People v. McBounds

Following a bench trial in the circuit court of Cook County, defendants Willie Earl McBounds and Fred Edwards were convicted of the murder of Ricardo Wright. Defendant McBounds was sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections for a term of 38 years, and defendant Edwards was sentenced to a term of 28 years. On appeal, defendant McBounds contends that: (1) the statute under which the only evidence of defendant’s guilt was admitted is an unconstitutional legislative encroachment on the rulemaking power of the judiciary; (2) he was denied his constitutional right to confrontation of…