People v. Phillips

PRESIDING JUSTICE WOLFSON

delivered the opinion of the court:

Ezekiel Phillips was charged with attempted first degree murder, armed violence, and aggravated battery. This was not the first time the defendant had been charged with armed violence and aggravated battery. He had been convicted of those offenses on earlier occasions. Before and during his jury trial, he moved to bar use of the prior convictions to attack his believability when he testified. The trial court refused to rule, saying it wanted to hear the defendant’s direct examination before deciding. The defendant did not testify.

The…