People v. Weeks

• Decision Date: 20 September 1967
• Docket Number: Gen. No. 67--24
• Citation: 86 Ill.App.2d 480,230 N.E.2d 12
• Parties: PEOPLE of the State of Illinois, Appellee, v. Michael J. WEEKS, Appellant.
• Court: United States Appellate Court of Illinois

Page 12

230 N.E.2d 12

86 Ill.App.2d 480

PEOPLE of the State of Illinois, Appellee, v. Michael J. WEEKS, Appellant.

Gen. No. 67--24.

Appellate Court of Illinois, Second District.

Sept. 20, 1967.

Roger W. Hayes, DeKalb, for appellant.

James G. Boyle, State's Atty., Rodney A. Wright, Asst. State's Atty., Sycamore, for appellee.

ABRAHAMSON, Justice.

A four count indictment was brought against the defendant, Michael J. Weeks, by the Grand Jury of the County of DeKalb. Counts I and II charged Weeks with attempting to murder Omar Joel on May 12, 1966. Count IV charged him with the attempt to commit murder by making an assault with a deadly weapon upon Joel but that count was dismissed on defendant's motion prior to trial. Count III states as follows:

'The said Grand Jurors, chosen, selected and sworn, as aforesaid, in and for the County of DeKalb, in the State of Illinois, in the name and by the authority of The People of the State of Illinois, upon their oaths do further present: that Michael J. Weeks late of said County and State aforesaid, on, to-wit: the 12th day of May in the year of our Lord One Thousand Nine Hundred and Sixty-six at and within the said County of DeKalb, in the State of Illinois, aforesaid, Michael J. Weeks committed the offense of Attempt in that he did, with intent to commit the offense of Voluntary Manslaughter, in that he, acting under a sudden and intense passion, resulting from serious provocation by Omar Joel, attempt to shoot Omar Joel with intent to kill or do great bodily harm to the said Omar Joel without lawful justification, in violation of Chapter 38, Section 8--4 of the Illinois Revised Statutes, contrary to the form of the statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the same People of the State of Illinois.'

The matter proceeded to trial before a jury on October 17, 1966, and at its conclusion a verdict was returned that found the defendant guilty 'of attempt to commit voluntary manslaughter in the manner and form' charged in the indictment. No verdict was returned on either count that charged an attempt to commit murder. Judgment was entered on the verdict and Weeks was sentenced by the Court to not less than one year nor more than five years in the Illinois State Penitentiary.

The facts disclosed by the evidence are largely undisputed. Weeks and his wife, Janet, had separated sometime in March of 1966. He made repeated efforts to effect a reconciliation and had frequent 'dates' with his wife during their estrangement. On May 11, 1966, he discovered his wife in the company of another man who he subsequently learned was Omar Joel. He was apparently quite upset over this discovery and was unable to sleep that night. After working a half day on May 12, he drove to Sycamore where he purchased a .22 caliber 'short' revolver. On his return from Sycamore, he stopped at a service station where he told the attendant that 'he was going to the gas chamber'.

At approximately 6:45 P.M., Weeks went to the home of his wife's parents where she resided, showed her the gun and told her either 'Omar Joel is dead' or 'Omar Joel will be dead'. He then went to Joel's apartment, asked Joel 'How would you like to die', and pointed the revolver at him. The two men began to fight, five shots were fired and one bullet lodged in Joel's shoulder. At the sight of Joel's blood, Weeks dropped his gun and helped Joel to his car to take him to the hospital. The police previously alerted by Janet's father, were outside Joel's apartment building where they apprehended Weeks. Joel recovered within a few days although the bullet has not been removed from his body.

The failure of the jury to return a verdict on the counts that charged the attempt to commit murder amounted to an acquittal on those charges. People v. Newman, 360 Ill. 226, 232 and 233, 195 N.E. 645 (1935); People v. McMurry, 64 Ill.App.2d 248, 252, 212 N.E.2d 7 (1965).

Section 8--4(a) of the Criminal Code, Chap. 38, Ill.Rev.Stat. (1965), enumerates the elements of the offense of Attempt as follows:

'A person commits an attempt when, with intent to commit a specific offense, he does any act which constitutes a substantial step toward the commission of that offense.'

Voluntary Manslaughter is described in Section 9--2(a) of the same chapter as:

'A person who kills an individual without lawful justification commits voluntary manslaughter if at the time of the killing he is acting under a sudden and intense passion resulting from serious provocation * * *'

The defendant argued by motion before trial, during the trial, by post trial motion and continues to argue in this appeal that, by definition, there can be no such offense as an Attempt to commit a Voluntary Manslaughter. He contends that an Attempt must involve a specific intention to commit the crime whereas Voluntary Manslaughter can only exist where there is no such intention and that therefore an Attempt to commit Voluntary Manslaughter is a logical and legal impossibility.

While there are no Illinois cases on this precise point, the case of Moore v. People, 146 Ill. 600, 35...