People v. Soto

Defendant, Rene Soto, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder (720 ILCS 5/5 — 1 (West 1996)) and was sentenced to natural life imprisonment without parole on each count. This court reversed defendant’s conviction and remanded the cause for a new trial on both counts. See People v. Soto, 336 Ill. App. 3d 238 (2002). Our supreme court denied the State’s petition for leave to appeal but, under its supervisory authority, directed this court to vacate our opinion and reconsider our judgment in light of People v. Ceja, 204 Ill. 2d 332 (2003). See People v. Soto, 204 Ill. 2d 679 (2003).…