People v. Benford

A jury convicted defendant, Willette Benford, of first degree murder for the death of Patricia Phillips. The trial court sentenced defendant to 50 years in prison. Defendant next brought this timely appeal, asserting that: (1) she was denied a fair trial by the trial court’s admission of an evidentiary photograph of the decedent’s nude body, where it depicted a large, unexplained laceration on the decedent’s body; (2) during sentencing, the trial court improperly considered victim impact statements in violation of the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act (725 ILCS 120/1 et seq. (West…