People v. Harper

Andrew Harper and John Holmes, Jr. were jointly indicted and tried for the murder of Jake Allen. A jury trial resulted in verdicts of guilty of that crime and sentences of death. On direct review the Illinois Supreme Court reversed the convictions and remanded the cause for a new trial. (People v. Harper (1967), 36 Ill.2d 398, 223 N.E.2d 841.) The court held that the cause must be remanded for the purpose of a new hearing on defendants’ motion to suppress their confessions. A second jury trial for the same offense also resulted in guilty verdicts of murder, and each defendant was sentenced to…