People v. Robinson

After a jury trial, defendant, Johnnie Robinson, was convicted of residential burglary and theft. He was sentenced to an extended term of 16 years’ imprisonment. On appeal, defendant asserts that (1) the trial court erred when the trial judge abandoned his proper role as an impartial arbiter and assumed the role of a prosecutor by advising the prosecutor how to prove the elements of the offense; (2) the prosecutor tainted the trial process during closing argument by characterizing the defense as nothing but a smokescreen and demeaning the defense counsel’s motives; and (3) the prosecutor’s…