People v. Golden

Christopher Golden was convicted by a jury of attempted first degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm. The trial court, after vacating the aggravated battery conviction, sentenced Golden to an extended term of 36 years for the attempted first degree murder. There is no question that the procedure followed by the trial court violated Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 147 L. Ed. 2d 435, 120 S. Ct. 2348 (2000). But Golden must overcome two substantial hurdles before he can cash in on the trial court’s error. While this is a close case, we conclude Golden’s extended-term sentence…