People v. Bakr

Following a jury trial, defendant-appellant Jamal Bakr (defendant) was convicted of first degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm and sentenced to consecutive 50- and 10-year prison terms. On appeal, defendant contends (1) that the trial court erred in admitting the videotaped statements of two codefendants as substantive evidence against defendant, and (2) that he was denied a fair trial due to the cumulative impact of instances of prosecutorial misconduct. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

FACTS

On the evening of October 19, 2001, Elmercelo Rivera, Daniel Ortiz, Wanda Colon,…