People v. Nelson

Following a bench trial in the circuit court of Cook County in February, 1964, defendant, Percy Nelson, was convicted of murder. He was sentenced to a term of 50 to 80 years in the penitentiary, and his conviction was affirmed on direct appeal. (33 Ill.2d 48.) Thereafter, defendant filed a petition seeking relief pursuant to the Post-Conviction Hearing Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1965, ch. 38, par. 122 — 1 et seq.), but it was dismissed without an evidentiary hearing. On appeal we noted the serious nature of defendant’s contention that the trial judge made a private investigation during the trial,…