People v. Garza

Following a jury trial, defendant, Kenneth Garza, was convicted of first-degree murder (720 ILCS 5/9 — 1 (West 1992)) and sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment. On appeal, he asserts that (1) his motion to suppress evidence was improperly denied; (2) improper opinion and character evidence prejudiced him; (3) the State improperly referred to his post-arrest silence and failure to testify; and (4) the State did not prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

On November 15, 1990, Donald Suarez’s body was found in an alley at 9228 S. Brandon Street, Chicago.…