In 2007, a man walked into an Illinois check cashing store and ordered the woman working there to give him the keys to the cash drawers. Authorities said that, before leaving, he shot her in the head. Just days later, he attempted to rob and kill the clerk at another store. He is now serving time for more than one felony conviction in connection with these crimes.
In the second robbery, he pulled the trigger, but the gun failed to fire. He left the weapon at or near the second crime scene. Ballistics matched the gun used in the attempted murder to the murder at the check cashing store. Just last year, an Illinois judge sentenced the man to 80 years in prison for the woman’s murder, 30 years for the attempted murder and another 28 years for the attempted robbery. Reportedly, the man is required to serve 105 years of his sentences.
Recently, a judge denied the convicted man’s motion for reconsideration of his sentence. Most likely, the man’s defense team will probably file an appeal of both his conviction and sentence. The grounds on which an appeal may be based are not known at this time.
Just because the trial resulted in a felony conviction and lengthy prison sentence does not mean the legal battles are over as well. There are post-conviction options for an individual convicted of a crime to seek relief, either by application directly to the trial court or by appeal. A successful appeal could result in a reduced sentence, or the conviction itself could be overturned and a new trial ordered.Typically, it is necessary to prove that the trial judge made a material error or that the weight of the evidence against the person was not sufficient to substantiate the verdict.
Source: dailyherald.com, Lake County judge upholds 105-year prison sentence in 2007 Waukegan murder, Lee Filas, Jan. 7, 2014