People v. Adams

After a jury trial, Larry Joe Adams (defendant) was convicted of armed robbery and murder in connection with the shooting death of Eugene Ponder on May 10, 1982, in Alton, Illinois. Defendant was sentenced to death for the murder and to 60 years’ imprisonment for the armed robbery. On direct appeal, defendant’s sentence of death was vacated because of improper comments made at both stages of the sentencing hearing. People v. Adams, 109 Ill. 2d 102, 485 N.E.2d 339 (1985). On remand, the circuit court of Madison County imposed a sentence of life imprisonment. The court found that the murder had…