People v. Johnson

Defendant, James Johnson, and his co-defendant, Frank Lee, who is not a party to this appeal, were indicted for armed robbery (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 38, par. 18—2) and tried before a jury in the circuit court of Cook County. After jury selection, and in the course of hearings on pretrial motions, Lee failed to reappear in court. The trial court denied defendant’s motion for a mistrial and the trial continued in Lee’s absence. Defendant was found guilty and sentenced to a term of 4 to 8 years of imprisonment. Lee was also found guilty and sentenced to a 7- to 18-year term.

Defendant…