People v. West

560 N.E.2d 594, 137 Ill. 2d 558, 148 Ill. Dec. 196, 1990 Ill. LEXIS 67
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedMay 30, 1990
Docket65382
StatusPublished
Cited by53 cases

This text of 560 N.E.2d 594 (People v. West) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. West, 560 N.E.2d 594, 137 Ill. 2d 558, 148 Ill. Dec. 196, 1990 Ill. LEXIS 67 (Ill. 1990).

Opinion

JUSTICE CALVO

delivered the opinion of the court:

On February 27, 1986, an indictment was filed in the circuit court of Cook County charging defendant, Paul West, with the murder of three-month-old Shardae Harris under sections 9 — 1(a)(1) and (a)(2) of the Criminal Code of 1961 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 38, pars. 9 — 1(a)(1), (a)(2)). A jury found defendant guilty of murder on December 3, 1986, at the close of a three-day trial. The circuit court, however, granted defendant a new trial on January 15, 1987. On March 24, 1987, defendant was again found guilty as charged, following a bench trial. Pursuant to the State’s request for a death penalty hearing, a sentencing hearing was commenced on April 28, 1987. On that day, a jury concluded defendant was eligible for the death penalty, finding that defendant was 18 years of age or older at the time of the offense (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 38, par. 9 — 1(b)) and that the aggravating factor set forth in section 9 — 1(b)(3) (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 38, par. 9 — 1(b)(3)) was present. The jury then heard and considered mitigating and aggravating evidence, ultimately concluding that there were no mitigating factors sufficient to preclude the imposition of the death penalty. The circuit court, on May 14, 1987, sentenced defendant to death. The death sentence has been stayed (107 Ill. 2d R. 609(a)) pending direct appeal to this court (Ill. Const. 1970, art. VI, §4(b); 107 Ill. 2d R. 603).

The issues presented for review are: (1) whether the circuit court properly denied defendant’s motion to suppress his statements; (2) whether the State proved defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt; (3) whether defendant was denied effective assistance of counsel and due process of law with respect to choice of counsel; (4) whether the circuit court properly admitted the testimony of an examining psychiatrist at the sentencing hearing; (5) whether the prosecutor’s closing argument at the sentencing hearing was proper; and (6) whether our death penalty statute is constitutional. We will address these issues after we chronicle the relevant facts of the case.

Prior to trial, on July 7 and August 14, 1986, defendant filed motions to suppress statements he had made to law enforcement authorities. Defendant’s motions were heard on November 12,1986.

Detective Thomas McCarthy of the Chicago police department testified that he and Detective Michael O’Sullivan interviewed defendant between 2 and 3 p.m. on January 30, 1986, while defendant was in custody at the Harrison Street police station. At the time he spoke with defendant, McCarthy was aware that Detectives Leuser and Pufpaf had previously interviewed defendant. McCarthy said he and O’Sullivan were assigned to the investigation of Shardae Harris’ death at 9 a.m. on January 30, and, to the best of his knowledge, no one else spoke to defendant from the time McCarthy was assigned to the case until Assistant State’s Attorney Robert Babbitt spoke to defendant later that day. McCarthy and O’Sullivan were always simultaneously present during the interview, which lasted between 40 minutes and an hour.

At the outset, the officers apprised defendant of information they had obtained in the course of their investigation. They advised defendant of his constitutional rights, which he indicated he understood. McCarthy did not threaten defendant in any way, nor did anyone in his presence. Defendant did not request an attorney. After defendant gave an oral statement, McCarthy contacted Babbitt, who thereafter arrived at the station around 6 or 6:30 p.m.

Detective Michael O’Sullivan testified, essentially corroborating McCarthy’s testimony. O’Sullivan denied that he or McCarthy told defendant what to say, threatened him or physically abused him. Following O’Sullivan’s testimony, the State rested.

Defendant, Paul West, testified that he was arrested in a waiting room of Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital sometime after 8 p.m. on January 29, 1986, and was, forthwith, transported to the police station at Harrison and Kedzie where, he claimed, he was handcuffed to a wall in an interview room and left overnight. Defendant said the police did not give him food or water; he was, however, allowed to use the rest room around midnight.

The next time he saw a police officer was around noon on January 30. Two officers questioned him that afternoon: O’Sullivan was one of the two men; the other man, who had dark hair, was not McCarthy. The officers questioned him once, left, then returned and interrogated him again. They did not threaten or physically abuse him in the first interview, nor did they read him his rights.

In the second interview, defendant reiterated his initial statement. According to defendant, the dark-haired officer then slapped him twice and said, “We are going to go over this again.” During this physical abuse, O’Sullivan sat and watched. About 10 minutes later, O’Sullivan said, “I want to hear what you have to say.” Defendant said he repeated his initial statement three times before O’Sullivan threatened him and told him what O’Sullivan wanted him to say. Defendant claimed O’Sullivan intimidated him by telling him he might “get shot” if he tried to escape. Defendant changed his story because he was frightened. The signed statement which he ultimately gave to Assistant State’s Attorney Babbitt was not true.

On cross-examination, defendant acknowledged he had not asked for food or water during his first night at the police station; whereas, he had asked to go to the bathroom. Although he maintained his signed statement was untrue and coerced by intimidation, he did not tell Babbitt he had been threatened and abused. In fact, Babbitt asked defendant if he had been treated well by police, to which defendant responded affirmatively. When defendant signed the statement, he did not tell Babbitt that O’Sullivan had made him memorize it. Defendant denied that Babbitt had explained he was an assistant State’s Attorney, not defendant’s attorney, and that he had told Babbitt he did not want a lawyer. According to defendant, Babbitt said only that he was “an attorney.” Defendant admitted he knew what a public defender was, and did not ask for one. Defendant explained he had not told Babbitt about the coercion of the police because he was afraid of an officer who was present.

Following defendant’s testimony, two stipulations were noted for the record. If Robert Babbitt had been called to testify he would have said he was an assistant State’s Attorney who, on January 30, 1986, met with defendant and advised him of Babbitt’s capacity as an assistant State’s Attorney and that defendant was the subject of the investigation. Babbitt then asked defendant questions which, along with defendant’s answers, were transcribed by a court reporter. Had Annette Faklis been called as a witness, she would have testified that she transcribed the conversation between Babbitt and defendant. The first question asked of defendant was: “Now, Paul, I talked to you earlier, and I explained that I am an Assistant State’s Attorney and not your attorney, is that correct?” Defendant responded, “Yes.”

Detective O’Sullivan was recalled on behalf of the State. O’Sullivan testified that he and McCarthy were always simultaneously present in the interview room with defendant. He never questioned defendant with a dark-haired officer who slapped defendant.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
560 N.E.2d 594, 137 Ill. 2d 558, 148 Ill. Dec. 196, 1990 Ill. LEXIS 67, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-west-ill-1990.