People v. Austin

Following a jury trial in the circuit court of Cook County, defendant, Peggy Austin, was convicted of the murder of Helen Richard and received a sentence of 30 years' imprisonment. Due to the circuit court’s refusal to allow the defendant’s tendered jury instruction regarding voluntary manslaughter based on serious provocation, the appellate court reversed the conviction and remanded the cause for a new trial. (170 Ill. App. 3d 1047.) We granted the State’s petition for leave to appeal (107 Ill. 2d R. 315).

On February 13, 1984, at approximately 7 p.m., the victim, a Chicago Transit Authority…