People v. Johns

Following a jury trial, Demetrius Johns was found accountable for armed robbery but not for murder. He was given an 11-year sentence with an “add-on” penalty of 15 years because the armed robbery was committed with a handgun. On appeal, the defendant contends (1) his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to assert a compulsion defense, (2) the add-on portion of his sentence violates the “prohibition against disproportionate penalties,” and (3) his nonenhanced sentence of 11 years is an abuse of discretion because a principal codefendant was sentenced to six years for armed robbery.

We…