People v. Clark

After the circuit court of Cook County denied his motion to suppress his confession as involuntary, the defendant, Dexter Clark, waived his right to trial by jury. At the conclusion of the subsequent bench trial, the judge found the defendant guilty of aggravated arson (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1981, ch. 38, par. 20 — 1.1(a)(1)), arson (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1981, ch. 38, par. 20 — 1), and possession of an incendiary device (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1981, ch. 38, par. 20— 2). The trial judge entered judgment on all three convictions but merged the arson conviction into the aggravated-arson conviction for purposes of…