People v. Walker

Defendant Samantha Walker appeals from her convictions for the offenses of residential burglary, robbery, and theft, for which she was sentenced to six years in prison.

Walker, who is black, was tried before a jury in the circuit court of Will County. The State used peremptory challenges to excuse all three black members of the venire, and at the end of the jury selection, defense counsel objected to the racial composition of the jury. The trial judge found that the defendant had established a prima facie case of discrimination under Batson v. Kentucky (1986), 476 U.S. 79, 90 L. Ed. 2d 69, 106…