People v. Todorovic

368 N.E.2d 471, 53 Ill. App. 3d 1, 10 Ill. Dec. 876, 1977 Ill. App. LEXIS 3411
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedSeptember 6, 1977
Docket76-532
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 368 N.E.2d 471 (People v. Todorovic) 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. Todorovic, 368 N.E.2d 471, 53 Ill. App. 3d 1, 10 Ill. Dec. 876, 1977 Ill. App. LEXIS 3411 (Ill. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE PUSATERI

delivered the opinion of the court:

The defendant, Nedeljko Todorovic was charged by indictment with the offenses of attempt murder in violation of section 8—4 of the Criminal Code of 1961 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 8—4), aggravated battery causing great bodily harm in violation of section 12—4 of the Criminal Code of 1961 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 12—4), and aggravated battery using a deadly weapon in violation of section 12—4(b)(1) of the Criminal Code of 1961 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 12—4(b)(1)). Upon a jury trial, the defendant was found not guilty of attempt murder and guilty of both counts of aggravated battery, and judgments were entered on the verdicts. He was sentenced to serve three years felony probation, the first year to be served in the Work Release Program, with one weekend off each month.

From the entry of judgments of conviction, defendant appeals, contending (1) that the prosecutor’s opening statement and closing argument were so prejudicial as to deprive him of his constitutional right to a fair and impartial trial; (2) that his acquittal of the attempt murder offense was an acquittal of the lesser included offenses of aggravated battery; (3) that he was not proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt; and (4) that his sentence is excessive.

A review of the evidence adduced at the trial reveals that on January 13,1974, at approximately 5 a.m., the defendant, his wife Maria, and their friend, Nada Cabitanini, were parked in his car in a southerly direction on Ridgeway Avenue immediately north of its intersection with 26th Street, in the City of Chicago. They had just left a restaurant in the vicinity, after having celebrated the Serbian New Year, and were waiting for defendant’s car to warm up.

Complainant, Michael Ceja, his wife Alice, and their daughter were in an automobile that was stopped behind defendant’s car. Ceja and his wife testified that defendant’s car was in the middle of the street, and thus blocking their path of travel. Defendant and his wife testified that he was parked next to the curb, while their friend, Ms. Cabitanini, testified on cross-examination that defendant’s car could not possibly be right next to the sidewalk, as a snow pile was in the way.

Ceja sounded his horn several times, got out of his car, and approached the driver s door of defendant’s car. Ceja testified that he knocked on the door window, and defendant opened the door to arm’s length. He asked defendant whether he had a problem with his car and requested its removal. Defendant voiced an obscenity and slammed the door shut.

Ceja testified that he then turned, went a step or two towards his car, heard his wife say “watch out, Mike,” turned around, heard a door open, saw a gun pointed at him, saw defendant pull the chamber back and fire at him. He was shot and hit the ground, and he saw the defendant drive rapidly from the scene.

Officer Guerrero arrived promptly at the scene. He saw a hole and bloodstains a few inches below Ceja’s belt on the left side of his body. He gave a flash message over the radio, and had Ceja removed to Mt. Sinai Hospital.

Officer Curtin and his partner responded to the flash message. Officer Curtin testified that he noticed a suspect vehicle at Sacramento and Roosevelt, got behind this vehicle, and activated his Mars light. The vehicle picked up speed, and Officer Curtin turned on his siren. He curbed the vehicle after a four block pursuit.

The defendant exited from the automobile, and was told to remove his hands from his coat pockets, and did so upon a second command. Officer Curtin informed defendant that he was stopped because his car fit the description of one wanted in a shooting. Defendant replied that he had fired two shots “over there,” and nodded his head in a westerly direction. He told Officer Curtin the gun was in his car. Officer Curtin then arrested defendant, handcuffed him, advised him of his rights, and placed him in the squadrol. He recovered a .25 caliber semi-automatic handgun and its clip with five live rounds from the front seat area of defendant’s car.

On cross-examination, Officer Curtin testified that defendant later told him at the police station that he thought he had fired into the ground and was afraid he was going to be robbed. Officer Curtin also stated that an average automatic will hold seven rounds in the clip.

Detective Michael Murphy of the Chicago Police Department testified that defendant told him at the police station that a car approached his car while he was in the center of the street, sounded its horn, its driver approached defendant, a conversation ensued, he became fearful and fired one or two shots at that individual. Detective Murphy also stated that Alice Ceja identified the defendant in a lineup. On cross-examination, Detective Murphy stated that defendant told him he fired toward the ground to scare the man away.

Dr. George Greenfield, Chief of the Radiology Department at Mt. Sinai Hospital, testified the X rays showed that the bullet lodged in the soft tissues of Ceja’s hip.

The defendant testified that a man opened his door, yelled at him to “Come on. Get, move.” He asked the man where he should move to, and the man pulled him by the left shoulder, saying “Get out.” Defendant looked over to his wife and Ms. Cabitanini and said in Serbian “What I going to do?” and they screamed “Don’t go out.” He stated the man then loudly said “Come on. Get out. Don’t talk with the f_broads,” and grabbed him by the neck with his other hand and tried to pull him out of his car. Defendant reached for his loaded gun, cocked it, and fired two shots towards the ground. He stated that he did not aim the gun at the man.

The defendant further testified that he stopped for the police soon after seeing blue lights; he alighted, and did not have his hands in his pockets. He told the police he fired two shots but didn’t shoot a man, and that he shot into the ground. He testified that he tried to scare the man away by shooting; that he never pointed the gun directly at the man, nor did he intend to shoot him. He stated that he was scared, afraid of being injured, and thought he was going to be robbed. On cross-examination, the defendant acknowledged that he did not see a gun or other weapon in the man’s hands, and that the victim never said he was going to harm him or anyone in his car.

Defendant initially contends that the opening statement of the prosecution was so prejudicial that it prevented defendant from receiving a fair and impartial trial. Specifically, he asserts that the prosecutor had no right to repeat the indictment, and that the prosecutor misled the jury by having the jury believe the defendant had in fact committed the offense of attempt murder, whereas he should have told the jury that defendant was charged with the offense of attempt murder.

At the trial, after first stating to the jury that “anything I say or anything counsel may say is really not evidence,” the assistant State’s Attorney continued his opening statement as follows:

“You recall when we first started picking you yesterday the Judge read the indictment to you and I want to go back over that. The Judge told you in May, 1974, the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
368 N.E.2d 471, 53 Ill. App. 3d 1, 10 Ill. Dec. 876, 1977 Ill. App. LEXIS 3411, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-todorovic-illappct-1977.