People v. Phillips

Defendant, George Phillips, was charged by indictment with the murder of Dean Terrill. Following a bench trial in the circuit court of Cook County, defendant was convicted of murder and sentenced to a term of 100 to 200 years in the penitentiary.

On appeal, defendant claims (1) that he was denied his due process rights when the trial court failed to instruct the jury at defendant’s fitness restoration hearing that the State bore the burden of proving defendant fit for trial; (2) that the jury at the fitness restoration hearing should have been instructed that defendant was presumed unfit on…