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Summary of Opinion: The People of the State of Illinois v. Hursey Davis, No. 82-730 (Ill. App. Ct. Feb. 16, 1984)

Factual and Procedural Background

Defendant Hursey Davis was convicted of attempted murder and theft following a February 13, 1981 shooting of Des Plaines police officer Paul Grudek. Officer Grudek encountered a car in a shopping center parking lot; after questions to a man walking toward the car, the man produced a firearm and shot Grudek in the hip and leg. The driver of the car (identified at trial as defendant) fled; defendant was later found near the scene and arrested. Evidence at trial included the victim's positive identification of defendant, recovery of a revolver and other items near a dumpster where a suspect was seen, testimony that the car was stolen (owned by Gregory Butts), and a statement by defendant after Miranda warnings that suggested lack of intent to kill ("if I intended to kill him, I would have shot him between the eyes"). The jury convicted defendant of attempted murder, aggravated battery, armed violence and theft. At sentencing the trial judge imposed a 30-year term for attempted murder plus a 20-year extended term (total 50 years), and a concurrent five-year term for theft. Defendant appealed.

Legal Issues Presented

  1. Whether the "personal choice" system of selecting a venire for third district (Des Plaines) cases, which produced an all-white venire, denied defendant his Sixth Amendment right to a jury drawn from a fair cross-section of the community.
  2. Whether defendant was improperly sentenced to an extended term where the trial court relied on conduct (the intent to kill) that is an element of the offense to justify the extended-term enhancement.

Arguments of the Parties

Appellant's Arguments

  • Defendant, a Black man charged with shooting a white police officer, argued the venire was not a fair cross-section because the "personal choice" system for Des Plaines allowed jurors to opt in, resulting in an all-white venire; this underrepresents Blacks who comprise one-fourth of Cook County but under 1% of Des Plaines and surrounds.
  • Relying on Taylor v. Louisiana and Duren v. Missouri, defendant asserted that when a selection procedure results in underrepresentation of a cognizable group, the defendant's fair-cross-section right is violated, and the trial court should have questioned the venire to permit a prima facie showing.
  • Defendant argued the extended-term sentence was improper because the trial judge based the enhancement on the defendant's intent to kill—an element of attempted murder—rather than on additional conduct or circumstances beyond the elements of the offense.

Appellee's Arguments

This opinion does not contain a detailed account of the People's (appellee's) specific legal arguments presented at trial or on appeal.

Table of Precedents Cited

Precedent Rule or Principle Cited For Application by the Court
Taylor v. Louisiana (1975), 419 U.S. 522, 42 L.Ed.2d 690, 95 S.Ct. 692 The selection of a petit jury from a representative cross section of the community is an essential component of the Sixth Amendment; jury lists, panels or venires must not systematically exclude distinctive groups. Used to frame defendant's fair-cross-section claim and to explain the constitutional standard for venire selection; court acknowledged the principle but did not find reversible error here given the facts of the case.
Duren v. Missouri (1979), 439 U.S. 357, 58 L.Ed.2d 579, 99 S.Ct. 664 Articulated the three-part test for a prima facie fair-cross-section violation: (1) group is distinctive; (2) representation in venires is not fair and reasonable relative to community numbers; (3) underrepresentation is due to systematic exclusion. The court noted that refusal by the trial court to inquire into juror selection precluded defendant from attempting to establish a prima facie violation under Duren, but the appellate court nevertheless treated the error as harmless in light of the evidence of guilt.
Chapman v. California (1967), 386 U.S. 18, 24, 17 L.Ed.2d 705, 710-11, 87 S.Ct. 824, 828 Constitutional errors may be harmless beyond a reasonable doubt and thus need not automatically result in reversal. The court applied the Chapman harmless-error standard to conclude the trial court's refusal to inquire into jury selection was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt because of the overwhelming evidence of defendant's guilt.
People v. Sias (1980), 91 Ill. App.3d 1095, 415 N.E.2d 618 Example of an extended-term case where circumstances beyond intent (e.g., waiting for the victim, shooting unexpectedly, and post-offense misconduct) supported enhancement. Cited and distinguished: court found Sias involved additional aggravating circumstances not present in the instant case, making it inapposite to justify an extended term here.
People v. Turner (1981), 93 Ill. App.3d 61, 416 N.E.2d 1149 Example of extended-term approval where defendant's conduct included multiple violent acts and threats beyond the element of intent. Cited and distinguished as involving aggravating conduct beyond mere intent to kill, unlike the present case.
People v. Darnell (1981), 94 Ill. App.3d 830, 419 N.E.2d 384 Example of extended-term approval where defendant lured victim to prepared grave, raped and strangled her, and concealed the body. Cited and distinguished as involving severe aggravating circumstances not present here.
People v. Young (1981), 96 Ill. App.3d 426, 420 N.E.2d 1051 Example of extended-term approval where defendant put a gun down the victim's throat. Cited and distinguished as involving conduct beyond the element of intent, unlike the instant facts.
People v. Clark (1981), 102 Ill. App.3d 414, 429 N.E.2d 1255 Example of extended-term approval where defendant invaded a residence, threatened and terrorized victims, and committed sexual offenses over an extended time. Cited and distinguished as involving multiple aggravating facts and prolonged cruelty not present in the case before the court.
People v. Bradford (1979), 71 Ill. App.3d 731, 389 N.E.2d 636 Appellate court upheld sentences as non-excessive in light of defendant's long felony and misdemeanor record. Cited by the State but the court noted Bradford does not support imposition of an extended term here because it concerned prior record rather than heinousness of the instant conduct.
People v. Williams (1980), 90 Ill. App.3d 524, 413 N.E.2d 60 Cited in the opinion in a discussion of extended-term authority (the opinion references the case without setting out a detailed rule in this text). The court observed the State's citation of Williams but did not find it persuasive to support extended-term imposition here.
People v. Hudson (1981), 102 Ill. App.3d 346, 430 N.E.2d 51 Upheld extended-term imposition where defendant's conduct was heinous and unjustified in shooting three men, two of whom died. Cited by the State but distinguished: Hudson involved multiple victims and fatalities, facts not present here.

Court's Reasoning and Analysis

The court addressed the two issues separately.

Fair-Cross-Section (Venire) Challenge

Defendant challenged the "personal choice" venire-selection process for third district (Des Plaines) cases as producing an all-white venire and thus violating the fair-cross-section requirement articulated in Taylor and the prima facie framework in Duren. The trial court refused defense counsel's request to inquire how jurors were chosen for Des Plaines, which the appellate court acknowledged prevented defendant from attempting to make a prima facie showing under Duren.

Nevertheless, the appellate court applied the harmless-error standard from Chapman. It concluded that the refusal to inquire did not mandate reversal because the evidence of defendant's guilt was "overwhelming": the victim positively identified defendant at trial, defendant was arrested near the scene within hours, and defendant made an admission of shooting the victim. On that basis the court held the trial court's failure to conduct the venire-selection inquiry was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt and did not require reversal.

Extended-Term Sentencing Challenge

The court examined the statutory standard for extended-term sentencing: an extended term may be imposed when the offense was "accompanied by exceptionally brutal or heinous behavior indicative of wanton cruelty" (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 38, par. 1005-5-3.2(b)(2)). It noted that attempted murder itself requires a specific intent to kill (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 38, par. 8-4(a)).

The trial judge imposed the extended term based on findings that defendant intended to kill and that the conduct was "exceptionally brutal and heinous." The appellate court determined the trial judge relied on conduct inherent in the offense—intent to kill—as the aggravating factor. The court explained that recent cases upholding extended terms were distinguishable because they involved aggravating circumstances beyond mere intent (e.g., premeditated lying-in-wait, multiple violent acts, sexual torture, concealment of a body, prolonged terrorizing of victims). By contrast, in this case the victim was shot with a .22-caliber revolver in the abdomen and leg, was able to fire at the defendant, pursued him until his leg hurt, suffered wounds that were not life threatening, and returned to full-time work within a month. The court concluded that the facts here did not present the kind of additional, exceptionally brutal or wantonly cruel conduct necessary to support an extended-term enhancement.

Consequently, the appellate court vacated only the 20-year extended-term portion of the attempted murder sentence while leaving the underlying 30-year sentence intact.

Holding and Implications

Holding: The judgment of the circuit court of Cook County is affirmed as modified.

Direct effect on the parties:

  • The appellate court affirmed the convictions.
  • The appellate court vacated the 20-year extended term imposed on the attempted murder conviction; the 30-year base sentence for attempted murder remains.
  • The five-year sentence for theft remains concurrent with the attempted-murder sentence.

Broader implications: The opinion distinguishes prior extended-term cases as involving aggravating conduct beyond the intent element of attempted murder and reiterates that relying on conduct inherent in the offense (intent) is not adequate to support an extended-term enhancement. The opinion did not announce or claim to establish a new rule beyond its application to the facts here.

Decision: Affirmed as modified. (20-year extended term vacated; 30-year attempted-murder sentence and concurrent five-year theft sentence remain.)

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. HURSEY DAVIS, Defendant-Appellant.

JUSTICE JOHNSON delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant, Hursey Davis, appeals his conviction for attempted murder and theft. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 38, pars. 8-4(a), 16-1(a).) He was sentenced to an extended term of 50 years for the attempted murder, and to a five-year concurrent term for the theft. He raises two issues for review: (1) whether the "personal choice" system of selecting a venire for third district cases which resulted in an all-white venire denied him his constitutional right to a jury drawn from a fair cross-section of the community, and (2) whether he was improperly sentenced to an extended term where the conduct that formed the basis of the attempted murder was used to enhance the penalty.

We affirm as modified.

The facts of this case are unrebutted. Testimony at trial established that on February 13, 1981, at 1:30 a.m., Paul Grudek, a Des Plaines policeman, was on patrol near Elmhurst Road and Dempster in Des Plaines, Illinois. As he drove past a small shopping center, he saw a car in the parking lot. Two men were sitting in the car. Grudek reported the license plate number to his headquarters and left the area. When headquarters reported a "hit," i.e., something was wrong with the car or the driver, Grudek returned to the lot and talked with the passenger in the car. The latter pointed to a Dunkin Donuts store and said he was waiting for a friend.

Grudek then saw a man walking toward the car. Grudek drove forward and asked the man for his driver's license. After Grudek got out of the police car, the man quickly put down a cup he was carrying. The man reached for his back pocket, his front pocket, and then came at the officer with his right hand and said something the policeman did not understand. Grudek raised his left hand, saw a flash, felt pain in his hip, screamed, and fell into his car. Grudek raised his hands to cover his face, saw another flash, felt pain in his leg, and screamed again.

The man ran back to his car. Grudek fired four times at the driver's side of the other car. The driver and the passenger left the car and ran eastward. At this point in his testimony, Grudek identified defendant as his assailant. Grudek ran after the suspects but stopped when his leg began to hurt. He was taken to a hospital where his wound was treated. Shortly before trial, a bullet was removed from his leg. At the time of trial, Grudek suffered no ill effects from his stomach wounds but did experience sharp pains in his leg, which also had a tendency to "fall asleep." Grudek eventually discovered that the car defendant was driving had been stolen.

Gregory Butts testified that he knew defendant because they both worked at A.M. International in the same area. On December 12, 1980, Butts drove to work. His 1980 Camaro was stolen. Car keys were taken from a coat Butts had left unattended. It was Butts' car that defendant drove at the time of the offense.

Bernie Wolter, an evidence technician for the Des Plaines police, investigated the shooting. He found a baseball cap near a large refuse dumpster that was behind an apartment building. After Wolter "saw shoes inside the dumpster," the suspects were ordered to surrender. Wolter identified defendant as one of the individuals who got out of the dumpster.

Gerald Loconsole, another evidence technician, removed a revolver from behind the dumpster.

Thomas Fahey, an orthopedic surgeon, was on duty at Holy Family hospital on February 13, 1981, and treated Officer Grudek. The victim had gunshot wounds in his right knee and groin. At the time of the shooting, Officer Grudek's wounds were not life threatening and he was administered no pain killers. In March 1981, Fahey approved Grudek's return to full-time regular duty. On October 14, 1981, a bullet fragment was removed from Grudek's right thigh.

After the prosecution rested, the defense called Aug Schwiesow, a Des Plaines policeman, as a witness. Schwiesow investigated the shooting and spoke with defendant. After he was advised of his Miranda rights, defendant said, "you don't think I meant to kill the officer? * * * If I intended to kill him, I would have shot him between the eyes." This statement was made at 10:30 a.m. on February 13, 1981.

The jury found defendant guilty of attempted murder, aggravated battery, armed violence and theft. The trial court sentenced defendant for attempted murder and theft. At the sentencing hearing, the trial judge stated:

"The Defendant intended to fire a shot into the body of Grudek who by the evidence clearly indicates was completely helpless at this time, was incapable of protecting himself at this time other than raising his leg and covering his body with his legs.
At this point the act is accompanied by exceptionally brutal and heinous behavior. He fired a second shot into the wounded officer who was not posing any threat, whatsoever, to the Defendant. None.
At that time there was no question he was helpless and yet the second shot was fired. Why was that necessary except for the sole purpose of taking his life or seriously injuring him.
And that I find was exceptionally brutal, and it is, in fact, heinous indicative of wanton cruelty, and that is the finding of this Court, and I find, therefore, it's a basis for an extended term.
And I also find that he is a threat to society, and to protect society, there is a basis for an extended term."

For the attempted murder, defendant was sentenced to 30 years and to an extended term of 20 years, for a total of 50 years. He was sentenced to five years for theft, the sentence to run concurrently with the 50-year sentence. Defendant appeals.

• 1-6 The first issue raised by defendant is whether the "personal choice" system of selecting a venire for third district cases which resulted in an all-white venire denied defendant his constitutional right to a jury drawn from a fair cross section of the community. Defendant argues as follows: He is a black man charged with the attempted murder of a white police officer. His jury was selected from an all-white venire. When defense counsel observed that the venire was all white, he asked the trial court to inquire as to how the jurors were chosen for Des Plaines. The trial court refused. Defense counsel informed the court that in another case involving a black defendant and white victim which he tried in Des Plaines the trial judge ordered a new trial after questioning the jurors as to how they were selected for Des Plaines. In that case, the jurors had been asked if it would be convenient for them to travel to Des Plaines.

Defendant notes that according to the 1980 census, blacks comprise one-fourth of the population of Cook County, but fewer than 1% of the population of Des Plaines and the surrounding communities. Defendant alleges that giving jurors the option of going out to Des Plaines results in an all-white venire because black jurors prefer not to travel to an area where few blacks live. Defendant cites Taylor v. Louisiana (1975), 419 U.S. 522, 42 L.Ed.2d 690, 95 S.Ct. 692, and Duren v. Missouri (1979), 439 U.S. 357, 58 L.Ed.2d 579, 99 S.Ct. 664, for the proposition that all criminal defendants are entitled to a venire selected from a fair cross section of the community. When a procedure in a selection system results in the underrepresentation of a cognizable group, that system violates the accused's constitutional right to a fair and impartial jury.

In Taylor v. Louisiana (1975), 419 U.S. 522, 42 L.Ed.2d 690, 95 S.Ct. 692, the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a Louisiana statute that provided a woman should not be selected for jury service unless she had previously filed a written declaration of her desire to be subject to jury service. The Supreme Court held that "the selection of a petit jury from a representative cross section of the community is an essential component of the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial." ( Taylor v. Louisiana (1975), 419 U.S. 522, 528, 42 L.Ed.2d 690, 697, 95 S.Ct. 692, 697.) The court acknowledged that the "fair-cross-section principle must have much leeway in application. The States remain free to prescribe relevant qualifications for their jurors and to provide reasonable exemptions so long as it may be fairly said that the jury lists or panels are representative of the community." ( Taylor v. Louisiana (1975), 419 U.S. 522, 538, 42 L.Ed.2d 690, 702, 95 S.Ct. 692, 701.) The court imposed "no requirement that petit juries actually chosen must mirror the community and reflect the various distinctive groups in the population. Defendants are not entitled to a jury of any particular composition [citations]; but the jury wheels, pools of names, panels, or venires from which juries are drawn must not systematically exclude distinctive groups in the community and thereby fail to be reasonably representative thereof." Taylor v. Louisiana (1975), 419 U.S. 522, 538, 42 L.Ed.2d 690, 703, 95 S.Ct. 692, 702.

In Duren v. Missouri (1979), 439 U.S. 357, 58 L.Ed.2d 579, 99 S.Ct. 664, the Supreme Court explained the nature of the fair-cross-section inquiry set forth in Taylor v. Louisiana. It stated as follows:

"In order to establish a prima facie violation of the fair-cross-section requirement, the defendant must show (1) that the group alleged to be excluded is a `distinctive' group in the community; (2) that the representation of this group in venires from which juries are selected is not fair and reasonable in relation to the number of such persons in the community; and (3) that this underrepresentation is due to systematic exclusion of the group in the jury-selection process." Duren v. Missouri (1979), 439 U.S. 357, 364, 58 L.Ed.2d 579, 586-87, 99 S.Ct. 664, 668.

In the instant case, the trial court refused to ask jurors how they were chosen for Des Plaines, thus precluding defendant from even attempting to establish a prima facie violation of the fair-cross-section requirement. However, we do not believe this omission mandates reversal. All errors, constitutional or otherwise, do not require automatic reversal and may be harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Chapman v. California (1967), 386 U.S. 18, 24, 17 L.Ed.2d 705, 710-11, 87 S.Ct. 824, 828.

In the case at bar, there was overwhelming evidence of defendant's guilt. At trial, the victim positively identified defendant. Defendant was arrested in the vicinity of the crime and within hours of its commission. Defendant himself admitted to shooting the victim. In our opinion, the failure of the trial court to conduct a hearing as to how jurors were selected for Des Plaines does not constitute reversible error.

• 7-8 The next issue raised by this appeal is whether defendant was improperly sentenced to an extended term. We hold that defendant was improperly sentenced.

Defendant was convicted of attempted murder. An element of that offense is a specific intent to kill. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 38, par. 8-4(a).) A defendant may be sentenced to an extended term "[w]hen a defendant is convicted of any felony and the court finds that the offense was accompanied by exceptionally brutal or heinous behavior indicative of wanton cruelty." (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 38, par. 1005-5-3.2(b)(2).) In sentencing defendant to an extended term, the trial judge found the offense brutal and heinous because defendant intended to kill. Thus, the trial court relied on conduct inherent in the offense as an aggravating factor.

We have examined recent cases in which an extended term was upheld. They are distinguishable from the instant case because there were circumstances other than intent aggravating the offense. In People v. Sias (1980), 91 Ill. App.3d 1095, 415 N.E.2d 618, defendant waited for the victim whom he had known for two years and, after engaging him in conversation, unexpectedly shot the victim twice, once in the side of the face and once in the buttocks as he tried to escape. After the offense, defendant started a rumor as to the involvement and guilt of another person in the offense. In People v. Turner (1981), 93 Ill. App.3d 61, 416 N.E.2d 1149, defendant hit the victim, a 19-year-old woman, in the head or face five times, threatened repeatedly to kill her, and forced her into acts of sexual intercourse and deviate sexual conduct. In People v. Darnell (1981), 94 Ill. App.3d 830, 419 N.E.2d 384, defendant promised to give the victim a horse, lured her to the site of a previously prepared grave and raped her there. As she started to leave, he strangled her, put her body in the grave and covered it with dirt. In People v. Young (1981), 96 Ill. App.3d 426, 420 N.E.2d 1051, the defendant put a gun down the victim's throat. Finally, in People v. Clark (1981), 102 Ill. App.3d 414, 429 N.E.2d 1255, defendant invaded the victims' home, held a gun to the head of a one-year-old child, and threatened to kill him if the parents failed to cooperate. Defendant tied up the husband and forced the wife to commit a deviate sexual act while her husband and son watched. The victims were tied up while defendant ransacked their home for 40 minutes.

In the instant case, defendant shot the victim with a .22-caliber revolver in the abdomen and leg. The victim was able to fire at defendant and chased him until his leg began to hurt. The victim's wounds were cleaned but no bullets were removed when he was initially treated at the hospital. His condition was not life threatening. The victim was able to return to full-time employment the next month.

The cases cited by the State do not support the proposition that an extended term is appropriate in the instant case. In People v. Bradford (1979), 71 Ill. App.3d 731, 389 N.E.2d 636, although defendants argued their sentences were excessive, the appellate court upheld the sentences because defendant had long records of both felonies and misdemeanors. In People v. Williams (1980), 90 Ill. App.3d 524, 413 N.E.2d 60, defendant argued that an extended term could not be imposed for attempted murder. In People v. Hudson (1981), 102 Ill. App.3d 346, 430 N.E.2d 51, the appellate court upheld imposition of an extended term because defendant's conduct was heinous and with no apparent justification where he shot three men, two of whom died.

Since we believe this is not a proper case for imposition of an extended term, we hereby vacate the 20-year extended term imposed by the trial court with the 30-year sentence for the attempted murder remaining.

For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the circuit court of Cook County is affirmed as modified.

Affirmed as modified.

LINN, P.J., and ROMITI, J., concur.

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PEOPLE v. DAVIS
(Feb 16, 1984)