People v. Claybourn

Following a jury trial, defendant Percy Claybourn was found guilty of aggravated criminal sexual assault and armed robbery. Judgment was entered on two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and one count of armed robbery, and defendant was sentenced to concurrent terms of 28 years. On appeal, defendant contends that: (1) he was denied a fair trial on the charge of aggravated criminal sexual assault because the jury issues instruction on that charge omitted an essential element of the offense; (2) the prosecutor’s comments in closing argument served to shift the burden of proof, tended…