People v. Brantley

Following a bench trial in the circuit court of Cook County, the defendant was found guilty of the crime of robbery (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1971, ch. 38, par. 18 — 1). He was sentenced to a term of one to three years in the State penitentiary. Defendant contends on appeal that his conviction must be reversed because the trial judge made a determination of the credibility of the defendant’s witness based at least in part upon the judge’s own improper independent investigation of previous proceedings involving that witness which were not introduced as evidence during the trial. Defendant further…