People v. Anderson

At 2:51 a.m. on April 14, 2002, Estella Dowthard called 911 to report that someone had just fired four shots through a bedroom window of her home. The shots were intended for Alex Dowthard, Estella’s son. Instead, eight-year-old DeMarcus Hanson, Estella’s grandson and Alex’s nephew, was shot in the head and killed. A jury found defendant, Tyjuan T. Anderson, guilty of the first-degree murder of DeMarcus (see 720 ILCS 5/9 — 1(a)(2) (West 2004)), and the trial court imposed a 50-year prison term. Defendant appeals, arguing that (1) he is entitled to a new trial because the trial court committed…