People v. Stokes

316 N.E.2d 127, 21 Ill. App. 3d 754, 1974 Ill. App. LEXIS 2269
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJuly 24, 1974
Docket57470
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 316 N.E.2d 127 (People v. Stokes) 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. Stokes, 316 N.E.2d 127, 21 Ill. App. 3d 754, 1974 Ill. App. LEXIS 2269 (Ill. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinion

Mr. PRESIDING JUSTICE ADESKO

deHvered the opinion of the court:

Petitioner, Joseph L. Stokes, was charged in three indictments with three burglaries and two counts of rape that took place during two of the burglaries. On February 14, 1968, petitioner, represented by Assistant Public Defender Paul Bradley, withdrew his plea of not guilty and entered a guilty plea to all the above charges. He was sentenced to concurrent terms of not less than 7 nor more than 12 years on each indictment. The next day he further pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted escape, receiving a sentence of not less than 1 nor more than 4 years, to run concurrently with the sentences on the above charges. A petition for post-conviction relief was filed on January 27, 1969. This petition was later amended with the assistance of counsel. The petition related solely to petitioner’s plea of guilty to the burglary and rape which was committed upon Ms. Melanie J. Hayes. The petition was dismissed without an evidentiary hearing on motion of the State, and petitioner appeals this order of dismissal.

Petitioner raises numerous contentions urging this court to reverse the order of dismissal, but we must first examine a threshold question before we consider the points he raises. A plea of guilty, made in a voluntary and understanding manner, operates as a waiver of all nonjurisdictional errors and defects. (People v. Brown, 41 Ill.2d 503, 244 N.E.2d 159; People v. Phelps, 51 Ill.2d 35, 280 N.E.2d 203; People v. Loy, 52 Ill.2d 126, 284 N.E.2d 634; and People v. Dunn, 52 Ill.2d 400, 288 N.E. 2d 463.) Since none of the errors at trial raised by petitioner are of a jurisdictional nature, we may only reach them for consideration on this appeal if we find that the guilty plea was not knowingly and voluntarily made. After careful examination of the record, we are of the opinion that the guilty plea in the instant case was knowingly and voluntarily made.

Petitioner asserts that his guilty plea was not knowingly and voluntarily made since, inter alia, he was denied his right to effective assistance of counsel in making the plea due to the incompetency of the assistant public defender appointed to represent him. As petitioner quite correctly points out in his brief, incompetence of trial counsel is a question of constitutional dimension and is cognizable in a proceeding under the Post-Conviction Hearing Act. (People v. Savage, 8 Ill.App.3d 162, 289 N.E.2d 460.) A defendant, to establish that his trial counsel was incompetent, must demonstrate the actual incompetence of counsel by his actions in carrying out his duties as the trial attorney which resulted in substantial prejudice to the defendant and without which the outcome would probably have been different. (See People v. Goerger, 52 Ill.2d 403, 288 N.E.2d 416, and the cases cited therein.) We have examined the conduct of petitioners trial counsel with the above criteria in mind, and we are of the opinion that the record does not establish incompetency of counsel. Quite the contrary, we find that Mr. Bradley, the trial counsel, was capable, conscientious and thorough in his representation of petitioner.

Petitioner urges that the incompetency of his appointed counsel is evident from the record primarily in that Mr. Bradley failed to investigate or discuss a statement made by Ms. Hayes to him that her attacker had a mole or birthmark on his stomach which she was able to see during the course of an oral sex act which she had been forced to perform. Mr. Bradley stated, in affidavits presented in connection with the instant petition, that his investigation and the evidence against Mr. Stokes was such that no “viable defense” was possible and he advised a guilty plea be entered. He believed that the testimony of the victim regarding the rapes and other acts or attempted acts would be highly inflammatory and prejudicial to his client. We are of the opinion that what petitioner now asserts as incompetency on Mr. Bradleys part was simply an exercise of his judgment as trial counsel as to matters of defense strategy. It is “well settled” that a review of the representation afforded by appointed counsel does not extend to matters of the “exercise of judgment, discretion or trial tactics” even where counsel on appeal or the reviewing court might have acted in a different manner. People v. Wesley, 30 Ill.2d 131, 136, 195 N.E.2d 708, citing People v. Kirkrand, 14 Ill.2d 86, 150 N.E.2d 788; People v. Robinson, 21 Ill.2d 30, 171 N.E.2d 11; People v. Hare, 25 Ill.2d 321, 185 N.E.2d 178, and People v. Anthony, 28 Ill.2d 65, 190 N.E.2d 837.

Petitioner further asserts that his guilty plea was not knowingly and voluntarily made since the State had withheld certain statements in its possession which may have helped establish his innocence and that “cruel and inhuman” conditions at the Cook County jail had affected him so as to render his plea coerced, unintelligent and unknowing. We find no merit in either argument. The statements in question were those of Ms. Hayes regarding the mole or birthmark. Petitioner’s trial counsel had spoken to Ms. Hayes and was aware of the same facts she told the police. Even if the question of whether these reports should have been turned over had not been waived by petitioner’s guilty plea, no prejudice resulted since the defense was already in possession of the information. Petitioner also alleges that the conditions he encountered in jail influenced his decision to plead guilty, but he has failed to demonstrate in what manner. It is not claimed that these conditions were specifically directed at him to force him to plead guilty or that he was ever persuaded to do so by jail personnel. Petitioner was given adequate time while in jail to consult with counsel and discuss whether or not to plead guilty to the charges. We cannot then say that his guilty plea was invalid as a result of conditions while in confinement.

Petitioner’s final point on appeal concerns the failure of the judge to allow a motion for a change of venue in the post-conviction proceedings. Petitioner moved for a change of venue alleging that the judge before whom petitioner’s case was to be heard, the Honorable Frank J. Wilson, was biased and prejudiced as to the facts alleged as grounds for relief in the post-conviction petition. The motion, and attached affidavit of counsel, noted that during a hearing on a petition for post-conviction relief filed on behalf of Willie Steward, and where incompetency of the very same assistant public defender was at issue, the following statement was made by Judge Wilson when he interrupted affiant’s argument:

“I’m going to stop all this right here. Paul Bradley was one of the best public defenders Cook County ever had. The petition will be denied.”

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Bluebook (online)
316 N.E.2d 127, 21 Ill. App. 3d 754, 1974 Ill. App. LEXIS 2269, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-stokes-illappct-1974.