People v. Stiff

The defendants, Benjamin Stiff and Joey Ragusa, were charged separately with attempted murder (720 ILCS 5/8 — 4(a) (West 2004)), but the charges were upgraded to first-degree murder (720 ILCS 5/9— 1(a)(1) (West 2004)) after the victim, James Garrison, died of his injuries. James was doused with gasoline, was set on fire, and died approximately seven weeks later. The State appeals from pretrial orders of the circuit court of Madison County which found that the statements James had made to his partner, John Duich, and to the police, by which the defendants were implicated, failed to qualify…