People v. Gaines

Defendant Willie Gaines was indicted on January 7, 1974, for the murder of Charles Polk. His first trial, in September 1977, ended in a mistrial because of a hung jury. After a second jury trial, defendant was convicted of murder and sentenced to 20-40 years imprisonment and fined $1,800. Defendant appeals, contending that (1) comments made by the prosecutor during closing argument constituted reversible error; (2) he was not proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt; and (3) the court erred in ordering defendant to pay a fine of $1,800 to be taken from his bond money.

Michael Richardson…