People v. Georgakapoulos

PRESIDING JUSTICE GORDON

delivered the opinion of the court:

Following a bench trial, the defendant, Sotirios Georgakapoulos, was found guilty of the first degree murder of Jacobo Lozada. He was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment. On appeal he contends that the trial court erred by failing to exclude the decedent’s hearsay statements and by barring defense counsel from impeaching a witness with past criminal conduct. For the reasons discussed below, we affirm defendant’s conviction.

BACKGROUND FACTS

At approximately 11 p.m. on July 1, 1994, Jacobo Lozada (Jacob), a member of the Spanish Cobras…