People v. Williams
| Citation | 641 N.E.2d 296,204 Ill.Dec. 72,161 Ill.2d 1 |
| Decision Date | 19 May 1994 |
| Docket Number | No. 70576,70576 |
| Parties | , 204 Ill.Dec. 72 The PEOPLE of the State of Illinois, Appellee, v. Eddie WILLIAMS, Appellant. |
| Court | Supreme Court of Illinois |
Rita A. Fry, Public Defender, Chicago (Kyle Wesendorf, Asst. Public Defender, of counsel), for appellant.
Roland W. Burris, Atty. Gen., Springfield, and Jack O'Malley, State's Atty. Cook County, Criminal Appeals Div., Chicago (Terence M. Madsen, Asst. Atty. Gen., Chicago, and Renee Goldfarb and Maureen A. Harton, Asst. State's Atty., of counsel), for the People.
Following a jury trial in the circuit court of Cook County, defendant, Eddie Williams, was convicted of first degree murder (Ill.Rev.Stat.1987, ch. 38, par. 9-1(a)(1)), conspiracy to commit murder (Ill.Rev.Stat.1987, ch. 38, par. 8-2(a)), and armed violence (Ill.Rev.Stat.1987, ch. 38, par. 33A-2). Following a separate sentencing hearing, the jury found defendant eligible for the death penalty and found no mitigating circumstances sufficient to preclude its imposition. Accordingly, the trial judge sentenced defendant to death. That sentence has been stayed pending direct review by this court. Ill. Const.1970, art. VI, § 4(b); 134 Ill.2d Rules 603, 609(a).
The charges arose from the fatal shooting of Valerie McDonald. Valerie was the wife of Louia McDonald and the mother of their two daughters, LaChina and Lakeya, ages 16 and 8, respectively, at the time of the shooting. Louia, LaChina and Lakeya testified, in varying degrees of detail, to the following events.
At approximately 9:30 p.m. on June 23, 1987, Louia picked up Valerie, LaChina and Lakeya at the church attended by them. As they neared their home and were looking for a parking space, both Louia and LaChina noticed a man standing in front of their apartment building on the corner of Winthrop and Glenlake Streets on the north side of Chicago. After circling the block, Louia located a parking space across the street from their building. Valerie was the last to exit the car. As they walked to the building, LaChina noticed that the man she had seen earlier was still on the corner, leaning against the building. The man looked to be in his late 20s, approximately six feet tall, 150 to 160 pounds, with a small mustache and straight hair pulled back into a ponytail.
LaChina unlocked the building's outer door and held it open for the other members of the family. The lights in front of the doorway were on, as were the lights inside the vestibule. As Valerie approached the doorway, LaChina saw the man from the corner come up behind Valerie and raise his hand to her head. LaChina heard a gunshot and saw Valerie fall. The man then stood directly in front of the door and pointed a gun toward LaChina. Louia had already entered the vestibule when he heard what sounded like firecrackers. He turned and pushed the door closed as he saw the man coming toward it. Lakeya was also inside the vestibule when she heard a shot and saw Valerie on the ground. The man, whose hair was in a ponytail, came up to the glass door and looked inside. Both LaChina and Lakeya shouted that Valerie had been shot. Louia ran out the door and chased the man to a nearby supermarket parking lot. There, the man entered the passenger door of a burgundy-colored Buick Regal, said something like "hit it" or "go, go," and rode away. Louia and LaChina identified defendant in separate lineups and in court as the man who shot Valerie. Valerie died within two days of the shooting.
Louia testified that he reported to the responding police officers that the burgundy car into which the man entered looked identical to the car owned by Geraldine Smith, with whom he had been having an affair since 1985 and with whom he had an infant son. Louia further testified that following Valerie's discovery of the relationship in early 1986, Valerie and Smith had several verbal and physical altercations. On one occasion, the police were called and confiscated a .25-caliber weapon they found in Smith's handbag. A short time before the shooting and murder of Valerie, Louia told Smith that he wanted to end their relationship and reconcile with Valerie. Louia acknowledged that at the time of trial he was still seeing Smith even though she had been arrested and charged in connection with Valerie's murder.
Daniel Posthlewait testified that he was walking with his nephew in the area of Winthrop and Glenlake Streets when he heard gunshots from behind him. He turned and saw a man running toward him with a second man in pursuit. He described the first man as being black, 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a ponytail and some facial hair, and wearing a gray jacket and blue jeans. The man got into a burgundy Buick and twice said what sounded like "Jeff, take off." Posthlewait saw another person in the car but was unable to discern the person's race or gender.
Detective Phillip Mannion testified that at approximately 10 p.m., after obtaining from Louia a description of the offender and the car in which he escaped, Mannion and his partner, Detective Raymond Kaminski, proceeded to Smith's home. Smith voluntarily accompanied the officers to Area 6 police headquarters where she was questioned. Smith told the officers that her niece, Marva Golden, had borrowed her car the previous evening. Smith gave the police Golden's employment address and agreed to take a polygraph examination the next morning. The officers went to Golden's place of employment but she did not appear for work as scheduled.
Detectives Tony Jin and Ronald Yawger came on duty at 8:30 a.m. on June 24, 1987. Following a briefing by Mannion and Kaminski, they drove Smith and her son to the home of a baby-sitter who told Smith that Golden had called from Smith's home looking for Smith. The officers took Golden into custody and then took Smith for a polygraph examination. Following the exam, Smith was driven home and, with her consent, her car was processed by evidence technicians.
Later that evening, Golden took and failed a polygraph examination. Confronted with the results of the examination, Golden made a statement to Detectives Kaminski and Bernard Richter implicating herself and a man she knew only as "Eddie" in the shooting of Valerie. Following her statement, Golden agreed to show the detectives where Eddie was staying. Golden and several detectives left Area 6 at approximately 12:15 a.m. on June 25, 1987. Golden first directed the detectives to a house on South Wolcott Avenue, but Eddie was not there. Two detectives remained there while she and the other officers went to a house a few blocks away on South Honore Avenue. Eddie (defendant) was found there and arrested. The specifics of Golden's inculpatory statement and the details of defendant's arrest are recounted in our discussion of defendant's pretrial motion to suppress evidence.
Defendant was transported to Area 6 and questioned by Detective Mannion. Defendant initially denied any knowledge of the shooting, but when advised that Golden had implicated him in it defendant responded that he was not going to "go down alone." He then orally confessed to the shooting of Valerie McDonald. After arresting Smith at her home at about 3 a.m., Mannion had a second conversation with defendant during which defendant repeated his earlier confession. Later that morning, defendant made a third confession to Assistant State's Attorney Joel DeGrazia, who reduced defendant's statement to writing.
Mannion and DeGrazia testified to the following. Defendant related that as he was leaving a tavern on Sunday, June 21, 1987, Golden drove up in a car and introduced him to Smith, who was in the passenger's seat. Golden told defendant that she had some "business" for him if he was interested. The next day, Golden and Smith drove defendant to the north side of Chicago and pointed out the McDonalds' car and apartment building to him.
On Tuesday, June 23, Golden and defendant drove to the home of Golden's cousin "Tippy." Golden came out with a silver-colored .25-caliber semiautomatic handgun and gave it to defendant. She told him that the plan was that he "take Valerie McDonald completely out" for which Smith would pay him $500, $100 of which Golden would receive for "setting the job." They drove to Winthrop and Glenlake Streets, where they saw the McDonalds' car. When they returned to the intersection after parking Smith's car, the McDonalds' car was gone. A short time later, Golden observed the McDonalds' car approaching. She pointed out Valerie in the back seat, stating "[t]hat is the bitch you have to take out, right there." Golden then returned to Smith's car. Defendant walked across the street and waited next to the McDonalds' building. Valerie was the last person to exit the car. As she was about to enter the building, defendant came up behind her and shot her once in the head. He then fired a second shot into the hallway which Louia and the two children had just entered. However, he did not shoot directly at Louia because Golden had instructed him not to hurt Louia in any way.
Defendant then turned and ran, with Louia in pursuit. Defendant jumped into Smith's car and told Golden to "move it." As they were driving, Golden asked, "[I]s the bitch straight?" to which defendant replied, "Yes, I think she's dead." They returned to Smith's house where defendant was paid for the shooting. Golden kept part of the money, thanked defendant, and drove him home.
Defendant told Assistant State's Attorney DeGrazia that he had been treated fine while in custody, that no one made any threats or promises to him, and that he made his statements voluntarily. After transcribing the statement, DeGrazia read it aloud to defendant and then gave it to defendant to read for himself. After doing so, defendant signed each of the six pages. The statement was completed shortly after noon on July 26, 1987.
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