People v. Acosta

Following a bench trial, defendant, Augustin Acosta, was found guilty of first-degree murder (720 ILCS 5/9 — 1(a)(1), (a)(2) (West 1996)) and subsequently sentenced to natural fife imprisonment. Defendant appealed, and this court, on February 3, 1998 (People v. Acosta, 294 Ill. App. 3d 1112 (1998) (unpublished order under Supreme Court Rule 23)), affirmed defendant’s conviction and sentence. On April 14, 1998, we denied defendant’s petition for rehearing. On March 1, 2000, defendant filed a petition for postconviction relief. Following a hearing on the State’s motion to dismiss the petition,…