People v. Donahue

Defendant, James Donahue, was found guilty after a bench trial of the offense of murder. The circuit court of Cook County sentenced him to 15-25 years imprisonment. The primary issue on appeal concerns whether the defendant’s fingerprint found in the victim’s apartment, standing alone, is sufficient to support the conviction.

We reverse.

The record discloses the following pertinent facts, as briefly summarized. On June 9, 1975, the victim’s body was found in her apartment. Her head was covered with plastic bags which were tied around her neck with two cords. One of these cords was the electric…