Richardson v. People

Defendant, Lewis Richardson, was conviet-ed of the crime of possession of a controlled substance. 1 He appealed his conviction, contending that since the controlled substance in his possession was less than a usable quantity, the People were required to produce other evidence from which the jury could conclude that he knowingly possessed the substance, and that he was entitled to a jury instruction to that effect. The trial court made findings that the People produced sufficient other evidence to prove knowledge, 2 and declined to give the tendered jury instruction. The court of appeals…