The PEOPLE v. Rossililli

181 N.E.2d 114, 24 Ill. 2d 341, 1962 Ill. LEXIS 610
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 23, 1962
Docket36845
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 181 N.E.2d 114 (The PEOPLE v. Rossililli) 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
The PEOPLE v. Rossililli, 181 N.E.2d 114, 24 Ill. 2d 341, 1962 Ill. LEXIS 610 (Ill. 1962).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Klingbiel

delivered the opinion of the court:

The grand jury of the criminal court of Cook County returned separate indictments against the defendants Rossililli and Brennan, one charging the defendants with the robbery of one Lynn Gorlick and the other charging them with the crime of rape against her. The two indictments were consolidated for trial before the court without a jury, resulting in judgments of guilty on both indictments. Each defendant has brought the record before this court for a review of the judgments of conviction.

The principal contention advanced by each defendant is that the State failed to establish their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The complaining witness, Lynn Gorlick, testified that she and her husband had been drinking all night until about 3 :3o A.M. At that time they met one Anthony Marchiano, a friend of Mr. Gorlick, and asked for a ride home. As she and her husband were riding in Marchiano’s car, Marchiano saw the defendants, who were friends of his, and picked them up to take them to a theater. When they got to the theater, Rossililli said that he had already seen the picture and offered to give Marchiano a dollar for gas if Marchiano would drive them to 18th Street so that Rossililli and Brennan could catch a bus and go home. Mrs. Gorlick testified that as they passed nth and State Street, Rossililli reached up in front and put his arm around Mr. and Mrs. Gorlick’s necks and said that he didn’t want any trouble but that he wanted Gorlick’s money. According to Mrs. Gorlick, her husband started struggling with Rossililli and in the course of the struggle, Gorlick managed to get the door of the car open and he fell out. Rossililli closed the door and told Marchiano to drive on. Rossililli then pulled Mrs. Gorlick into the back seat and pushed her down on the floor. Marchiano drove for about 15 minutes or so, after which he pulled into a garage in an alley. Marchiano and Brennan left the car and Rossililli asked Mrs. Gorlick how much money she had. She told him that she had $14 which she would gladfy give to him if he would let her go, but he told her that he would let her go only after she had intercourse with him. She then gave him the money and asked him to let her go and not hurt her. According to the witness, Rossililli said that he wouldn’t hurt her if she did what he wanted her to do, but that if she didn’t, he would not hesitate to hurt her and he would still do what he wanted to do. He then told her to take off her clothes and she refused. He pulled her up off the floor, pushed her down on the seat, pulled up her dress, took off her panties, held her down and had intercourse with her. The witness testified that Rossililli then walked outside the garage and Brennan came in and also had sexual relations with her. Rossililli and Marchiano then came back to the garage and all of the parties got in the car and drove back toward the city and let Mrs. Gorlick off around Lake Street. Rossililli gave her a dollar for bus fare and she told him that she would not tell her husband. She then flagged down a passing car which took her to the police station where she had a conversation with her husband and the police officers and told them what had happened.

Arnold Gorlick testified that after an evening of drinking with his wife he had asked Marchiano for a ride home and Marchiano had picked up Rossililli and Brennan. He confirmed his wife’s testimony concerning Rossililli’s demand for the money and also testified that he fell out of the car in the course of his struggle with Rossililli. He then went to the police station and reported the incident to the police and after waiting about one-half hour, his wife came into the station.

For the defense, Rossililli testified that he had been to a movie with Brennan and Marchiano from about midnight until about 3 :oo A.M., after which they went to a restaurant where they met Mr. and Mrs. Gorlick. Gorlick asked Marchiano if he would take him to buy some dope. He said that his wife, who was a prostitute, had had a good night and they both wanted to get some dope for the following morning. Rossililli testified that Mrs. Gorlick said that one of her customers had given her $40. Rossililli testified that all of the parties got in Marchiano’s car and that as they were driving along Gorlick got nervous and said he didn’t want to go to 31st Street anymore, but wanted to go somewhere else. According to Rossililli, Gorlick then either fell or jumped out of the car. Marchiano made a U-turn and went back to see if they could find Gorlick but couldn’t find him. Mrs. Gorlick then said she wanted to go out on Madison Street to buy some dope because she couldn’t go to 31st Street without her husband. They drove out Madison Street but no one was there. Marchiano then said that he knew of another place where they might be able to obtain some narcotics and they drove there. Marchiano parked the car in an empty lot and he and Brennan left the car. Rossililli testified that at that time Mrs. Gorlick was sitting in the front seat and that he did not drag her into the back of the car. Rossililli asked her if she wanted to have intercourse and she said that she was sore from the night before and Rossililli told her that it was all right with him. He then left the car without having intercourse with Mrs. Gorlick and met Brennan and Marchiano about a half a block away. They returned to the car about 5 or 10 minutes later and told Mrs. Gorlick that they could not get any narcotics and said they would drop her off any place she wanted to go. They drove her to Lake Street where she got out of the car. She told the men she didn’t have any money and Rossililli gave her a dollar. Rossililli testified that during the evening Mrs. Gorlick had given him $14 which he had given to Marchiano. Mrs. Gorlick told Rossililli that her husband had all the rest of the money. Rossililli arrived at his home later in the day and his parents told him that the police were looking for him for rape and robbery and he went down to the police station to surrender voluntarily.

Brennan’s testimony was substantially the same as Rossililli’s. He denied ever taking any money from Mrs. Gorlick and denied having intercourse with her. Marchiano also confirmed Rossililli’s testimony.

Our duty in reviewing the record of judgment of conviction in a criminal case was stated in People v. Dougard, 16 Ill.2d 603, where it was said, page 607. “We have consistently held in many cases over a long period of years that in criminal cases it is the duty of this court to review the evidence, and, if there is not sufficient credible evidence, or if it is improbable or unsatisfactory, or not sufficient to remove all reasonable doubt of defendant’s guilt and create an abiding conviction that he is guilty, the conviction will be reversed. It is the duty of this court to resolve all facts and circumstances in evidence on the theory of innocence rather than guilt if that reasonably may be done, and where the entire record leaves us, as this one does, with grave and substantial doubt of the guilt of the defendant, we will not hesitate to reverse the judgment.”

Our review of the record in accordance with the principles set forth in the Dougard case satisfies us that the judgments of conviction must be reversed. As to Brennan, there was absolutely no evidence tending to prove him guilty of either of the two charges. Even if Mrs.

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Bluebook (online)
181 N.E.2d 114, 24 Ill. 2d 341, 1962 Ill. LEXIS 610, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/the-people-v-rossililli-ill-1962.