acknowledged telling police officers, with either 85 percent or 100 percent certainty, that

the shooter was Christian Rubalcava. Estrada also told the police that, a couple days before the

shooting, Rubalcava chased him in a Navigator that was similar to the one that he saw on the night

of the shooting. Estrada had known Rubalcava for eight years. Rubalcava had long, curly hair.

¶ 11 Sergeant David Dammon of the Belvidere police department testified that he and another

officer interviewed Estrada shortly after the shooting. During that interview, Estrada described

the person who approached the driver’s side of the Impala as 5’6” and of medium build. Estrada

told Dammon that he was unable to identify the shooter’s face, but he thought that he noticed

medium-length hair that fell past the shoulders. Estrada also indicated to Dammon that he believed

that the shooter was wearing a hoodie, had a beanie on his head, and had hair tied up in a ponytail.

Estrada told Dammon that he was about 85 percent sure that the person’s voice he heard before

the shooting was the voice of Rubalcava. According to Dammon, Estrada explained to the officers

that he was not pointing the finger at Rubalcava. Dammon never interviewed Rubalcava.

¶ 12 B. The Pursuit, the Arrests, and the Collection of Evidence

¶ 13 Galicia suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

¶ 14 Meanwhile, shortly after the shooting, at 12:29 a.m., Sergeant Daniel Reid of the Boone

County sheriff’s department received a dispatch that there had been a shooting and that a tan

Navigator had left the area. Reid located and began following a Navigator that he believed was

the suspect vehicle. The Navigator had tinted windows, so Reid did not have a clear view inside

it. At one point, the Navigator pulled into a driveway, and Reid shined his spotlight on the driver’s

side of the Navigator. He could see movement inside from both a male driver and a back-seat

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passenger on the driver’s side. The Navigator then backed out of the driveway with its headlights

off, accelerating directly at Reid’s squad car. Reid reversed his car as fast as he could to avoid a

collision. He pursued the Navigator at speeds well in excess of the posted speed limit. When the

Navigator came to a stop in Rockford on Perryville Road near the intersection with Spring Creek

Road, Reid stopped 30 yards behind it and shined his spotlight on the driver’s side. Reid exited

his squad car, and both the driver’s door of the Navigator and the door behind it opened right away.

Reid saw two male subjects, one of whom had a gun, exit the Navigator. Reid fired his weapon,

and the two individuals ran westbound into a field.

¶ 15 According to Reid, his attention was focused on the two suspects who were running away,

so he was not able to see anything on the passenger’s side of the Navigator. After the two males

ran into the field, however, Reid noticed a silhouette of somebody with longer hair who was

running. Reid testified that this person appeared to be female, but he did not see where she came

from or where she went. (Reid acknowledged that he previously gave testimony indicating that

he saw a female “[r]ight in the back seat” of the Navigator.) Reid never activated his squad car’s

recording function during the pursuit, so there is no footage showing how many people fled on

foot from the Navigator.

¶ 16 Officer David Mordt of the Boone County sheriff’s department arrived at the scene shortly

after the Navigator came to a stop. He observed two or three people running across Perryville. He

drove down the street and eventually arrested Figueroa in an open field.

¶ 17 Sergeant Edward Krieger of the Boone County sheriff’s department arrived at the scene

shortly after Mordt. Krieger saw three figures running to the west, but he could not ascertain

whether they were male or female. He noticed that all of the doors to the Navigator were opened.

He then heard somebody yell out for help from directly west of the Navigator. He saw Garcia,

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who had been shot (presumably by Reid), on the ground. Krieger arrested Garcia and returned to

the Navigator. Krieger looked inside the Navigator and saw a black .40 caliber Glock semi-

automatic handgun with an extended magazine sitting on the driver’s seat. Krieger also noticed a

revolver lying on the road near the driver’s side of the Navigator.

¶ 18 Officer Joshua Hecker of the Loves Park police department arrived after Krieger. Hecker

located and arrested Patton near a “pine tree wood line” in the area.

¶ 19 Over the next few hours, the police investigated and processed both the Belvidere shooting

scene and the area where the Navigator came to a stop in Rockford. Upon conducting a more

thorough search of the Navigator, an officer found two masks on the rear driver’s side floorboard.

One was a ski mask and the other was a mask that was reminiscent of the 1996 horror film Scream.

¶ 20 C. Forensic Evidence

¶ 21 The only fingerprints that were suitable for comparison came from the Navigator. Four

prints were linked to Patton, nine were linked to Garcia, and one was determined not to have been

made by Garcia, Patton, Figueroa, or defendant. The Glock handgun was determined to contain a

mixture of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from at least two individuals. There was a major female

profile along with an incomplete minor profile. Patton, the only female who submitted a swab for

comparison, was excluded as contributing to that major profile. A firearms examiner determined

that all 13 of the cartridge casings that were recovered from the Belvidere shooting scene were

fired from the Glock handgun that was found inside the Navigator.

¶ 22 A forensic scientist found a DNA mixture of at least three individuals on the ski mask. The

profile was incomplete, however, and was unsuitable for comparison. A second scientist tested

the ski mask with different techniques. A vacuum swabbing generated a DNA profile consisting

of at least four contributors, but no conclusions could be drawn as to the sources. Cutting the

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mouth area of the ski mask generated a mixture of at least three contributors. Defendant, Garcia,

and Figueroa were excluded as contributors.

¶ 23 D. Patton

¶ 24 Patton testified for the State and implicated defendant in the shooting. She acknowledged

that she had a criminal record. She described the events of November 29-30, 2013, as follows.

¶ 25 On the evening of November 29, 2013, there was a party on Strawberry Lane in Belvidere

at the house where Patton lived with Garcia, who was her boyfriend, and Mallek Sanchez (“Tone”).

Garcia was a member of the Latin Kings, but he was trying to get out of the gang. Patton arrived

at the house at nighttime, and Garcia drove her there in his Navigator. There were quite a few

people there when she arrived, including Tone, Figueroa (“Jock”), and “Shadow.” Patton

identified defendant in court as the person whom she knew as “Shadow.”

¶ 26 Patton testified that Jock and Shadow were both members of the Latin Kings. She met

them a couple of months before this party through Garcia. Although she was not 21 years old at

the time, Patton was drinking at the party. Jock, Shadow, and Daniel Ambriz (“Quette”) “took

pictures with a gun.” Patton described that gun as black, “bigger” as opposed to “smaller,” and

having an extended “clip.” Jock and Shadow left the house at some point with Quette. Patton then

began to leave with Garcia in his Navigator to get more beer and cigarettes at the Mobil station.

Patton was sitting in the front passenger’s seat.

¶ 27 According to Patton, as she and Garcia were leaving the house, Quette pulled in and flashed

his lights. Garcia went to see what Quette wanted. Quette came up to Patton, gave her money,

and told her to get more beer. Jock and Shadow then got in the back of the Navigator. Patton was

not sure, but she believed that Jock was sitting behind her and that Shadow was behind Garcia.

Either Jock or Shadow told Garcia to go to some apartment buildings in “Little Mexico” or “Little

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Village” to “get at somebody.” Patton was not familiar with that area, and she did not ask

questions.

¶ 28 According to Patton, Garcia drove the foursome to some apartments in Belvidere, at which

point Jock told Garcia to stop. Jock and Shadow jumped out of the Navigator and told Garcia to

“drive down.” Patton and Garcia stayed in the Navigator and started to drive. They did not get

far before Patton heard gunshots from nearby. Jock and Shadow ran back to the Navigator and

got in. Patton explained that Shadow “laughed and said that he shot that nigga in the face.” Patton

then noticed that Shadow was holding the same gun that he had been “taking pictures with” earlier

in the evening. Patton claimed that, prior to this point, she had not seen any guns in the Navigator.

Jock and Shadow then told Garcia to drive, so he started to drive to Rockford.

¶ 29 Patton testified that the group saw a police car at some point. She explained that Garcia

was scared, so he drove faster than the speed limit instead of stopping. Patton testified that she,

Garcia, Jock, and Shadow got out of the Navigator and ran when the vehicle came to a stop in

Rockford. Patton ran to the left from the Navigator, as did Garcia and Jock. Patton did not see

which direction Shadow went. Patton briefly stopped when she saw Garcia get shot, but then she

started running again. Patton acknowledged that she had a warrant out for her arrest that night and

that she attempted to hide from the police because she was scared. She eventually surrendered and

was taken into custody.

¶ 30 According to Patton, she was very scared while she was in the squad car, so she initially

denied knowing anything about the shooting. She was later interviewed at the Belvidere police

station, at which point she was still scared because “somebody just got killed.” She refused to

cooperate. She was transported to another room and had an opportunity to sleep. Several hours

later, after having “time to think about everything,” Patton asked to speak with the officers again.

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At that point, she told them “what [she] knew” and identified Shadow from a photographic lineup.

¶ 31 Patton testified that, at the time of the shooting, she did not know Rubalcava. She

subsequently learned who he was. She insisted that she did not see Rubalcava on the day of the

shooting and that he was not in the Navigator with her group.

¶ 32 On cross-examination, Patton testified that she was wearing the Latin King’s colors on the

night of shooting. She also had a tattoo that said “King Creeper,” which referred to an ex-boyfriend

who was a Latin King. She acknowledged ranting at the arresting police officer because she was

upset. She was drinking on the night of the shooting, but she denied that she was drunk. She had

told officers on the night of the shooting, however, that she was drunk and that she did not know

what was going on.

¶ 33 Patton further testified on cross-examination that when an officer told her several times

during the initial interview that she was going to be charged with murder, she was scared and

refused to talk. The reason she was scared was because defendant killed somebody and she was

put in a situation that she should not have been in. At 11 a.m. on November 30, 2013, after having

time to think about what was going on, and fearing that she was going to be charged with murder,

she decided that she wanted to talk.

¶ 34 Patton testified on cross-examination that she never posted pictures on her Facebook

account of people posing with the gun with the extended “clip.” She did not know whether

anybody else posted pictures of the gun on Facebook. Patton further testified that, although she

did not like Shadow now, she did not have a problem with him as of the night of the shooting. She

acknowledged telling the police, however, that she did not like Shadow and that they had gotten

into an argument the previous month. She testified that that issue was “old.” She said that she

would not have allowed Shadow into her home if she had a problem with him.

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¶ 35 On re-direct examination, the State asked Patton questions about why she was afraid of the

gang when she spoke with the police. Patton explained that, in gang culture, and especially with

the Latin Kings, snitching was looked upon as “bad.” She added that snitches “usually end up

getting killed,” but the court struck this portion of her testimony. Patton testified that part of the

reason why she was scared that night was that gang members do not like people who snitch on

them. She thought that she would get killed if she snitched in this case.

¶ 36 E. Jailhouse Informants

¶ 37 Hugo Pena and Patrick Brooks testified for the State and detailed their respective

conversations with defendant in the Boone County jail.

¶ 38 1. Pena

¶ 39 Pena testified that he was currently incarcerated on pending charges of aggravated

domestic battery and domestic battery. He entered a cooperation agreement with the State’s

Attorney’s office. In exchange for his truthful testimony in this case, the State would recommend

that he receive a sentence of three years in prison on his class 4 domestic battery charge, and the

more serious charge would be dismissed. Pena also had pending retail theft charges in Winnebago

County that were unaffected by the cooperation agreement. Pena’s criminal history included

convictions for bail jumping, possession of a controlled substance, home invasion, armed robbery,

and unlawful use of a weapon.

¶ 40 Pena explained that he was in the Latin Kings with defendant. They were also cellmates

for a time. Defendant talked about his case to Pena on five or six occasions and seemed to be

bragging. Nobody else was present during those conversations. Defendant told Pena that he and

Figueroa got into Garcia’s truck and that defendant told “them” to drive to Little Mexico.

According to Pena, Little Mexico was where the Sureños were in Belvidere, and the Latin Kings

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and the Sureños did not get along. Asked whether defendant told him why they were going to

Little Mexico, Pena responded that defendant said that they went because “they was at it with each

other.” Defendant told Pena that Patton was there too.

¶ 41 Defendant informed Pena that he had been at Tone’s house before going to Little Mexico.

Pena knew that Tone lived on Strawberry Lane, and Pena testified that it was common for people

to hang out there. Defendant told Pena that he wanted to go to Little Mexico “[t]o get at them,”

which, to Pena, meant to harm them or do something to them. Defendant told Pena that when they

got to Little Mexico, he walked to the driver’s side of a car while Jock went to the passenger’s

side. Defendant said that he asked the occupants of the car “what they is,” which, to Pena, meant

what gang they were in. Defendant told Pena that when the occupants of the car rolled the window

down, defendant saw “his” face (presumably, Galicia’s) and then “unloaded on” or shot at “them.”

According to Pena, defendant did not mention what type of weapon he had, how many times he

fired, or what he was wearing that night. Defendant did tell Pena, however, that he gave somebody

a “dome shot,” which meant a shot to the head.

¶ 42 Pena testified that defendant said that he and Jock then ran back to Garcia’s truck and told

Garcia to take off to Rockford. Defendant said that the police chased them until the tires went out,

at which point they stopped the truck, and everyone took off running. Pena testified that he knew

that defendant had gotten away from the police. Pena thus asked defendant why he turned himself

in. Defendant responded that his mother told him that it would be better to do so. Defendant also

told Pena that he tried to hide the gun under the seat during the police chase.

¶ 43 Pena testified that defendant discussed the evidence that the State was going to present and

what his defense was going to be. Specifically, defendant told Pena that a police officer said that

there were three people in the vehicle. Defendant told Pena that he ducked down behind the seat.

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Defendant was thus going to point the finger at the three people who got caught. Defendant also

mentioned to Pena that there was female DNA on the gun. Defendant related to Pena that he

believed that the DNA came from when he hit his “baby’s mama” with the gun.

¶ 44 In the day or two after the murder, Pena saw photographs of multiple people, including

defendant, on Facebook. Pena recognized those photographs as having been taken in Tone’s

basement. Pena noticed that defendant was “showing” a “pretty big” gun in a photograph or some

photographs. Defendant was also wearing a black windbreaker jacket, a “du-rag,” and a hat on

top of that du-rag. During his conversations with defendant at the jail, Pena mentioned these

photographs to defendant. Pena testified:

“Well, I told [defendant] because I was remembering that—remembering seeing the

pictures, and I told [defendant] why that person [presumably, Estrada] was saying that [the

shooter] had long hair. I told [defendant] because I seen him in the pictures that he had

the du-rag and the du-rag looks like he has long hair.”

Pena testified that defendant then “kind of laughed and gave me a smirk like I got it.” The specific

photograph or photographs that Pena described were not admitted into evidence; apparently, they

were never even in the State’s possession.

¶ 45 Pena testified that he was 43 years old and that defendant was 23 or 24. According to Pena,

it was common in gang culture for younger members to approach older members. The reason for

that was because the older members would have more respect and ranking within the gang. Pena

explained that one would gain respect and ranking within the gang by doing things for the gang.

Asked how it was viewed in gang culture for one member of the Latin Kings to testify against

another, Pena responded: “Bad. Not good at all.” Asked why he was testifying, he said, “I just

feel I’m doing the right thing right now.”

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¶ 46 Pena denied speaking with anybody other than his attorney, the prosecutor, and detectives

about what defendant told him. Nobody other than defendant told Pena the specific facts of this

case. Pena had no personal knowledge of the case apart from what he had seen on the Internet

shortly after the shooting. He never overheard or saw defendant speaking with anyone else in the

jail about this case.

¶ 47 On cross-examination, Pena testified that he used to be known as “King Weasel.” He said

that it is not common in gang culture to be a snitch, but it happens when you are getting a deal.

Pena acknowledged that he was facing 3 to 14 years in prison and that, in exchange for his

testimony, the State was recommending that he receive 3 years with day-for-day good-time credit.

He testified that nobody asked him to wear a wire, even though he continued to share a cell with

defendant after coming forward with information.

¶ 48 Asked about the photographs that he saw on Facebook shortly after the shooting, Pena

testified that Patton was in some of them and that they were posted on numerous people’s pages,

including Quette’s, Figueroa’s, and Patton’s. Pena clarified that he spoke to defendant about those

photographs, but defendant never spoke to him about them. The photographs were taken down.

Pena did not have copies of them, as he had not seen any reason at the time to take a screenshot of

them. He expressed surprise to a detective that the photographs were not going to be used at trial.

¶ 49 Pena denied that defendant was in possession of transcripts from this case when the two of

them shared a cell. Pena did see, however, defendant read Patton’s deposition. (Patton gave a

deposition prior to defendant’s trial, which was to be used if she failed to attend the trial.) Pena

testified that he was removed from this tier of the jail after he got in a fight. Defendant did not

jump in and help him in that fight.

¶ 50 On re-direct examination, Pena explained that he did not remember the Facebook

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photographs until he spoke with defendant at the jail. Pena denied coming forward with

information just so that he could get a deal in his own case. Indeed, he was not happy with the

deal that he received. He was not mad at defendant for failing to help him during the jail fight.

¶ 51 2. Brooks

¶ 52 Brooks testified that he was currently incarcerated on two counts of delivering a controlled

substance within 1000 feet of a senior housing complex. Those were class X felonies that were

punishable by 6 to 30 years’ imprisonment. Brooks entered into a cooperation agreement in

exchange for his testimony against defendant. Pursuant to that agreement, he would plead guilty

to one of the pending charges, the other would be dismissed, and the prosecutor would recommend

a prison sentence of seven years. Brooks’ criminal history included convictions for two counts of

aggravated fleeing, retail theft, and multiple drug offenses.

¶ 53 Brooks testified that he met defendant in the Boone County jail around March 2017 when

they were in the same housing unit. A couple weeks later, they started talking about their

respective cases. They had multiple conversations, but Brooks did not remember specific dates.

Brooks recalled defendant saying “no face, no case,” meaning that defendant would beat the

murder charge because the State did not have any evidence. Brooks perceived that defendant

“showed no remorse about the situation.”

¶ 54 Brooks testified that defendant told him about the following series of events on the night

of the shooting. Defendant, whose nickname was Shadow, was a member of the Latin Kings.

Defendant was riding with a codefendant and two other people, one of whom was female

(defendant did not tell Brooks their names), when they spotted the car of what they believed were

rival gang members. The group pulled off and parked in a lot next to where the car was backed

in. Defendant and a codefendant got out and walked toward that car. Defendant exchanged words

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with the driver of the car and asked what gang they were in or whether they were with a certain

gang. The people in the car were Sureños and were familiar to defendant. Defendant pulled out

his gun and shot “them” twice. Defendant and a codefendant ran back to their car and got in a

high-speed chase. Defendant ducked down in the back seat of the car during the police chase,

which ended by “Perryville and Alpine.” Defendant and “[t]he guy who was with him” jumped

out of the car and went in opposite directions; only two people jumped from the car. The guy who

was with defendant when he jumped out of the car ended up getting shot. There was a gun and a

mask left inside of the car in which defendant had been riding. The gun had “a girl’s DNA on it”

but did not contain defendant’s fingerprints. Defendant indicated that the female DNA may have

been because he put the gun to the head of a girl a couple days before the shooting. During the

shooting, defendant wore a mask with a du-rag and a “skully cap” over the top of it. According to

Brooks, a skully cap is “a workman’s winter skull cap” that goes over the top of one’s head.

¶ 55 Brooks testified that defendant talked about how he was going to beat his case, given that

he had two good lawyers and there were no prints or DNA. Defendant mentioned that he turned

himself in upon hiring a lawyer because it made “the case look better.” Defendant also said that

he had a photograph on Facebook showing him with “the gun.” Defendant took that photograph

off of Facebook before the shooting.

¶ 56 Brooks claimed that he was not a member of any gang. In August 2017, he told his attorney

about the information that he had. He “felt like it was wrong” and that “somebody need[ed] to

know about what really happened.” He was not expecting a deal, but he subsequently entered into

a plea agreement. He had no personal knowledge of the facts of this case before talking to

defendant, and nobody other than defendant told him the specifics of the case. He only spoke to

his attorney, the prosecutor, and detectives.

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¶ 57 On cross-examination, Brooks testified that defendant told him the following additional

details about the shooting. A female was driving that night. Defendant liked a certain two-tone

gun, but defendant did not say whether that was the gun that was used in the shooting. The gun

that was in the Facebook photograph that defendant took down was two-toned: silver and black.

There were two shots fired, one to the stomach or chest of the victim and one to the head.

Defendant wore all black. In addition to the mask and a gun, there were gloves that were left in

the car. Brooks further testified that, although he knew that defendant had transcripts related to

this case while incarcerated, he never saw those transcripts. Nor did he see Pena reading the

transcripts. Brooks initially was given an offer to serve 20 years in prison for his pending charges;

pursuant to his current agreement with the State, he would only serve 7 years.

¶ 58 F. Expert Gang Testimony

¶ 59 Dammon testified for the State as an expert on street gangs. He explained the general

nature of gangs. For example, they have a recognized hierarchy or leader, they focus on criminal

activities, and they have an organizational structure. According to Dammon, in Belvidere, the

Latin Kings and the Sureños have a rivalry. That means that “[t]hey have a propensity to fight

with one another, perform violent acts against one another as well as other crimes.” Dammon

identified defendant, Figueroa, Garcia, Patton, and Rubalcava as members of the Latin Kings. He

identified Galicia, Casas, and Estrada as members of the Sureño 13s. During Dammon’s

testimony, the court admitted into evidence a photograph depicting numerous individuals—

including defendant, Figueroa, and Garcia—posing in front of a flag while using hand gestures

associated with the Latin Kings.

¶ 60 G. Cellular Phone Evidence

¶ 61 The State’s theory was that on November 30, 2013, defendant was in possession of an

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iPhone that was assigned number (815) ***-3459 and that he made or received numerous calls

around the time of the shooting. This included calls to and from phone number (815) ***-5916,

which the State believed belonged to defendant’s mother, Angie Perez. Testifying as an expert for

the State, Joseph Raschke used the information that was discernible from Sprint’s records

pertaining to phone number (815) ***-3459 to approximate defendant’s locations around the time

the shooting. 1 The State also presented evidence about allegedly incriminating Internet searches

that were conducted on Angie’s phone in the hours and days after the shooting.

¶ 62 1. Washburn’s Testimony

¶ 63 The State attempted to link phone number (815) ***-3459 to defendant through the

testimony of Sergeant Chris Washburn of the Belvidere police department. Washburn testified

that he spoke with witnesses as part of his investigation of the shooting. Based on that

investigation, on December 16, 2013, he obtained a search warrant for Sprint’s records related to

phone number (815) ***-3459. On December 24, Sprint provided him with records containing

subscriber information, account information, ingoing and outgoing calls, and cell-site information.

Those records indicated that the subscriber for the account associated with phone number (815)

***-3459 was defendant’s father, Manuel Perez, who resided in Belvidere. On December 27,

1 The State initially intended to use Sergeant Chris Washburn of the Belvidere police

department as its expert. Prior to trial, the court found Washburn unqualified to testify about the

historical cell-site analysis of the phone number that the State believed belonged to defendant.

Raschke testified at trial as a substitute for Washburn. Also prior to trial, the court found

defendant’s proposed cellular technology expert, Joseph Kennedy, unqualified to testify. We will

provide additional factual background about these pretrial decisions in the analysis section.

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Washburn obtained a warrant to search Manuel’s residence to find certain cellular phones. The

search was conducted that day.

¶ 64 According to Washburn, officers seized a Samsung cellular phone directly from Angie.

They also seized an iPhone that was found in a room with the belongings of Nina Perez, who

apparently was defendant’s sister. Washburn determined that there was no lock on the iPhone, so

he looked at the phone’s settings and saw a heading that said “Anthony’s stuff.” Washburn

obtained warrants to extract data from the two phones. In February 2014, a detective from the

DeKalb County sheriff’s office extracted information from the phones and gave the records that

were generated by the search to Washburn.

¶ 65 Washburn testified that he reviewed the extraction records. According to Washburn, the

records showed that the iPhone was presently assigned the number (815) ***-0908 and that the

owner’s name was listed as “Anthony.” However, the records also showed that this iPhone had

used the Apple messaging application multiple times between November 14 and November 28,

2013, to communicate with telephone number (815) ***-0908, and the name associated with that

number at that time was displayed as “Nina.” In other words, although this iPhone was assigned

number (815) ***-0908 as of February 2014 when the extraction was performed, in November

2013, the phone had been used to exchange messages with Nina at that same phone number.

Furthermore, Washburn noticed that the extraction records of the iPhone displayed certain

incoming and outgoing calls that corresponded with the records that he received from Sprint

pertaining to telephone number (815) ***-3459.

¶ 66 Washburn also testified about the Internet search history of the Samsung phone that was

seized from Angie. The extraction showed a search at 4:03 a.m. on November 30, 2013, regarding

“a serious shooting and police chase and shots fired.” According to Washburn, as of 4:03 a.m. on

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November 30, the Belvidere police department had not released information regarding this case.

Moreover, on December 5, 2013, while defendant was in custody, somebody used this Samsung

phone to conduct Internet searches about “how to completely remove gun powder residue from

my clothes and arms.” What further drew Washburn’s attention about the extraction of the

Samsung phone was that the phone was assigned number (815) ***-5916; according to Sprint’s

records, that number had been in repeated contact with phone number (815) ***-3459 between

12:22 a.m. and 1:56 a.m. on November 30.

¶ 67 On cross-examination, defense counsel quibbled with Washburn about whether the call

records were “exact” if they were off by hundredths of seconds. The court ultimately called a

sidebar. The court stated for the record that defense counsel was “picking the fight” with

Washburn even though Washburn answered counsel’s questions. Washburn then testified on

cross-examination that, as far as he knew, defendant lived in Rockford, not Belvidere, in 2013.

Washburn added that, on the date of the extractions, (1) there was a Snapchat account belonging

to Nina on the iPhone, (2) the only information in the iPhone listing defendant as a contact was an

email address, and (3) phone number (815) ***-3459 was listed in the iPhone as being assigned to

a person named Isaac Perez. On the date of the extractions, contact information in the Samsung

phone likewise associated Isaac with phone number (815) ***-3459. Washburn further testified

that he performed a gunshot residue test on defendant on November 30, 2013, after defendant

turned himself in. The Illinois State Police refused to test the sample that was submitted, as it was

not a kit that was authorized by the state police.

¶ 68 On re-direct examination, the State asked Washburn about whether the records he received

from Sprint were “exact” if they did not match up precisely with the records from the phone

extractions. Washburn explained to the jury that the differences between the call data in Sprint’s

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records and the information retrieved from the phone extractions were caused by the fact that there

is a delay between when one phone places a call and when the other phone receives it.

¶ 69 2. Raschke’s Testimony

¶ 70 Raschke was a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) and a

member of the agency’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team. He testified that historical cell-site

analysis is “the collection, interpretation, [and] analysis of records maintained by the cell phone

company in order to take that raw data that they provide and create a visual depiction of what that

data is telling us.” The purpose of historical cell-site analysis is to determine a general or

approximate location of where a phone was at a given point in time.

¶ 71 Raschke testified that he completed a historical cell-site analysis from Sprint’s records

pertaining to phone number (815) ***-3459. Sprint included the following disclaimer with the

records:

“Please be advised that due to server capacity problems, Reveal, the database used

to provide Per Call Measurement Data, has been struggling to process all of the data coming

off the network. The platform is no longer collecting data from all sites until the capacity

issues are fixed. At this time, there is no estimated date this issue will be resolved.

Therefore, any attached record may be incomplete.

***

PLEASE READ

PCMD- (Per Call Measurement Data) takes RF (Radio Frequency) measurements

during a call. This is how the Distance in miles, Latitude and Longitude are determined.

This is the estimated location of the mobile device when the RTD (Round Trip Delay) was

taken during the connection. There are many variables that can affect the accuracy of these

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measurements. Multipath of the radio wave to or from the mobile device may affect the

accuracy. Sprint mobile devices may be in a one way connection or multiple hand-off

connection with different sectors on the same cell site or different sectors on different cell

sites when the measurements were taken which can affect the accuracy. Sprint has

repeaters deployed throughout the network. If a repeater was being used when the

measurements were taken, the accuracy will be affected.

Sprint will not guarantee the accuracy of the location information.”

¶ 72 Raschke testified that he used Sprint’s call detail records and Per Call Measurement Data

records to perform the historical cell-site analysis in this case. The call detail records showed

which phones were involved with particular calls, along with the dates and times of the calls. The

Per Call Measurement Data records provided additional information for the same calls, including:

the tower and sector of the tower that was used for the call, the distance between the phone and

the tower during the call, and the longitude and latitude of the phone at the time of the call.

Raschke testified that he did not use the longitude and latitude information provided by Sprint, as

that data had generally been determined to be inaccurate by both Sprint and the F.B.I. He did,

however, use the distance measurements provided by Sprint, which he testified were generally

accurate even though Sprint did not guarantee their accuracy. To that end, he noted that he had

successfully used this type of information in other investigations to locate individuals.

¶ 73 According to Raschke, Sprint’s disclaimer meant that Sprint would not attest that its data

was accurate; however, Sprint was not saying that the data was “absolutely not accurate.” Raschke

explained that Sprint’s Per Call Measurement Data was based on an algorithm that approximated

distance by measuring the time that it took for a signal to travel. Sprint developed that technology

to monitor how the network was functioning, not to track individual phones. Various factors may

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affect the accuracy of the distance measurements. Raschke repeatedly emphasized that the

distance measurements were mere approximations and that he could not provide specific locations

of the subject phone at any particular time.

¶ 74 Raschke plotted the raw data that was reflected by Sprint’s records for numerous calls

associated with phone number (815) ***-3459 between 12:08 a.m. and 12:57 a.m. on November

30, 2013. He prepared a slideshow that he referenced for demonstrative purposes. For each call,

based on the tower that was used, the sector that was used, and the distance provided, Raschke

plotted a 120 degree arc on a map that represented an estimated area where the phone was located

at the time of the call. He designed each arc to be either two-tenths of a mile or four-tenths of a

mile wide to account for the fact that the distance measurements provided by Sprint were only

meant to be approximate.

¶ 75 For example, given that Sprint’s records reflected that there was a call at 12:08 a.m. that

used sector 3 of tower 1347, and given that the phone was estimated by Sprint to be 1.45 miles

from the tower at the time, Raschke was able to plot a particular arc. The location of the shooting

in Belvidere was within that arc. The other arcs that Raschke plotted were generally consistent

with the State’s theory of defendant’s whereabouts in the aftermath of the shooting. Although

Raschke never explicitly testified that the phone associated with number (815) ***-3459 was in

any precise location at any particular time, he said that common sense dictated that the phone

would be located in the area where the arcs from several different phone calls overlapped: i.e., in

the area where the Navigator was fleeing from Sergeant Reid.

¶ 76 H. Verdicts and Sentencing

¶ 77 The jury found defendant guilty of all charges and found that he personally discharged a

firearm. The court sentenced defendant on 5 of the 8 counts to an aggregate of 95 years in prison.

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Defendant timely appealed.

¶ 78 II. ANALYSIS

¶ 79 On appeal, defendant argues that (1) the evidence was insufficient to support his

convictions, (2) the court erred in finding his cellular technology expert unqualified to testify, (3)

the court erred in allowing Washburn and Raschke to testify to various matters, (4) the court erred

in admitting gang evidence, and (5) the court erred in admitting Pena’s testimony about the

photographs that he viewed on Facebook.

¶ 80 A. Sufficiency of the Evidence

¶ 81 Defendant first challenges the sufficiency of the evidence. His sole challenge is that the

State failed to prove that he was the fourth occupant of the Navigator who shot Galicia. 2 He

segregates the State’s evidence into four categories: (1) accomplice testimony from Patton, (2)

jailhouse-informant testimony from Pena and Brooks, (3) cellular phone evidence, and (4) gang

testimony. Although defendant asserts that “[a] substantial amount of this evidence should have

been deemed inadmissible,” he maintains that, even assuming the admissibility of the evidence,

“[n]o rational and reasonable juror could find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt based upon such

2 Defendant does not challenge his conviction of unlawful possession of a firearm by a

street gang member on the basis that the State failed to prove that the Latin Kings were a street

gang. We note that, subsequent to the briefing in this matter, our supreme court issued its opinion

in People v. Murray, 2019 IL 123289, explaining in detail what the State must prove to sustain a

conviction of this offense. As the issue was not specifically raised here, we express no opinion as

to whether the State proved that the Latin Kings were a street gang. We do not intend for our

decision to have res judicata effect as to that issue.

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evidence.” Defendant then details what he considers to be the myriad flaws in each of the four

categories of the State’s evidence.

¶ 82 We cannot set aside a criminal conviction “unless the evidence is so improbable or

unsatisfactory that it creates a reasonable doubt of the defendant’s guilt.” People v. Collins, 106

Ill. 2d 237, 261 (1985). We do not retry defendant; instead, “ ‘the relevant question is whether,

after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact

could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.’ ” (Emphasis in

original.) Collins, 106 Ill. 2d at 261 (quoting Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979)). “The

trier of fact has the responsibility to assess witnesses’ credibility, weigh their testimony, resolve

inconsistencies and conflicts in the evidence, and draw reasonable inferences from the evidence.”

People v. Hunt, 2016 IL App (2d) 140786, ¶ 37. It is the fact finder’s role to determine “how flaws

in part of the testimony affect the credibility of the whole.” People v. Cunningham, 212 Ill. 2d

274, 283 (2004). Given, however, that the fact finder’s judgment must be reasonable, “[i]in some

cases a reviewing court may find, after considering the whole record, that flaws in testimony made

it impossible for any fact finder reasonably to accept any part of it.” Cunningham, 212 Ill. 2d at

283. Where, however, “the record is not such that the only inference reasonably drawn from flaws

in the testimony is disbelief of the whole, a reviewing court should bear in mind that the fact finder

had the benefit of watching the witness’ demeanor.” Cunningham, 212 Ill. 2d at 284.

¶ 83 We hold that the evidence was sufficient to support defendant’s convictions. The police

found the murder weapon on the driver’s seat of the Navigator. All four doors of that Navigator

were open, and nobody was inside. It was thus a reasonable inference that four people escaped

from the Navigator, even though police officers saw only the three individuals who fled to the

west.

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¶ 84 The questions for the jury included whether defendant was the fourth occupant of the

Navigator and what role, if any, he played in the shooting. The surviving victims, Casas and

Estrada, saw two men but did not get a good look at their faces. Shortly after the shooting, Estrada

told the police, apparently with either 85% or 100% confidence, that Rubalcava was the shooter.

That identification was based primarily on Estrada’s knowledge of Rubalcava and Rubalcava’s

voice. Nevertheless, there was evidence suggesting that Estrada may not have been so certain

when he spoke with the police that Rubalcava was the shooter. For example, Estrada refused to

“point the finger” at Rubalcava despite being given the opportunity by police officers to do so.

¶ 85 Patton initially refused to cooperate with the police. She was belligerent and under the

influence of alcohol. After having an opportunity to sleep and to think about the situation,

including the officers’ threats that she would be charged with murder, she decided to cooperate.

At trial, Patton detailed the events leading up to the shooting, the shooting itself, and the aftermath

of the shooting. She testified that Figueroa and defendant exited the Navigator in Little Mexico

or Little Village, and she said that she and Garcia did not drive too far before she heard gunshots

nearby. That account was consistent with Casas’ and Estrada’s testimony that two men surrounded

their Impala and that one of them opened fire after a brief exchange of words. Although Patton

did not witness the shooting, she testified that defendant got back into the Navigator and

immediately exclaimed that he “shot that nigga in the face.” According to Patton, as defendant

said that, he was holding a gun in his hand that had an extended “clip.” The weapon that was

ultimately determined to have fired the shots that killed Galicia had an extended magazine.

¶ 86 In discounting Patton’s testimony, defendant characterizes her as an “accomplice.” The

State does not dispute that characterization. Our supreme court has explained that, even though

accomplice testimony “ ‘has inherent weaknesses’ ” (People v. Brown, 185 Ill. 2d 229, 247 (1998)

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(quoting People v. Young, 128 Ill. 2d 1, 47 (1989))), such evidence will sustain a defendant’s

conviction “ ‘if it convinces the jury of the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt’ ” (Brown,

185 Ill. 2d at 247 (quoting People v. Smith, 177 Ill. 2d 53, 74 (1997))). The jury was aware of

Patton’s background, including her criminal convictions and her association with or membership

in the Latin Kings. The jury also knew that Patton had an incentive to disavow any prior

knowledge of her associates’ criminal intentions to avoid charges herself. Indeed, the court gave

the jury Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions, Criminal, No. 3.17 (approved Oct. 17, 2014), which

provides: “When a witness says he was involved in the commission of a crime with the defendant,

the testimony of that witness is subject to suspicion and should be considered by you with caution.

It should be carefully examined in light of the other evidence in the case.” Under the

circumstances, the jury was entitled to credit Patton’s testimony, which provided a plausible

account of her groups’ actions on the night of the shooting.

¶ 87 Pena and Brooks testified that defendant made inculpatory statements. “[T]he testimony

of jailhouse informants is not to be viewed as inherently unbelievable.” People v. Belknap, 2014

IL 117094, ¶ 55. Instead, the jury must determine their credibility the same as any other witness.

Belknap, 2014 IL 117094, ¶ 55. Nevertheless, the testimony of jailhouse informants “must be

viewed with caution given that such informants often expect to and do receive consideration on

their own charges and sentencing in return for their testimony, thus providing an incentive to testify

falsely.” Belknap, 2014 IL 117094, ¶ 57. Pena and Brooks indeed received favorable deals from

the State in their own cases in exchange for their testimony against defendant, and the jury was

informed of that fact.

¶ 88 Pena’s testimony corroborated many aspects of Patton’s testimony. Pena also provided

additional facts that were not included in Patton’s testimony. Given that Pena was in the same

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gang as defendant and that they knew each other before they went to jail, it is logical that defendant

might confide in him. A reasonable trier of fact could have credited his testimony.

¶ 89 Brooks’ testimony corroborated the testimony of Patton and Pena in many respects. On

the other hand, Brooks’ testimony ran contrary to the known facts on multiple points. Specifically,

Brooks claimed that defendant said that he fired two shots; other evidence established that Galicia

was shot four times and that numerous other shots were fired at the Impala from the same gun.

Brooks testified that defendant said that the police chase ended near the intersection of Perryville

and Alpine; other evidence established that the chase ended near Perryville and Spring Creek.

Brooks testified that defendant said that only two people jumped out of the Navigator; other

evidence established that at least three people did so. Brooks testified that a female was driving

the Navigator; other evidence established that Garcia, a male, was driving. Moreover, while

defendant understandably might confess to Pena, who was a fellow gang member and ran in the

same social circles, it is less apparent why defendant would open up to Brooks, a new acquaintance

with no gang ties. Given the major discrepancies in Brooks’ testimony, and considering that the

testimony of jailhouse informants generally must be viewed with caution, defendant’s convictions

certainly would not stand if they rested on Brooks’ testimony alone. In light of the other evidence

linking defendant to the shooting, however, a rational jury could have determined that the State

proved defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

¶ 90 The State’s gang evidence further supported defendant’s convictions. Dammon’s

explanation of the historic feud between the Latin Kings and the Sureño 13s in Belvidere, along

with his testimony about the gang affiliations of the various co-defendants and victims, provided

a motive for events that otherwise might seem random. See People v. Cavazos, 2015 IL App (2d)

120444, ¶ 76 (“Generally, gang evidence is admissible to show common purpose or design, or to

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provide a motive for an otherwise inexplicable act.”). The gang evidence also provided context

for Patton’s testimony that either defendant or Figueroa mentioned going to Little Mexico or Little

Village that night to “get at somebody.” There was thus sufficient evidence to support defendant’s

convictions.

¶ 91 The State’s evidence also included cellular phone evidence. Defendant argues that the

probative value of that evidence was “negligible.” We disagree. Circumstantial evidence linked

phone number (815) ***-3459 to defendant on the night of the shooting. For example, Sprint’s

records showed that defendant’s father was the subscriber for the account associated with this

number. Around the time of the shooting, this phone number was in communication with other

phone numbers that were associated with defendant’s family. Furthermore, Raschke’s historical

cell-site analysis placed the phone connected with number (815) ***-3459 in the areas of both the

shooting and the police chase. This corroborated Patton’s testimony that defendant was present in

the Navigator both before and after the shooting. Defendant criticizes Raschke’s testimony as

being based on bad data, insofar as Sprint would not guarantee the accuracy of its records.

However, Sprint never claimed that the distance measurements it provided were inaccurate. The

jury was aware of Sprint’s disclaimer and the various factors that might affect the accuracy of the

data.

¶ 92 Viewing the evidence in its totality and in the light most favorable to the State, a rational

trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crimes beyond a reasonable doubt.

¶ 93 B. Kennedy’s Qualifications

¶ 94 Defendant next argues that the court erred in finding his proposed cellular technology

expert, Joseph Kennedy, unqualified to testify. The State responds that defendant acquiesced to

any error, given that (1) he successfully advocated for a high standard when he moved to disqualify

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the State’s original expert, Washburn, and (2) the court merely applied that same standard when it

subsequently found Kennedy unqualified to testify. The State further maintains that Kennedy was

less qualified than Washburn to testify as an expert. The following additional background is

necessary to understand the parties’ arguments.

¶ 95 In his second motion in limine, defendant sought to bar the State from introducing any

evidence relating to the location of the cellular phone with the number (815) ***-3459 on the night

of the shooting. Defendant argued inter alia that the State failed to disclose an expert who was

qualified to perform a historical cell-site analysis.

¶ 96 The State originally intended for one of its police officers, Washburn, to testify as to the

historical cell-site analysis of the phone number. At the hearing on defendant’s second motion in

limine, the parties conducted voir dire of Washburn and debated his expert qualifications.

Defendant argued that Washburn was not qualified. According to defense counsel, Washburn’s

proposed testimony involved “pretty heavy scientific stuff” that might properly come in through a

radio frequency engineer. Defense counsel contrasted Washburn’s credentials with Raschke’s,

whom counsel deemed a “reigning expert” on the topic of historical cell-site analysis based on

counsel’s review of the reported case law. The court granted defendant’s second motion in limine,

barring Washburn from testifying as to whether the phone at issue was within a certain area at a

certain time. According to the court, most of what Washburn discussed during his voir dire was

based on science, which the average juror would tend to gloss over. Given that reality, the court

ruled that the State would have to produce an expert who had “a little bit more background [than

Washburn] to testify as to how cell phone towers work[,] as opposed to on-the-job training.”

¶ 97 Thereafter, the State disclosed Raschke as its cellular phone analysis expert and defendant

disclosed Kennedy as his expert. According to Kennedy’s report, he proposed to testify that, due

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to the disclaimer in Sprint’s records, he would not have used Sprint’s data to create a report.

Kennedy also disagreed with the “maps” that Raschke created, because cellular antenna sector

coverage areas are not simplistic “V” shapes and Sprint never stated a range of accuracy with

respect to the cellular antenna Per Call Measurement Data.

¶ 98 Taking the position that Kennedy was even less qualified than Washburn to testify on this

topic, the State filed its sixteenth motion in limine seeking to voir dire Kennedy. The court held a

hearing on that motion. Kennedy testified as follows with respect to his qualifications.

¶ 99 Kennedy attended community college in the early 1980s, where he took engineering and

electrical technology classes. He did not obtain a degree, and there was no cellular phone training

involved in that curriculum. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science in 1987.

That coursework did not involve cellular networks.

¶ 100 Kennedy was presently employed as a senior manager with Cherry Biometrics. Among

other things, Cherry Biometrics analyzes call detail records, and Kennedy spends most of his time

with the company serving as an expert witness. Kennedy had been qualified as an expert on 10

to 12 occasions. In one case, which arose in Missouri, he testified for the prosecution that, based

on an analysis of cellular phone data, a particular phone had to have been within a 21-mile radius

of a tower. Kennedy was not allowed to testify as an expert in a federal case in Florida in

September 2016.

¶ 101 Kennedy previously worked at the Computer Sciences Corporation. In that capacity, he

did a “small project” for the Army relating to digital communications, but that did not involve

cellular networks or call detail records. One of his other projects was to assess the feasibility of

incorporating wireless cellular phones and tablets for purposes of facilitating communication

between Army bases and field members. That project likewise did not involve analyzing cellular

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data records. None of Kennedy’s other work dating back to 1989 involved experience or training

pertaining to call detail records or cellular networks.

¶ 102 Kennedy nevertheless had experience working with landline telephone networks.

Specifically, in the early 1990s, he received one week of “[v]ery intense training” from AT&T on

telephone switches. Kennedy worked for another company at some unspecified time, where he

served as the administrator of a telephone communications system.

¶ 103 Kennedy learned how to read call detail records from two people within his present

company: Mike Cherry and Manfred Schenk. Cherry had worked for Bell Laboratories and the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, but not a phone company; Kennedy did not know

Schenk’s background. Kennedy did not have experience using call detail records to locate the

phones of missing persons or fugitives. He never took any classes taught by the F.B.I. He never

taught classes on cellular phone networks or call detail records.

¶ 104 Kennedy participated in a continuing education program that was presented by companies

that develop hardware for cellular phone service providers. The focus of that program was

standardizing technology among service providers as they moved from 4G to 5G. That training

did not directly have anything to do with call detail records. Kennedy was a member of the

Virginia Wireless Association and the International Electronic and Electrical Engineers

Communications Society. While those organizations provided training on high-speed network

technology and setting up phone infrastructure, neither organization directly pertained to

interpreting cellular phone records.

¶ 105 Kennedy’s training regarding radio frequency technology and antenna technology came

from taking exams for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the 1970s. Kennedy

had held an FCC license for forty years, which allowed him to build and use two-way radio

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equipment. He acknowledged that the FCC license was basically an “amateur radio license” and

that the test to get that license did not involve analyzing call detail records. He testified, however,

that a cellular phone is a two-way radio where digital information is sent in parallel between the

phone and the network. He explained that cellular phone technology was just an automation of

the processes that he worked with in the 1970s.

¶ 106 During his voir dire, Kennedy outlined some of the basic technology of cellular phone

networks. He indicated that a person would not necessarily need “a whole lot of training” to

analyze call detail records. He believed that his background in physics, electrical technology, and

some engineering courses—along with his knowledge of how radio frequencies and antenna

patterns work—was sufficient for these purposes.

¶ 107 At the conclusion of voir dire, the court noted that, contrary to what defense counsel had

argued at the previous hearing when Washburn’s qualifications had been considered, Kennedy

suggested that a person does not need particular training to plot cellular data. Defense counsel

responded that, subsequent to the last hearing, the First District decided People v. Wilson, 2017 IL

App (1st) 143183. According to defense counsel, Wilson explained that analyzing phone records

to prepare a map showing which cellular towers were used on specific dates did not qualify as

scientific evidence. Therefore, defense counsel argued, simply reading the telephone records was

not scientific evidence, and defendant would “call Mr. Kennedy basically as somebody who can

testify about how cellular telephones work.”

¶ 108 The court then attempted to clarify the nature of Kennedy’s proposed testimony. Defense

counsel indicated that Kennedy would not be plotting data. Kennedy would instead rebut

Raschke’s testimony by discussing the direction of antennas, explaining the concept of coverage

areas, and identifying what can be ascertained as to where a phone may or may not have been.

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¶ 109 The prosecutor interjected that she was confused, as defendant had changed his stance since

the last hearing as to what qualifies a person to testify on the topic of historical cell-site analysis.

The prosecutor also argued that Kennedy was less qualified than Washburn to testify on this

subject. Defense counsel responded that Kennedy had certain knowledge and experience that

Washburn lacked. Nevertheless, defense counsel proposed that, in light of Wilson, the State now

could call Washburn to testify about the historical cell-site analysis.

¶ 110 The court found Raschke’s testimony in Wilson to be dissimilar from his testimony in the

case at bar. According to the court, in Wilson, Raschke did not render expert opinions, but simply

took data and “put[ ] it in a format that one could understand.” The court explained that, in United

States v. Hill, 818 F.3d 289 (7th Cir. 2016), by contrast, Raschke not only plotted data, but “gave

an opinion as to how cell phone towers, in fact, work[,] including the advantages, drawbacks,

confounds, [and] limitations.” The court noted that Kennedy did not have specialized training,

apart from two employers who trained him on “something” and an FCC license from the 1970s.

The court added that it did not know whether Kennedy’s training and background had anything to

do with either cell-site location or Kennedy’s “ability to analyze how cell phone towers work.”

¶ 111 Defense counsel emphasized that a witness does not have to be “the best person out there”

in order to testify as an expert. According to defense counsel, Raschke would testify about the

location of a particular phone, and Kennedy would rebut that testimony by discussing “how the

cell phones work, how the two-way radio aspect of it works, [and] its communication with the

cellular tower and the distances.” The court then recalled that Kennedy did not testify during voir

dire about how cell phone towers work; nor did he testify about their limitations, drawbacks, or

ranges. The court said that Kennedy likewise did not testify how he acquired such information.

The court recognized that, although an expert in this field does not necessarily need F.B.I. training,

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Kennedy had a bachelor’s degree in computer science that had not been tied in at all.

¶ 112 The court questioned defense counsel further about Kennedy’s qualifications to counter

Raschke’s opinion. Defense counsel mentioned, among other things, that Kennedy had been

qualified as an expert before. The court replied that it did not know in what capacity Kennedy had

been qualified in those cases. The court ultimately granted the State’s sixteenth motion in limine,

finding Kennedy unqualified to testify to the items set forth in his report.

¶ 113 Illinois Rule of Evidence 702 (eff. Jan. 1, 2011) provides, in relevant portion: “If scientific,

technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or

to determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience,

training, or education, may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise.” “There are no

precise requirements regarding experience, education, scientific study, or training” for a witness

to qualify as an expert. People v. Lovejoy, 235 Ill. 2d 97, 125 (2009). Instead, “[a] person can be

permitted to testify as an expert if that person’s experience and qualifications afford him or her

knowledge that is not common to the average layperson and will assist the jury in evaluating the

evidence and reaching a conclusion.” Lovejoy, 235 Ill. 2d at 125. Absent an abuse of discretion,

we will not reverse the trial judge’s decision as to whether to qualify a witness as an expert.

Lovejoy, 235 Ill. 2d at 125. “We will find an abuse of discretion only where the trial court’s

decision is arbitrary, fanciful, or unreasonable, such that no reasonable person would take the view

adopted by the trial court.” Lovejoy, 235 Ill. 2d at 125.

¶ 114 As an initial matter, we reject the State’s suggestion that the invited-error rule bars

defendant from challenging the court’s decision with respect to Kennedy’s qualifications. Our

supreme court has described that rule as follows:

“The rule of invited error or acquiescence is a procedural default sometimes

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described as estoppel. [Citation.] Simply stated, a party cannot complain of error which

that party induced the court to make or to which that party consented. The rationale behind

this well-established rule is that it would be manifestly unfair to allow a party a second trial

upon the basis of error which that party injected into the proceedings.” In re Detention of

Swope, 213 Ill. 2d 210, 217 (2004).

According to the State, because defendant successfully advocated for a certain standard during the

hearing on Washburn’s qualifications, defendant should not be heard to complain that the court

subsequently barred Kennedy under that same standard. Defendant, however, did not induce the

court to find Kennedy unqualified or otherwise consent to that ruling. This case is distinguishable

from the typical situation where the invited-error rule applies—i.e., where a court takes a particular

action at a party’s request and then that party complains of the action on appeal.

¶ 115 Nevertheless, we hold that the court did not abuse its discretion in finding Kennedy

unqualified to render the opinions outlined in his report. The court was justified in doubting how

Kennedy’s knowledge, skill, experience, training, and education tied in to the opinions that he

proposed to render. Most of Kennedy’s background did not directly involve cellular networks.

Although Kennedy held an FCC license for many years and had experience with telephone

communication systems generally, defendant did not demonstrate how that translated to an

expertise in the cellular technology related to historical cell-site analysis. Furthermore, as the court

noted, although Kennedy had previously served as an expert witness, it was not clear whether he

was accepted in the precise areas of expertise that defendant was proposing here. Under these

circumstances, the court acted within its discretion by finding Kennedy unqualified to testify.

¶ 116 C. Challenges to the Testimony of Washburn and Raschke

¶ 117 Defendant next challenges multiple aspects of Washburn’s and Raschke’s testimony.

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Some of defendant’s specific contentions were not preserved for review. See People v. Sebby,

2017 IL 119445, ¶ 48 (“To preserve a purported error for consideration by a reviewing court, a

defendant must object to the error at trial and raise the error in a posttrial motion.”). The State,

however, does not argue that defendant forfeited these arguments. Instead, both parties brief this

issue as if the arguments were preserved for review. Under these circumstances, we will consider

defendant’s contentions on the merits. See People v. Lucas, 231 Ill. 2d 169, 175 (2008) (“The

doctrine of forfeiture applies to the State as well as to the defendant and the State may forfeit an

argument that the defendant forfeited an issue by not properly preserving it for review.”). “We

will not disturb a ruling on the admissibility of evidence absent an abuse of discretion.” People v.

Camacho, 2018 IL App (2d) 160350, ¶ 23.

¶ 118 1. Arguments Directed at Washburn’s Testimony

¶ 119 Defendant asserts that Washburn, despite being found unqualified to testify as an expert,

interpreted Sprint’s disclaimer for the jury and did so in a way that was inconsistent with how

Raschke interpreted the disclaimer. This argument is meritless, as Washburn never testified at

trial about the disclaimer.

¶ 120 Defendant also criticizes the court for allowing Washburn to testify in a manner that was

inconsistent with the court’s pretrial rulings. We find no error. Prior to trial, the court barred

Washburn from testifying about historical cell-site analysis. Specifically, Washburn could not

offer any “opinion as to whether or not it was consistent that that phone was within a certain area

at a certain time.” At trial, Washburn did not attempt to ascertain the locations of defendant’s

phone on the night of the shooting. Instead, Washburn testified to matters that were within the

scope of his investigation as a police officer, such as his review and interpretation of the

information that was extracted from two cellular phones that he confiscated from defendant’s

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parents’ home. To the extent that defendant objects to Washburn’s explanation of why the call

times that were listed in Sprint’s records did not match up precisely with the call times that were

listed in the actual phones, defense counsel opened that line of inquiry by arguing with Washburn

on cross-examination about whether the call records were “exact.” The court also found that

Washburn’s testimony on this subject was merely a matter of “common sense,” as one set of data

came from the cell tower and the other came from a mobile device. Thus, there would inherently

be some delay between one phone placing a call and the other phone receiving that call. We

conclude that the court acted within its discretion in allowing this testimony.

¶ 121 Defendant further asserts that Washburn’s testimony regarding the data that was extracted

from the iPhone and the Samsung phone was inadmissible hearsay. According to defendant, the

only applicable hearsay exception would be the business-records exception, and the State failed to

lay a foundation to admit this evidence as business records. The State responds that Washburn’s

testimony was not hearsay, because (1) the Internet searches on the Samsung phone were not

introduced to prove the truth of the matters asserted, but rather to provide information about the

investigation and defendant’s involvement in the shooting, and (2) the information documenting

the communications between phone numbers was computer-generated data.

¶ 122 The court overruled defendant’s objections to the admission of the extraction data records

during Washburn’s testimony. “ ‘Hearsay’ is a statement, other than one made by the declarant

while testifying at the trial or hearing, offered in evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted.”

Ill. R. Evid. 801(c) (eff. Oct. 15, 2015). “A ‘statement’ is (1) an oral or written assertion or (2)

nonverbal conduct of a person, if it is intended by the person as an assertion.” Ill. R. Evid. 801(a)

(eff. Oct. 15, 2015). “A ‘declarant’ is a person who makes a statement.” Ill. R. Evid. 801(b) (eff.

Oct. 15, 2015).

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¶ 123 In Gayle v. State of Florida, 216 So. 3d 656, 659-60 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2017), the court

explained that, although an extraction report of a cellular phone is not itself hearsay, it may contain

hearsay. Accordingly, if an extraction report contains information that is otherwise admissible

pursuant to a hearsay exception, the State is not required to admit the report as a business record.

See Gayle, 216 So. 3d at 659-60. The question here is whether Washburn testified to hearsay that

was contained within the data that was extracted from the two cellular phones.

¶ 124 We agree with the State that many aspects of Washburn’s testimony regarding his

observations of the extraction data were not hearsay. For example, Washburn testified that (1) as

of February 2014, the iPhone was assigned the number (815) ***-0908, (2) the iPhone used a

messaging application multiple times between November 14 and November 28, 2013, to

communicate with telephone number (815) ***-0908 (i.e., the same phone number), (3) the iPhone

displayed certain incoming and outgoing calls that corresponded with the records that Washburn

received from Sprint pertaining to telephone number (815) ***-3459 (the Sprint records were

authenticated separately by a representative of Sprint and were admitted as business records), and

(4) the Samsung phone was assigned number (815) ***-5916, a number that the Sprint records

indicated had been in repeated contact with telephone number (815) ***-3459 around the time of

the shooting. None of this evidence constituted “statements” by a “declarant” within the meaning

of Illinois Rule of Evidence 801, as there was no human input involved. Instead, these were self-

generated records of a machine’s operations, which is not hearsay. See People v. Holowko, 109

Ill. 2d 187, 193 (1985); see also State of Missouri v. Reynolds, 456 S.W. 3d 101, 104 (Mo. Ct.

App. 2015) (cellular phone call logs are not hearsay, because they are “not statements made by a

human declarant,” but are instead “generated by the phone itself as a result of incoming and

outgoing calls.”). Any issue with this computer-generated data “would go to the weight of the

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evidence, not its admissibility.” In re Rocker, 2017 IL App (4th) 170133, ¶ 42.

¶ 125 Washburn’s testimony as to the Samsung’s Internet search history likewise was not

hearsay. Only statements that “propose a proposition that can be either true or false” are

“assertions” for purposes of the hearsay rule. People v. Burgund, 2016 IL App (5th)

130119, ¶ 197. Additionally, there is no hearsay problem when a statement is offered merely to

prove that the statement was made. Burgund, 2016 IL App (5th) 130119, ¶ 195. As explained in

People v. Sorrels, 389 Ill. App. 3d 547 (2009):

“ ‘To qualify as hearsay, the words recounted in court must, for starters, constitute

an assertion or statement of fact. Many out-of-court utterances are self-evidently not

assertions. If a witness testifies to the out-of-court inquiry, ‘What time is it?’, that inquiry

is obviously not an assertion of anything. * * * An out-of-court assertion of a fact may be

true or untrue. For that reason, its admissibility in evidence is problematic if offered to

prove that fact.’ ” Sorrels, 389 Ill. App. 3d at 554 (quoting Holland v. State of Maryland,

713 A.2d 364, 369-70 (Md. Ct. Spec. App. 1998)).

Here, the Internet queries about a recent shooting/police chase and how to remove gun powder

residue from one’s arms and clothing were not assertive speech for purposes of the hearsay rule,

as the searches did not propose factual propositions than could either be true or false. The search

history was introduced merely to show that such inquiries were made, allegedly by defendant’s

mother. The State was not using these inquiries to prove, for example, that a shooting or a chase

actually occurred. Therefore, the search history was not hearsay.

¶ 126 On the other hand, certain parts of Washburn’s testimony involved information that

reflected the assertions of human declarants. For example, Washburn testified that there was a

heading in the iPhone’s settings that said “Anthony’s stuff.” In a similar vein, Washburn testified

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that the extraction data showed that the owner name for the iPhone was listed as “Anthony” and

that this phone previously communicated with a phone number associated with the name “Nina.”

It seems that a human entered the owner name and contact information into the iPhone, as there

was no evidence introduced that a phone could generate such information on its own. Moreover,

the State used these statements in its closing argument to prove the truth of the matters asserted:

i.e., that Anthony was the owner of the iPhone and that Nina’s phone number was (815) ***-0908

before the shooting. Washburn’s testimony on these matters was thus hearsay. See Henry v. State

of Florida, 264 So. 3d 182, 184-85 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2019) (explaining that a photograph of the

contact information that was contained within a witness’s cell phone would not have been

admissible had the State intended to use that information to establish the defendant’s telephone

number).

¶ 127 Having identified the narrow hearsay aspects of Washburn’s testimony, the next question

is whether any improperly admitted evidence requires a new trial. “Admission of hearsay is

harmless if there is no reasonable probability the verdict would have been different had the hearsay

been excluded.” People v. Pineda, 349 Ill. App. 3d 815, 822 (2004). The State used this hearsay

evidence to tie defendant to phone number (815) ***-3459, the number that was the subject of

Raschke’s historical cell-site analysis. In our view, the only conceivable prejudicial impact of this

hearsay testimony would be if there were insufficient other competent evidence to tie defendant to

this phone number. There was, however, sufficient circumstantial, non-hearsay evidence linking

defendant to this phone number. This included: (1) evidence that defendant’s father was the

subscriber for the account associated with this number, (2) evidence that this phone number was

in communication around the time of the shooting with other phone numbers that were associated

with defendant’s family, (3) evidence that a historical cell-site analysis placed the phone connected

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with this number in the area of both the shooting and the police chase and (4) Patton’s testimony

that defendant was present in the Navigator before and after the shooting. Under these

circumstances, any error in admitting hearsay was harmless.

¶ 128 2. Arguments Directed at Raschke’s Testimony

¶ 129 Defendant also contends that portions of Raschke’s testimony were improper. According

to defendant, despite the prosecutor’s pretrial representation that Raschke did “not intend to give

any opinion as to how to interpret what he did,” Raschke, in defendant’s words, “rendered detailed

opinions.” Defendant asserts that such opinions included that “the mystery cellular phone was

traveling inside the Navigator at the precise time of the police chase” and that “the cell phone left

the Navigator after the chase and traveled in a certain direction.” Defendant further argues that

Raschke exceeded the scope of permissible expert testimony by interpreting the disclaimer for the

jury and introduced hearsay by relating his conversations with Sprint’s personnel.

¶ 130 We find no error. The prosecutor’s remark about Raschke not giving opinions came in the

context of addressing whether it was necessary to hold a hearing pursuant to Frye v. United States,

293 F. 1013 (D.C. Cir. 1923), to determine whether Raschke’s methodology had gained general

acceptance. The State made it clear before trial that Raschke intended to plot the data that was

available in Sprint’s records. That data included Sprint’s estimates of the distances between the

phone and the cell tower at the time of each call. Raschke’s testimony was in line with the State’s

pretrial representation, as his PowerPoint presentation included maps that plotted the information

in Sprint’s records.

¶ 131 The arcs that Raschke presented to the jury were generally consistent with the State’s

theory about defendant’s directions of travel on the night of the shooting. Despite what defendant

claims, however, Raschke never directly opined that any cellular phone was inside of the Navigator

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during the police chase or that any phone was subsequently taken out of the Navigator. To the

contrary, Raschke repeatedly testified that Sprint’s distance measurements were mere

approximations and that he could not ascertain specific locations of the phone at any particular

time.

¶ 132 As part of the pretrial discussion about the potential need for a Frye hearing, the prosecutor

also promised the court that she would make sure that Raschke did not “sugarcoat” Sprint’s

disclaimer. The disclaimer was admitted into evidence. The prosecutor did not question Raschke

about it on direct examination; defense counsel raised that issue on cross-examination. In response

to defense counsel’s questions, Raschke interpreted the disclaimer to mean that, although Sprint

would not guarantee the accuracy of its data, Sprint was not saying that the data was inaccurate.

(That was consistent with the testimony of Sprint’s record custodian, who said that the disclaimer

meant that the information contained in the records “can or cannot be accurate.”) Raschke also

mentioned on cross-examination that Sprint’s disclaimer had since been amended. According to

Raschke, the updated disclaimer indicates that the latitude and longitude coordinates that Sprint

provides are not accurate. Raschke explained that he never uses the latitude and longitude

coordinates.

¶ 133 On redirect examination, Raschke testified that the information received from Sprint was

the type of information that he analyzed all the time and which he had used successfully to locate

people. Raschke testified that he had ongoing discussions with Sprint’s personnel about the

disclaimer, most recently at a conference in February. He explained that Sprint’s disclaimer was

not saying that its data was “absolutely not accurate.” The following colloquy occurred between

the prosecutor and Raschke:

“Q. What is [the disclaimer] saying?

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A. It’s saying that they’re not going to come and say that this data is accurate.

They’re not going to come and say that that phone was exactly 1.45 miles from that tower.

It’s an approximation.

Q. It may not be accurate: is that correct?

A. It may not be exactly 1.45 miles. It’s an approximation.

Q. But potentially, it may be accurate; is that correct?

A. Correct.”

¶ 134 Defendant argues that Raschke improperly rendered the disclaimer “meaningless.”

Defendant insists that “[t]he jury should have been permitted to interpret the plain wording of the

disclaimer on its own.” We find no error, as defendant initiated this line of inquiry on cross-

examination. Defendant’s hearsay objection likewise is not well-taken. Although Raschke

testified that he had conversations with Sprint, he never directly related the substance of those

conversations. He only testified about the results of those conversations. Additionally, the

conversations at issue formed part of the bases for Raschke’s opinions. See Ill. R. Evid. 703 (eff.

Jan. 1, 2011) (“If of a type reasonably relied upon by experts in the particular field in forming

opinions or inferences upon the subject, the facts or data need not be admissible in evidence.”).

Defendant also claims that Raschke “testified that his knowledge and expertise exceeded that of

Sprint personnel,” insofar as “Sprint subsequently changed their disclaimer to reflect that

[Raschke’s] opinions were not rebuttable by the disclaimer.” The record does not support

defendant’s interpretation of Raschke’s testimony. He never claimed to have more knowledge

than Sprint’s personnel, and he certainly did not say that his opinions were not rebuttable by the

disclaimer.

¶ 135 D. Gang Evidence

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¶ 136 Defendant next argues that the court erroneously admitted gang evidence. Specifically, he

argues that Dammon exceeded the scope of admissible expert opinion testimony by, in defendant’s

words, “advis[ing] the jury that Defendant was a thug, capable of committing, and guilty of,

multiple violent crimes.” Defendant takes issue with Dammon’s statement that rival street gangs

“have a propensity to fight with one another, perform violent acts against one another as well as

other crimes.” Defendant also asserts that Patton and Pena, despite not being qualified as gang

experts, offered “expert testimony about gang culture and the vicious nature of gang members.”

Defendant maintains that “[t]he testimony of Dammon, Pena and Patton amounted to an improper

attack on [his] character,” as their testimony “attributed countless prior bad and criminal acts” to

him without any specific evidence that he had been involved in those acts.

¶ 137 Defendant further criticizes the State for not tendering Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions,

Criminal, No. 3.14 (approved Oct. 17, 2014) during the instruction conference, given that the

prosecutor suggested during pretrial motion practice that such instruction would be appropriate.

Finally, defendant contends that the court erred in admitting a photograph depicting him and other

individuals posing in front of a black and gold flag while using hand signs associated with the

Latin Kings. According to defendant, because he did not dispute that he was a gang member, the

photograph had no probative value.

¶ 138 Defendant proposes that he preserved this issue for review, as it was “encompassed”

within his posttrial motion. In the event we determine that the issue was not preserved, defendant,

in a one-paragraph portion of his brief and in a conclusory manner, invokes both prongs of the

plain-error doctrine.

¶ 139 The State preliminarily responds that defendant failed to preserve this issue by not

including his specific objections in his posttrial motion. The State also argues that defendant

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forfeited plain-error review by failing to develop an argument as to why the alleged errors

amounted to plain error.

¶ 140 We agree with the State that defendant failed to preserve his arguments, as they were not

included in the posttrial motion. See Sebby, 2017 IL 119445, ¶ 48 (“To preserve a purported error

for consideration by a reviewing court, a defendant must object to the error at trial and raise the

error in a posttrial motion.”). Any relief thus must come by virtue of the plain-error doctrine,

which allows a court to excuse a procedural default in two circumstances:

“(1) a clear or obvious error occurred and the evidence is so closely balanced that the error

alone threatened to tip the scales of justice against the defendant, regardless of the

seriousness of the error, or (2) a clear or obvious error occurred and that error is so serious

that it affected the fairness of the defendant’s trial and challenged the integrity of the

judicial process, regardless of the closeness of the evidence.” People v. Piatkowski, 225

Ill. 2d 551, 565 (2007).

This doctrine is “a narrow and limited exception” to the rule of procedural default, and the

defendant bears the burden of persuasion under both prongs. People v. Hillier, 237 Ill. 2d 539,

545 (2010).

¶ 141 A defendant may forfeit plain-error review by not raising the issue or by raising it in a

conclusory manner. See Hillier, 237 Ill. 2d at 545 (“A defendant who fails to argue for plain-error

review obviously cannot meet his burden of persuasion.”); People v. McCoy, 405 Ill. App. 3d 269,

274 (2010) (a defendant who merely asserted that the case was “ ‘close for plain-error purposes’ ”

forfeited plain-error review). Defendant’s argument that plain error occurred is conclusory. He

cites two cases for boilerplate language about the purpose of the doctrine, neither of which

involved the alleged improper admission of gang evidence. He makes no meaningful attempt to

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demonstrate why plain error occurred. Accordingly, we deem defendant’s arguments forfeited,

and we decline to address them.

¶ 142 E. Facebook Evidence

¶ 143 Defendant finally argues that the court erred in allowing Pena to testify about the

photographs that he saw on Facebook and what he told defendant about those photographs.

Defendant challenges this evidence on numerous grounds.

¶ 144 In his opening brief, defendant argues this issue as if the matter were preserved. As the

State correctly notes, defendant failed to include it in his posttrial motion. At the end of his reply

brief, defendant adds a “catch-all” paragraph, in which he asserts that any unpreserved issues

pertained to errors that amounted to plain error under both prongs. There is precedent supporting

allowing a defendant to raise the issue of plain error in a reply brief. See People v. Ramsey, 239

Ill. 2d 342, 412 (2010) (“[A]lthough defendant did not argue plain error in his opening brief, he

has argued plain error in his reply brief, which is sufficient to allow us to review the issue for plain

error.”). However, as was true with defendant’s argument about the gang evidence, defendant

makes no meaningful attempt to craft a cogent argument about why the alleged errors with respect

to the Facebook evidence amounted to plain error. Accordingly, we deem defendant’s arguments

forfeited, and we decline to address them.

¶ 145 III. CONCLUSION

¶ 146 For the reasons stated, we affirm the judgment of the circuit court of Boone County.

¶ 147 Affirmed.

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