People v. Slim

Following a bench trial, the defendant, Willie Slim, was convicted of armed robbery in the circuit court of Cook County and sentenced to six years’ imprisonment. The appellate court reversed the conviction on the grounds that the victim’s identification testimony was vague and uncertain. (164 Ill. App. 3d 519, 529.) We granted the State’s petition for leave to appeal (107 Ill. 2d R. 315).

At 1:45 a.m. on August 3, 1985, the victim, Porter Sledge, who was the only occurrence witness, parked his car on South Indiana Avenue in Chicago. After leaving the car, and as he was walking south, a man,…