People v. Stewart

Following a jury trial, defendant, Frederick Stewart, was found guilty of arson and aggravated arson and the trial court sentenced him to concurrent terms of six and nine years’ imprisonment, respectively. On appeal, defendant contends that (1) the State failed to prove him guilty of arson and aggravated arson beyond a reasonable doubt; (2) the trial court abused its discretion by admitting the death certificate of Willie Jones into evidence; (3) the court failed to properly question the prospective jurors pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 431(b) (eff. May 1, 2007); and (4) the court…