People v. Nelson

The defendant, Thomas Nelson, was charged by information with two counts of murder and one count of armed violence. The charges stemmed from the March 22, 1983, stabbing death of his estranged wife, Tina Nelson. After a jury trial in the circuit court of Lake County, the defendant was found guilty of murder and armed violence and not guilty of voluntary manslaughter. The defendant was sentenced to 50 years’ imprisonment on the murder conviction and was not sentenced on the armed violence conviction.

The defendant raises three issues on appeal: (1) whether it was error not to instruct the jury…