People v. Brazziel

A jury convicted defendant, Jamael Brazziel, of first degree murder proximately caused by his personal discharge of a firearm. Defendant was sentenced to an aggregate of 60 years’ imprisonment. On appeal, defendant contends that (1) the State failed to prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt; (2) the trial court’s failure to comply with the mandates of Illinois Supreme Court Rule 431(b) (eff. May 1, 2007) entitles him to a new trial; (3) the State improperly raised the issue of the defense witnesses’ moral character; and (4) his sentence was excessive in light of mitigating factors. Based…