People v. Washington

Following a jury trial, defendant Artra Washington was found guilty of first-degree murder. The trial judge sentenced defendant to 60 years in the Illinois State Penitentiary. On appeal, defendant contends: (1) that the trial judge erred in finding that the defense failed to make a prima facie showing of purposeful discrimination in the State’s exercise of its peremptory challenges against black males; (2) that the trial judge usurped the jury’s function as trier of fact and deprived defendant of his defense by refusing to give the defendant’s involuntary manslaughter instruction; (3) that…