People v. Thompson

Defendant, Dennis Thompson, Jr., appeals the trial court’s denial of his motion for leave to file a successive postconviction petition without an evidentiary hearing. Defendant was convicted of the first degree murders of his father, Dennis Thompson, Sr., and Don Renee Rouse, a female acquaintance of his father, following a bench trial. He was subsequently sentenced to a term of natural life imprisonment, although he had been found eligible for the death penalty.

Defendant’s convictions and sentence were affirmed on direct appeal. People v. Thompson, No. 1 — 96—0711 (1997) (unpublished order…