People v. Neeley

Defendant, James Neeley, Jr., was convicted of the offense of burglary by a jury in the Circuit Court of St. Clair County and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of five years. On appeal defendant challenges the competency of his court-appointed counsel.

Christine Winston testified at defendant’s trial that she was at home on September 28,1978, when she heard an automobile motor idling and a dog barking in the vicinity of the home of a neighbor, Frederick Boyd. She estimated the time to be approximately 3 p.m., because she was expecting her daughter to arrive home from school shortly.…