People v. Williams

Following a jury trial in the circuit court of Cook County, Carl Williams was convicted of attempt to commit murder under sections 8 — 4 and 9 — 1 of the Criminal Code of 1961 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 38, pars. 8 — 4, 9 — 1) and sentenced to an extended term of 60 years’ imprisonment. The appellate court subsequently reversed and remanded for a new trial. (252 Ill. App. 3d 704.) For the reasons that follow, we reverse the appellate court’s judgment and affirm the judgment of the circuit court.

We begin our review with the familiar proposition that once a defendant has been found guilty of…