People v. Hastings

Defendant, Levester Hastings, was convicted of murder after a bench trial and sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The record reveals that on March 17, 1984, a birthday party was held in a thirteenth-floor apartment of the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago, Illinois. The victim, Willie Thompson, and Mitchell Washington were talking outside the apartment on the hallway ramp when defendant approached them. Defendant inquired what their gang affiliation was and accused the victim of belonging to the Vice Lords. After some conversation, defendant…