People v. Holmes

Following a jury trial, defendant Montrell Holmes was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder, armed violence and aggravated battery. The trial judge sentenced defendant to 16 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the attempted murder. Defendant appeals his attempted murder conviction and the resulting sentence. Defendant contends that: (1) attempted murder is a “specific intent” crime and, therefore, he was denied a fair trial when the trial judge improperly instructed the jury that it could convict defendant of attempted murder if it found the “general intent” to cause…