People v. Lawrence

PRESIDING JUSTICE MURRAY

delivered the opinion of the court:

After a bench trial, defendant Jonah Lawrence (Lawrence) was convicted for the murder of Rosa Hopkins and for the concealment of her homicidal death. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 38, pars. 9—1(a)(1), (a)(2), 9—3.1(a).) He was given a sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the murder conviction and a concurrent sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment for the concealment conviction. Lawrence now appeals, raising three issues: (1) whether he was denied a public trial because the court inadvertently…