People v. Pietrzyk

369 N.E.2d 1299, 54 Ill. App. 3d 738, 12 Ill. Dec. 285, 1977 Ill. App. LEXIS 3701
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedOctober 31, 1977
Docket76-1120, 76-1121 and 76-1122 Consolidated
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 369 N.E.2d 1299 (People v. Pietrzyk) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Pietrzyk, 369 N.E.2d 1299, 54 Ill. App. 3d 738, 12 Ill. Dec. 285, 1977 Ill. App. LEXIS 3701 (Ill. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE O’CONNOR

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendants, Joseph Pietrzyk, Joseph Krentkowski and Richard Perez, were each indicted for two counts of aggravated battery. They were tried jointly by a jury in the circuit court of Cook County and each was found guilty of both counts of aggravated battery and one count of battery. Each defendant was sentenced to imprisonment for from three years and four months to 10 years. The sentence imposed on defendant Perez was subsequently reduced to imprisonment for from one to three years.

On appeal, defendants contend that (1) they were not proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt because the evidence showed that defendants acted in self-defense; (2) the trial court erred in refusing to admit into evidence on behalf of defendants two out-of-court declarations which allegedly are admissible under exceptions to the hearsay rule; (3) portions of the prosecutor’s closing argument were so prejudicial as to deprive defendants of a fair trial; and (4) as to each defendant one of the two aggravated battery convictions and the battery conviction must be vacated.

The charges and the convictions arose out of the beating and stabbing of Richard Gray on October 20,1973, at about 1:30 a.m. Gray testified that he left his job in Niles to go home at about 1 o’clock in the morning, traveling south on the Edens Expressway. He left the expressway at Diversey and California in the city of Chicago to enter a gas station to purchase gas. He did not immediately drive into the station, but rather waited in the driveway because he observed a fight taking place among five people, some of whom apparently were station attendants. After a few minutes, four men left the premises and two attendants came over to service Gray’s car. Gray went into the station house to pay for his purchase with a credit card and was returning to his car when the four men returned. Gray pointed out defendants Pietrzyk, Krentkowski and Perez in court as members of the group; the fourth man was not present in court.

Gray testified that he was about to enter his car when this group approached him; Krentkowski called him a nigger, a black motherfucker and asked if he was “bad.” Gray testified that he said, “No, I’m trying to get home.” Krentkowski continued to call him names as the group approached Gray, who was backing away towards the gas pumps for 20 to 30 feet. Pietrzyk said, “Be cool, he might have a knife” and Perez tackled Gray. Gray stated that Krentkowski began to hit him with his fists. He saw something metallic flash in Pietrzyk’s hand. He fought back “for fife.” The station attendants came and pulled the defendants off of Gray momentarily and Gray punched and knocked down the fourth man, who was not in court. Gray himself was then struck on the head, knocked to the ground, kicked in the side and stabbed in the back. The fourth man was still on the ground at the time Gray was stabbed. The defendants were again pointed out in court as the persons who had attacked him that night. Gray was dragged by the collar across the pavement for five or six feet and then was released as his assailants ran off.

Gray testified he had received 20 to 30 blows from the defendants’ fists, stab wounds in his back and the side of his face and a cut on his forearm. The police took him to the hospital, where his wounds were closed with stitches and he was required to stay for 48 hours. Two photographs of the victim taken one week after the assault were admitted into evidence.

On cross-examination, Gray testified he never indicated to defendants that he had a gun that night. He could not say for certain what the metal object he saw in Pietrzyk’s hand was and he could not see who specifically had cut him, because his face was down at the time. The attendants were able to keep defendants away from him for only a matter of seconds. On redirect, he testified that the whole encounter took five or 10 minutes in all. All four of the attackers did strike him and he knew “for certain” that all three defendants hit him after the fourth man was knocked down.

Police officer Salvi testified that he arrived at the station after receiving a call on his radio at about 1:30 a.m. He saw Gray, who was wearing a green and white uniform, and noted his injuries. Gray had no weapon. He also saw three gas station attendants wearing blue shirts as part of their uniforms; they were not armed. The attendants were holding Perez, who did not appear to be hurt at the time. On cross-examination, the policeman stated that at the time he arrived the fight had ended.

Police officer Kunz testified that he saw Gray at his home on October 25, 1973. Gray picked three photos from a stack of 12 which Kunz had produced. Defendants Pietrzyk, Krentkowski and Perez were the persons in the photographs.

Defendant Krentkowski testified in his own behalf that he, Pietrzyk, Perez, Michael Estrada and Richard Cisnero were in Cisnero’s car on the expressway when the muffler fell off. They left the expressway and went into the station in question, where the attendants put the car up on the lift. Cisnero stayed with the car, while the other four went to a tavern down the block, where they drank beer. Estrada and Pietrzyk left the tavern and Krentkowski and Perez left five or 10 minutes later. When Krentkowski arrived back at the station, he saw an attendant bleeding from his mouth. Another attendant was about to hit Estrada on the head with a tailpipe when Krentkowski and Perez stopped him; Perez was hit instead with the pipe and a fight began involving everyone present. The fight shortly broke up and the defendants walked away from the station. Defendants and Estrada went back to the station five minutes later to get the car and Cisnero and were confronted by the attendants standing in front of the door holding wrenches and pipes in their hands and beckoning the defendants to fight. Krentkowski then saw Gray pumping gas into a car. According to Krentkowski, Gray said to the attendants, “Do you need some help?” Krentkowski testified that he then called Gray a nigger and said, “You can get somebody to fight too, nigger.” Gray reached his hand toward his back pocket and Krentkowski told Perez, “Watch it, he has got a gun.” Perez tackled Gray and they fought until the attendants began to hit defendants and Estrada with tools. Krentkowski stated he had no weapons and saw no weapons on his friends. He denied stabbing Gray and testified he saw no one else stab Gray. He did hit Gray five or six times and was hit by Gray in return. Then Estrada started fighting with Gray. Then they all jumped into the car and drove off. Krentkowski testified he sustained bruises from the blows he received.

On cross-examination, he admitted he went to no hospital that night for treatment of his injuries and did not report the incident to the police. He testified he was six feet tall and weighed 160 pounds; Cisnero was “heavy set”; Estrada was over six feet tall and weighed about 200 pounds; Pietrzyk was five feet seven inches tall and Perez was five feet four or five inches tall, while the biggest of the three attendants was five feet nine inches tall and 170 pounds, and other two were about the size of Perez. He and his companions that night were friends and frequently met together to drink; before the incident they had consumed a case of beer and a half-gallon of wine. He did see a knife in Estrada’s possession at the station.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
369 N.E.2d 1299, 54 Ill. App. 3d 738, 12 Ill. Dec. 285, 1977 Ill. App. LEXIS 3701, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-pietrzyk-illappct-1977.