People v. Willis

569 N.E.2d 113, 210 Ill. App. 3d 379, 155 Ill. Dec. 113, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 272
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMarch 1, 1991
Docket1-87-1846
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 569 N.E.2d 113 (People v. Willis) 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. Willis, 569 N.E.2d 113, 210 Ill. App. 3d 379, 155 Ill. Dec. 113, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 272 (Ill. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

JUSTICE McNULTY

delivered the opinion of the court:

Following a bench trial, defendant George Willis was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years in the Department of Corrections. The issues raised on appeal are: (1) whether the State failed to prove that defendant did not act in self-defense; (2) whether the trial court erred when it allowed a victim impact statement to be introduced at defendant’s sentencing hearing; (3) whether in sentencing defendant, the court improperly considered as an aggravating factor that defendant’s conduct resulted in the taking of a life; (4) whether the court’s reliance on the statutory aggravating factor that the crime was brutal and heinous was proper where defendant received a nonextended sentence; (5) whether the trial court failed to consider mitigating evidence; and (6) whether the trial court erred in denying probation.

Defendant George Willis was employed as a doorman at Pepper Plums Restaurant and Bar. Lee Cummings was the head of security at Pepper Plums, and in charge of hiring, firing and scheduling employees’ working hours. On April 27, 1986, Cummings informed defendant that he was reducing defendant’s hours. An argument ensued, and when it became physical, the owner of Pepper Plums separated the men. Defendant then informed co-employees and customers that he knew some “shady characters” who would take care of Cummings.

On April 28, 1986, defendant asked Cummings to reconsider his decision to reduce defendant’s hours. When Cummings refused, defendant began swearing and insulting Cummings. Cummings then told defendant that he was going to clock defendant out for the evening and walked into the kitchen. Defendant followed Cummings into the kitchen and a fight again ensued. According to defendant, Cummings grabbed a knife and thrust it at defendant. The men struggled for possession of the knife. Defendant gained control of the knife and stabbed Cummings in the chest. Defendant then stabbed Cummings 10 more times, and Cummings died from multiple stab wounds.

Defendant’s first contention on appeal is that his conviction should be reversed because the State failed to prove that he was not acting in self-defense when he fatally stabbed Cummings. Although the trial court found that defendant acted in self-defense when he stabbed Cummings the first time, the court found defendant guilty of voluntary manslaughter because: (1) he failed to retreat although there were three exits and (2) he unreasonably believed that the 10 subsequent stab wounds were justified.

Defendant maintains that the court improperly considered defendant’s failure to retreat. As defendant points out, a nonaggressor is under no duty to retreat from a place where he has a right to be before employing force to protect himself. (In re D.N. (1988), 178 Ill. App. 3d 470, 475, 533 N.E.2d 84; People v. Estes (1984), 127 Ill. App. 3d 642, 649, 469 N.E.2d 275, 281.) This being the case, the court must reverse the trial court’s determination unless it concludes that defendant’s conduct in stabbing defendant 10 additional times was not justified as necessary self-defense.

Defendant contends that the trial court erred in concluding that defendant was unjustified in the amount of force used. Defendant contends that where the initial use of force is justified, the claim of self-defense is not necessarily negated because several wounds were inflicted after the attack. To support his contention that subsequent wounds do not negate self-defense, defendant relies on In re S.M. (1981), 93 Ill. App. 3d 105, 416 N.E.2d 1212, and People v. Shipp (1977), 52 Ill. App. 3d 470, 367 N.E.2d 966. In Shipp, the court noted that deadly force is generally unjustified where the aggressor has been disabled or disarmed. The court, nonetheless, declined to “mechanically” apply the general rule based upon the particular facts of the case, specifically that the defendant had been shot, beaten, assaulted and threatened by the decedent and was aware of the fact that the decedent had killed his first wife. Thus, the court in Shipp concluded that, in light of these circumstances and the fact that the decedent continued to advance upon the defendant even after the defendant began firing at him, defendant was justified in firing subsequent shots. (Shipp, 52 Ill. App. 3d at 476.) Similarly, in In re S.M., the evidence showed that defendant tried to avoid a confrontation with four boys who were advancing toward him, but even after they were shot, the boys continued to advance on the defendant. Thus, under the circumstances, the court found that it was reasonable for the defendant to believe that he was still in danger and to continue firing shots at the boys. In re S.M., 93 Ill. App. 3d at 110.

In response, the State contends that in the present case, the use of force cannot be justified as self-defense since Cummings had indeed been both disabled and disarmed. The State cites People v. Chatman (1981), 102 Ill. App. 3d 692, 430 N.E.2d 257, in support of this argument. In Chatman, after the victim struck the defendant with a board, the victim dropped the board, and was left empty-handed. The defendant, nevertheless, repeatedly stabbed the victim, who attempted to retreat and repel the defendant. The court upheld the jury’s finding of voluntary manslaughter in light of the fact that the defendant repeatedly stabbed the victim even after the victim no longer presented any danger to the defendant. (Chatman, 102 Ill. App. 3d at 700; see also In re D.N. (1988), 178 Ill. App. 3d 470, 474, 533 N.E.2d 84 (defendant continued her aggression beyond the reasonable need for self-defense where defendant continued to strike the victim after the victim fell to her knees and was no longer in a position to take the offensive); People v. Zolidis (1983), 115 Ill. App. 3d 669, 450 N.E.2d 1290 (court rejected defendant’s claim of self-defense where the evidence showed that he had stabbed the victim 17 times while the victim was disabled and falling to the ground); People v. Ingram (1983), 114 Ill. App. 3d 740, 743, 449 N.E.2d 564 (defendant’s conduct was not justified as necessary self-defense where defendant stabbed the victim 25 times after the victim had been disarmed).

The State contends that, like Chatman, the defendant used deadly force after it was no longer necessary. Even if the initial stab was justified, the State maintains that defendant continued stabbing Cummings after he was disabled and disarmed. Defendant’s own testimony was that after he first stabbed Cummings in the chest, Cummings turned away, counterclockwise, from defendant. Therefore, the State maintains that in light of this evidence, regardless of defendant's justification for stabbing Cummings in the first place, defendant continued his aggression beyond the reasonable need for self-defense.

Defendant further contends that the claim of self-defense is only negated where the State proves that the interval between the initial stab wound and the subsequent wounds was sufficient to allow a reasonable person to realize that no further stabbing was necessary.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
569 N.E.2d 113, 210 Ill. App. 3d 379, 155 Ill. Dec. 113, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 272, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-willis-illappct-1991.