People v. Gaston

Based on events of December 9, 1986, defendant Kenneth Gaston, Tanya Woods, and Ray Collins were convicted, in separate trials, of the armed robbery (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 38, par. 18 — 2) of a paint store located at the intersection of Belmont and Ashland Avenues in Chicago. For his part, Gaston was sentenced to a prison term of 20 years.

In this appeal, Gaston, who is black, challenges the State’s use of peremptory challenges to exclude black individuals from the venire during jury selection. He also complains that the length of sentence imposed was improper.

We remand for a hearing in…