People v. Jones

Defendant, Cedric Jones, appeals judgments of the circuit court of Champaign County convicting him, after a jury trial, of felony theft committed on December 2, 1978, and sentencing him to 4 years’ imprisonment. He asserts that his guilt was not proved beyond a reasonable doubt and that the trial court erred in (1) denying his motion for a severance, (2) refusing his tendered instruction concerning circumstantial evidence, and (3) imposing an excessive sentence. He also maintains for the first time on appeal that improper closing argument by the prosecutor denied him a fair trial. He has…