People v. Collins

Following a jury trial in the circuit court of Lake County, defendant, Jamal L. Collins, a/k/a Jamel Collins, was convicted of first-degree murder (720 ILCS 5/9 — 1(a)(1) (West 2000)) in connection with the stabbing death of Jaime Hernandez. On direct appeal, defendant argued, inter alia, that he was prejudiced when the jury foreman sua sponte visited the crime scene during defendant’s trial. A majority of this court agreed with this contention, reversed defendant’s conviction, and remanded the cause for a new trial. People v. Collins, 351 Ill. App. 3d 175 (2004). Following a new trial by…