People v. Fletcher

Defendant, Alonzo D. Fletcher, was found guilty after a jury trial of attempted first-degree murder and was sentenced by the circuit court of Bond County to 25 years’ imprisonment. Defendant appeals claiming he was denied a fair trial as a result of the court’s refusal to instruct the jury on the “lesser offense” of attempted second-degree murder. We affirm.

At trial, the evidence revealed that, on the afternoon of June 8, 1991, defendant shot the victim, Dana Wright, in the head. Defendant claimed he did so in self-defense. According to defendant, he and Wright had engaged in drug deals in…