State v. Hopkins

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Abbott, J.;

This is a direct appeal by the defendant, Daniel R. Hopkins, from his convictions for rape and aggravated criminal sodomy. One issue is raised on appeal. The defendant claims juror misconduct.

The facts underlying the offenses are not significant to the issue on appeal. The defendant claimed consent and the victim denied she consented. The defendant was sentenced to concurrent sentences of 12 years to life for each of the convictions.

Apparently, a juror, Lariy Wait, started visiting the defendant in jail after the trial and established a bond…