People v. Howard

Following a jury trial, the defendant, Richard L. Howard, was convicted of first-degree murder (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1989, ch. 38, par. 9—1(a)(2)) and sentenced to a term of natural life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. On appeal, the defendant contends that the trial court abused its discretion by (1) permitting the State to bolster a witness’s testimony through the use of the testimony of an expert witness; (2) admitting evidence of his abusive behavior that occurred after the victim’s death; (3) tendering to the jury a modified form of an Illinois Pattern Jury Instruction…