People v. Shiflet

465 N.E.2d 942, 125 Ill. App. 3d 161, 80 Ill. Dec. 596, 1984 Ill. App. LEXIS 1964
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 20, 1984
Docket2-82-0245
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 465 N.E.2d 942 (People v. Shiflet) 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. Shiflet, 465 N.E.2d 942, 125 Ill. App. 3d 161, 80 Ill. Dec. 596, 1984 Ill. App. LEXIS 1964 (Ill. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinion

JUSTICE NASH

delivered the opinion of the court:

After trial by jury defendant, John Shiflet, was convicted of the murder of his wife, Rose Shiflet (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 38, par. 9— 1(a)(1)) and was sentenced to imprisonment for his natural life.

He appeals, contending that the trial court erred: (1) by failing to exclude evidence seized pursuant to a search warrant obtained in violation of defendant’s attorney-client privilege; (2) by denying defendant an evidentiary hearing of his assertion that the complaints for two earlier search warrants under which evidence was seized contained false statements; (3) by the admission in evidence of a statement by defendant which the State had failed to disclose prior to trial; (4) by the admission of evidence relating to the victim’s blood for lack of foundation and proof of chain of custody; (5) by admission of certain building records without adequate foundation; and (6) by denying defendant due process and equal protection of the law in imposing a sentence of natural life imprisonment.

Rose Shiflet was reported missing by her husband, defendant herein, on the evening of September 30, 1980, and her body was discovered early the next morning in an unincorporated area near Naperville about three miles from the apartment she had shared with defendant in Lisle. She was wearing a shirt and jeans and was barefoot; an investigator noted her hands and feet were very clean, there were blood stains on the shirt and a black tar-like substance on the jeans. He then went to the Shiflet apartment complex, where he found a blood-spotted leaf lying next to an automobile identified as belonging to the victim and blood spots on the rear portion of the car and also on the steps leading to the Shiflet apartment.

Officers had a conversation with defendant later that morning when they asked him to relate the events of the previous evening. Defendant stated that when she arrived home from work about 4:45 p.m., his wife was upset over an argument with her father and a kidney infection. They talked for over an hour and he advised her to seek professional help, which she rejected. At about 8 p.m., while they were watching a television movie, he stated she became emotional and threw a glass of iced tea on the floor, saying, “five got to get out of here”; she then left the apartment. When Rose didn’t return, defendant stated he drove around looking for her, then called her sister and brought her to the apartment where decedent’s mother later joined them. Defendant stated he called the sheriff’s office at 11:30 p.m. to report his wife missing and did so again at 5 a.m., when an officer was dispatched to take a missing person report.

Joan Alieva, decedent’s mother, testified defendant called her between 7:30 and 8 a.m. on September 30 and requested that she not call her daughter that evening, as was her custom, because defendant wished to have a serious discussion with Rose without interruption. Defendant also called decedent’s sister, Lynda Alieva, at 4:45 that afternoon with the same request.

Lynda Alieva testified she had also received a call from defendant at 10 p.m. on September 30, advising her Rose had been missing since leaving the apartment at 8 o’clock. Lynda told defendant she was coming over, and he at first refused to let her come, but then agreed to pick her up. Defendant arrived at Lynda’s home, a 20-minute drive, at 11:10 p.m., saying he had been searching for Rose. On the trip back to defendant’s apartment, he told her that Rose had become upset and, after throwing tea on the floor, left, saying she was going to a store for ice cream and would return later. When they arrived at the apartment, defendant went into the bathroom where he remained for quite a while and Lynda could hear water running. When he came out defendant had changed his pants and he then pointed out a wet area on the rug where he said the tea had been spilled.

Joan Alieva came over later and, after calling the hospitals, she and Lynda decided to walk around looking while defendant remained in the apartment by the telephone. As they left the apartment, defendant advised them to be careful on the stairs as he had slipped and scratched his knuckles on the brick wall. He also told them the scratches and gouges on his arms they had observed were caused when he looked in bramble bushes for Rose.

After walking about the complex for 10 minutes the women returned for the car and found defendant at the rear of it with the trunk open; he then closed the trunk and they all went into the apartment. The women noticed Rose’s glasses on a bookcase and were disturbed because she could not see well without them, especially at night. At about 5 a.m. the police were called again, and at 9 a.m. they were informed Rose’s body had been found. That evening Joan Alieva saw Rose’s body at a funeral home and noticed her fingernails had been cut very short, although she had always worn them long.

Dennis Varhol, the Shiflet’s next door neighbor, testified he heard whimpering and hitting noises from the Shiflet’s apartment at approximately 8:30 p.m. on September 30 which lasted for several minutes.

An autopsy of decedent’s body disclosed a large wound on top of the head which penetrated to the skull. The physician testified such a wound bleeds profusely and as the victim’s hair was not contaminated by blood, he concluded it had been washed. The doctor also noticed small scratches on the neck and hemorrhages of the skin of the face and neck. He expressed the opinion the victim died from loss of blood and that at least one-half of the blood volume was absent. The doctor also noted evidence of strangulation, but could not say it contributed to the death. The doctor was unable to take fingernail scrapings from the victim as the nails had been clipped too short, but did remove a tar-like substance from her body and drew two blood samples, one of which he gave to Thomas Duhig, a sheriff’s evidence technician who was present at the autopsy.

At about noon on October 1, defendant attempted to remove his wife’s car from its parking place near the apartment. When an officer stopped him, defendant stated he was taking it on his attorney’s advice, but was not permitted to do so. At 2:30 p.m. that day a vacant apartment below defendant’s was searched by officers, who found blood and matted hair in a closet and traces of blood on the bathroom fixtures. On October 1, search warrant No. 3218 was issued by the circuit court authorizing a search of defendant’s apartment which was conducted at 5:45 p.m.; a pair of blue jeans and a shirt were seized. The pants were damp, and benzidine tests conducted on stained areas were positive for the presence of blood. On October 2, search warrant No. 3215 was issued authorizing a search of Rose Shiflet’s 1980 Chevrolet automobile. Positive test results for the presence of blood were, obtained on several items including the trunk carpeting, plastic molding on the interior of the trunk, a tarp and on the handle of an ax. The officers also noted that the rubber molding around the lid had torn away and a tar-like substance was there seen which was similar to the substance found on Rose Shiflet’s foot and hand.

At 8:30 p.m. on October 3, 1980, search warrant No. 3219 was issued authorizing a second search of defendant’s apartment.

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Bluebook (online)
465 N.E.2d 942, 125 Ill. App. 3d 161, 80 Ill. Dec. 596, 1984 Ill. App. LEXIS 1964, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-shiflet-illappct-1984.