People v. Bryant

Following a jury trial in the circuit court of Peoria County, the defendant, Donald L. Bryant, was convicted of attempted burglary and sentenced to six years’ imprisonment, an extended term. The appellate court granted the defendant a new trial, finding error in the way the jury had been instructed (131 Ill. App. 3d 1011), and we allowed the State’s petition for leave to appeal (103 Ill. 2d R. 315(a)).

The offense charged here occurred on August 3, 1983, at a service station in Peoria. David McGraw testified that at about 3 o’clock that morning, as he was sitting on the porch of his father’s…