People v. Cox

Following a jury trial in the Champaign County circuit court, the defendant, Derick Cox, was convicted of unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle and sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment. The appellate court affirmed the defendant’s conviction and sentence. No. 4 — 99—0122 (unpublished order under Supreme Court Rule 23). We granted the defendant’s petition for leave to appeal. 177 Ill. 2d R. 315(a).

The central issue in this case involves the continuing use of the “mere-fact” method for impeaching a criminal defendant with prior conviction evidence after our opinion in People v. Atkinson, 186…