People v. Thomas

The defendant, Walter L. Thomas, brings this appeal from an order of the circuit court of Du Page County dismissing, without an evidentiary hearing, his petition for post-conviction relief. Because the defendant received the death penalty for the underlying murder conviction, the defendant’s appeal lies directly to this court. 134 Ill. 2d R. 651(a). For the reasons that follow, we reverse the judgment of the circuit court and remand the cause to that court for further proceedings.

The defendant was convicted of murder and other offenses and was sentenced to death following a jury trial in the…