People v. Harris

A jury found the defendant, Dennis Harris, guilty of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and armed violence. Post trial the trial court vacated the judgments of guilt with respect to those counts pertaining to armed robbery and armed violence. After determining that the death penalty should not be imposed, the trial court sentenced the defendant to a term of imprisonment of 75 years. The defendant appeals, presenting two issues for our review: whether his right to an impartial jury was violated and whether the trial court abused its discretion in imposing sentence.

Concerning the first issue…