People v. Pheasant , 2021 IL App (5th) 180493-U ( 2021 )

NOTICE
2021 IL App (5th) 180493-UNOTICE
Decision filed 10/27/21. The
This order was filed under
text of this decision may be NO. 5-18-0493 Supreme Court Rule 23 and is
changed or corrected prior to
not precedent except in the
the filing of a Petition for
Rehearing or the disposition of
IN THE limited circumstances allowed
under Rule 23(e)(1).
the same.
APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS
FIFTH DISTRICT
________________________________________________________________________
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, ) Appeal from the
) Circuit Court of
Plaintiff-Appellee, ) Franklin County.
)
v. ) No. 16-CF-475
)
BRIAN PHEASANT, ) Honorable
) Thomas J. Tedeschi,
Defendant-Appellant. ) Judge, presiding.
________________________________________________________________________
JUSTICE WELCH delivered the judgment of the court.
Justices Moore and Vaughan concurred in the judgment.
ORDER
¶1 Held: The defendant’s conviction for first degree murder is affirmed where the
trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting evidence, where the
prosecutor did not commit misconduct during closing arguments, and
where no error occurred when the jury was allowed to view evidence
during deliberations.
¶2 This is a direct appeal from the circuit court of Franklin County. The defendant,
Brian Pheasant, was convicted of first degree murder. On September 18, 2018, he was
sentenced to an enhanced term of 67 years’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of
mandatory supervised release (MSR). The defendant raises three points on appeal:
(1) that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting evidence, (2) that the prosecutor
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committed misconduct during closing arguments, and (3) that structural error resulted
from the jury viewing evidence during deliberations. We affirm.
¶3 I. BACKGROUND
¶4 On November 18, 2016, the defendant was charged by indictment with two counts
of first degree murder (720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(1)-(2) (West 2016)). It was alleged that on or
about October 31, 2016, the defendant shot his wife, Beth Pheasant, at their home in
Christopher, Illinois. The indictment further alleged that the State would seek a
sentencing enhancement based on the fact that the defendant personally discharged a
firearm (730 ILCS 5/5-8-1(a)(1)(d)(iii) (West 2016)).
¶5 Prior to trial, the defendant filed a motion to suppress part of his statement to the
police. A video of his interrogation showed that 25 minutes into the interrogation, he
said that he did not want to talk anymore, and despite this statement, the officer continued
to question him. The trial court ruled the statement inadmissible from that point forward.
¶6 Also prior to trial, the defendant filed a motion to bar the State from using a video
found on the defendant’s cell phone as evidence. In the video, which had a modified date
of October 26, 2016, the defendant is seen lip-syncing part of the Johnny Cash song,
“Cocaine Blues.” As he sings that he “took a shot of cocaine and I shot my woman
down,” he makes a shooting motion with his hand. Defense counsel argued that the
original video was older than the State claimed, and that the evidence included a second
older copy of the video. The trial court denied the motion.
¶7 On May 8, 2018, the defendant’s three-week jury trial commenced. The evidence
indicated that the defendant and the victim had been together for 10 years and married for
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7 or 8 years prior to the victim’s death. They each had children from prior relationships.
In October 2016, the victim began an affair with her son’s jiu-jitsu teacher, Sam Burns.
The defendant learned about the affair roughly a week before the victim’s death when he
followed her phone’s GPS signal to Burns’s house. When the victim came out of Burns’s
house, she told the defendant that she had not wanted him to find out that way, and that
she wanted a divorce. Burns testified that the defendant came by his house two times.
The second time, Burns and the victim were outside and interacted with the defendant.
Burns recalled that the defendant said the victim had cheated on him before, and he made
“some insulting comments.”
¶8 The victim’s coworkers testified that in the week before her death, the victim was
upset, tearful, frustrated, and “not herself.” Stacey Stricklin testified that the defendant
came to the victim’s workplace to see her the Tuesday before she died. When Stricklin
said “this was not the time *** [or] the place,” the defendant left without getting angry or
saying anything. Andy Heibner testified that a few days later, he heard a man on the
victim’s phone yelling at her. Heibner could not hear what was being said and could not
identify the voice.
¶9 The victim’s oldest daughter, Makaylah, testified that the defendant and the victim
told the family they would be divorcing. The day after they announced the divorce, the
defendant indicated that the victim was having an affair.
¶ 10 On October 27, 2016, the defendant went to Hood’s Gun Shop and bought a
Springfield Armory 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistol, which he said he wanted for
concealed carry purposes. According to the shop owner, James Hood, the defendant had
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a pleasant demeanor, did not talk about any difficulties he was experiencing in life, and
appeared to know “somewhat” about how to use a gun. The defendant put down a
deposit on the gun, with plans to pick it up after the waiting period. The defendant’s
friend, Anthony Neikes, testified that the defendant and the victim had talked about
buying a gun for a long time and were always debating which gun to buy.
¶ 11 The defendant returned to Hood’s shop on October 31, 2016, to pick up the gun,
and, according to Hood, he seemed “perfectly fine.” Hood went over the gun with him,
disassembled it, and explained how to clean it. Surveillance video of this interaction was
shown at trial. Hood narrated that video, explaining that it showed him and the defendant
discussing the proper way to load and chamber the gun. Hood told the defendant to shoot
cheap ammunition through the gun first, as new guns sometimes require a break-in
procedure. Hood would tell his customers to shoot 100 to 150 rounds to make sure they
were familiar with their gun and that it would function properly before they carried it.
¶ 12 Hood further testified that the particular gun the defendant bought had a “little
hiccup” with it. Specifically, he testified:
“When you shoot it, it normally happened on the first or second magazine, but the
gun is—it’s manufactured so tightly that the slide wouldn’t go completely all the
way forward.
You might shoot four or five rounds and then go to pull the trigger and
nothing happen[s]. But it is slightly out of battery, so you push it just a little bit
forward and it will continue to fire. And that’s really about the only issue we have
ever had with those.”
¶ 13 Neikes testified that he and the defendant were hanging out on the evening of
October 31, 2016. They had at least one beer at Neikes’s house, then went to two
different bars at which they did not have any beer because they did not see anyone they
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knew. At a third bar, they each bought a round of beer. They talked throughout the day,
and the defendant was upset about his divorce. The defendant had found a house to move
into where his son would be able to stay over. Neikes testified that it seemed like the
defendant and the victim were getting everything figured out. They went to a fourth bar
for another drink and to throw some darts, then went to Burger King. They had planned
to meet some friends at a different bar in Whittington, but when they arrived at that bar,
the defendant did not get out of the car. Neikes went in and used the restroom, then they
headed back to Christopher.
¶ 14 The defendant had been using his cell phone throughout the evening, but it got wet
at some point, so he had to use Neikes’s phone to make calls. He called his daughter and
one of his friends. Later in the evening, the defendant called the victim. Neikes was
trying to keep the defendant from doing so because he was upset, though Neikes
emphasized that the defendant was not angry. When Neikes returned to the car after
stopping in Whittington to use the restroom, the victim’s name was on his phone as if the
defendant had called her. They drove back to Neikes’s house, where the defendant had
parked his truck. The defendant suggested going to the Italian Club, so he got into his
truck and Neikes followed him in his car. They planned to drop the defendant’s truck off
at the defendant’s house before heading to the club.
¶ 15 At the defendant’s house, Neikes recalled that the defendant got out of the truck,
said he would be out in a moment, and went into the house. From where Neikes was
parked, he could see through a window into part of the kitchen. As he waited, Neikes
heard arguing. The defendant was holding a phone, and the victim was yelling, “Give me
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my phone back.” Once they stepped away from the kitchen window area, Neikes could
no longer see them.
¶ 16 Neikes heard the first gunshot about 20 seconds after the victim and the defendant
disappeared from his line of sight. He got out of his car at that point. About three
seconds after the first shot, he heard a second shot, at which point he began to run toward
the house. He entered through the garage and saw blood in the hallway leading from the
garage into the house. Neikes ran past the victim’s son Riley’s room, which was to the
right of the hallway, and around the corner, where he saw the victim lying face down in
the kitchen. Neikes gave his phone to Riley, told him to call 9-1-1, and returned to the
victim.
¶ 17 According to Neikes, the defendant came from the other side of the house, where
his bedroom was located, holding the gun. Neikes ran to grab Riley and dragged him out
of the house. He put Riley in his car and drove away while talking to 9-1-1. The 9-1-1
dispatcher told Neikes to return to the house, so he did.
¶ 18 The victim’s daughter, Shelby, testified that she was home with her brother and
the victim on the evening of October 31, 2016, when the defendant arrived. She was in
her room when she heard the victim saying she wanted her phone back and needed to get
to work. Shelby went into the kitchen, where she saw the defendant walking toward the
garage. The defendant was holding the phone above his head and scrolling through it.
Shelby testified that the victim looked at her and said to call 9-1-1. She waited until the
victim started walking to the garage, and then she went to get her phone from her room.
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¶ 19 As Shelby got past the kitchen, she heard a loud bang. She initially believed this
sound was the phone falling. However, the victim yelled, “Call 911. Brian shot me.”
Shelby ran back to the stairs leading to the garage and saw the victim holding her side,
struggling to walk, and holding her hand against the wall for support. Shelby ran to her
room to get her phone and call 9-1-1. She then went into the backyard.
¶ 20 Riley testified similarly that he was home with Shelby and the victim when the
defendant and Neikes arrived. He heard arguing and knew that the defendant had been
drinking. Riley heard the defendant and the victim come down the stairs, still arguing.
Shelby yelled, “Don’t touch her,” and the defendant said, “Don’t touch me.” The victim
said, “Give me my phone back.” Riley then heard the defendant yelling something
followed by a loud pop. He also thought the sound was the defendant throwing the
victim’s phone to the ground. Riley heard a second pop and someone running. He
grabbed a knife and an airsoft gun to protect himself. When he opened his bedroom door,
he saw blood on the ground and Neikes coming into the house. Neikes gave Riley his
phone and told him to call 9-1-1. Neikes went up the stairs for approximately 30
seconds, then returned to Riley and said they needed to go.
¶ 21 At trial, the State presented the 9-1-1 calls from Shelby and Neikes. The State
presented testimony and body camera footage from the responding officers as well as
testimony from the paramedics who arrived at the scene.
¶ 22 Illinois State Police (ISP) trooper Jason Colp interviewed the defendant while he
was in custody at the Christopher Police Department. After the defendant received
Miranda warnings, he told Colp that he planned to commit suicide. As part of his plan,
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he bought a gun and wrote letters to his family. He had not planned for the suicide to
occur that night, but he had a bad night arguing with the victim, and he received a call
from his second ex-wife that she was moving with his son. He felt like everything was
coming down on him at once.
¶ 23 The defendant said he was in the house that night and was going to tell the victim
about the letters. He was planning to wait until she got in the garage, where he would kill
himself. They were in the kitchen and her phone lit up. He picked it up, and she grabbed
him to get it back. At that point, Shelby came into the room. The defendant kept
walking toward the garage, as he did not want to do anything with Shelby there. When
they got to the garage, the victim told Shelby to call the police, and Shelby left.
¶ 24 The victim continued to clutch at the defendant for her phone. The defendant,
who had the gun stuffed in his waistband, put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger,
but nothing happened. The gun jammed, with the slide hanging up. He pulled the gun
down and kind of “messed” with it, at which point the gun went off and hit the victim.
The victim had already started walking back into the house when she saw the gun. He
heard her tell Shelby that he shot her. The defendant was in shock, explaining that
shooting her was the last thing he had wanted to do.
¶ 25 In his statement to Colp, the defendant said that he again tried to shoot himself,
but the same problem occurred. He said the gun dropped a bullet out, and he tried to
shove bullets back in. He followed the victim into the kitchen, again trying to fix the gun
and pulling the trigger multiple times. The gun went off again, and the victim fell to the
ground. The defendant was horrified and went into the bathroom, where he again tried to
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fix the gun. When he eventually got it fixed, he walked back to the kitchen to look at the
victim. He sat down by the washing machine to kill himself, but he could not do it, and
commented that he should have.
¶ 26 The defendant told Colp that he did not know he was pulling the trigger in the
garage as he racked the slide. Instead, he said he was racking the slide and squeezing it.
He was not looking at the victim, who was walking back into the house, when he was
messing with the gun in the kitchen. Consistent with the trial court’s pretrial suppression
order, the interview ended; the last interaction on the video was of the defendant crying
and Colp telling him to take his time.
¶ 27 The State presented crime scene evidence and testimony from ISP crime scene
investigator Tammy Turner. Turner’s photographs included the victim lying on the floor
of the kitchen; five live rounds found in the living room, hallway, and garage; blood in
the hallway, kitchen, and stairway; the defendant’s firearm and cell phone in the kitchen;
and the victim’s cell phone in the garage. Turner also testified to obtaining DNA
standards from Neikes and the defendant, as well as a gunshot residue (GSR) kit from the
defendant. She further identified the defendant’s firearm along with two fired
projectiles—one found in the garage and one found on the living room rug. She also
identified the shell casings that were recovered by the police.
¶ 28 GSR testing, which was performed on the victim’s hands postmortem, revealed
the presence of GSR on her right hand. No GSR was found on the defendant’s hands.
Fingerprint analysis of the gun’s magazine matched the defendant. The gun’s trigger,
grip, and slide were swabbed with a single swab, which revealed a mix of at least two
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DNA profiles. The major profile was consistent with the defendant, and the minor profile
was incomplete and unsuitable for comparison. Scientific testing of the blood swabs
taken from the house showed that the blood was consistent with the victim.
¶ 29 A search of the defendant’s truck yielded the letters to his children and the victim
as well as two boxes of ammunition. One of the boxes was full, while the other had 11
empty slots.
¶ 30 Forensic pathologist Dr. John Heidingsfelder testified as to the victim’s autopsy
and identified photographs from the procedure. The victim first sustained a gunshot
wound to the back of her right shoulder that exited the left side of her chest after hitting
the right atrium of her heart and the right upper lobe of her right lung, as well as grazing
her left lung. She also sustained a gunshot wound to the right side of the back of her
head; that bullet exited through her mouth after hitting her brain, the petrous ridge bone at
the base of her skull, and the back of her throat. The first wound would have been fatal if
she did not receive medical attention within five minutes, while the second wound would
have been immediately fatal. Dr. Heidingsfelder listed the cause of the victim’s death as
“cerebral disruption or disruption of brain tissue due to gunshot wounds to her head and
chest.” He classified the death as a homicide, which meant “the killing of one person by
another person” and was not a conclusion as to whether the shooting was accidental or
not. However, Dr. Heidingsfelder opined that the victim’s death did not appear to be
accidental because it involved two gunshot wounds. Her toxicology screen revealed a
toxic dose of a diet pill and an “above therapeutic” level of an antidepressant.
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¶ 31 Franklin County coroner Marty Leffler testified that he arranged for the autopsy.
The victim’s death certificate listed the cause of death as “Cerebral disruption due to a
gunshot wound to the brain and lung,” and the manner of death as homicide.
¶ 32 The State presented evidence of a video retrieved from the defendant’s cell phone.
In the video, the defendant is depicted singing along to a portion of a Johnny Cash song
entitled “Cocaine Blues,” stating that he “took a shot of cocaine and I shot my woman
down.” The video had a “created and/or modified” date and time of October 26, 2016, at
8:47 p.m. The defendant’s cell phone contained another copy of the same video, but with
the date of May 5, 2015; ISP trooper Timothy McDaniel, who obtained the video, agreed
that it was fair to say that the defendant made the video in May 2015 and downloaded it
again in October 2016. The cell phone dump taken from the defendant’s phone included
14 other videos with the same date of October 26, 2016. The exhibit indicated that those
videos were modified within seconds of each other on that date.
¶ 33 The State also presented records of the defendant’s text messages and calls,
including those made to the victim, dating back to October 25, 2016. Those messages
reflected that the victim sometimes indicated she was receptive to trying to save their
relationship and at other times told him not to text her. Their messages also referred to
dividing up their assets and separating their accounts. On October 28, the defendant sent
the victim a message apologizing for disrespecting her and indicating that she was special
to him. She accepted his apology and indicated that she hoped they could remain in each
other’s lives. Two days later, she said that she was willing to see a counselor and would
call one on Monday, though she expressed doubt that they would be able to fix their
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relationship. Later that day, he texted her that he would not join the family at Six Flags
theme park and said not to contact him unless it was absolutely necessary.
¶ 34 The text messages showed continued and escalating anger from the defendant on
October 31, 2016. In the evening, the victim wrote she was going to take a nap and put
her phone on do not disturb. The defendant continued to call and text the victim even
though she had stopped responding regularly to his messages. He texted her around 10
p.m. asking for a ride, but when she said she had to be at work in an hour, he responded
that he did not know she worked that night. The defendant asked why she blocked him
and why her phone was going to voicemail.
¶ 35 Two experts testified as to their examination of the defendant’s firearm. ISP
forensic scientist Tom Gamboe, a firearms identification expert, examined the gun and
fired test shots as well. As part of his analysis, he checked the gun’s serial number
because Springfield Armory had recalled some similarly designed pistols. The
defendant’s gun was manufactured after and was not part of the recall. Gamboe also
looked at the two fired bullets, as well as the five live rounds recovered from the house.
According to Gamboe, the live rounds had no identifiable toolmarks on them.
¶ 36 As part of his analysis, Gamboe said, he fired the gun with both the submitted
ammunition found in the defendant’s truck and the laboratory’s test ammunition; in total,
he fired the gun 18 times without incident. Additionally, Gamboe tried 96 times to get
the gun to malfunction accidentally, but the gun only fired when used as designed. It
never fired without the trigger being depressed.
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¶ 37 Gamboe agreed that he had fired at least 3000 guns in his lifetime and admitted
that he had previously fired a gun accidentally. Any number of things could cause an
unfired bullet to get stuck halfway in or out of a gun, such as: a magazine not being
inserted all the way, the shooter lacking an adequate grip on the pistol such that the slide
does not come far enough back to chamber the cartridge, the shooter holding the slide, or
low powder in the first fired shot causing the slide not to come back far enough. If a gun
had a light primer strike, that could cause it to not fire. However, the live rounds
Gamboe examined in this case did not appear to have any light primer strikes. Gamboe
also testified that one way to address improper chambering of a gun was to hit the gun to
force the slide closed. A gun might not properly chamber if the chamber contained
debris, but Gamboe did not notice any debris problems with the defendant’s firearm.
¶ 38 David Williams, the head of research and development at Springfield Armory,
testified that the gun in this case was manufactured in Croatia, where the post-recall
design took place, about three years after the recall and redesign. Williams testified that
the post-recall design eliminated the possibility of the recall circumstance—multiple
firings when you pressed the trigger—from happening again. According to Williams,
Springfield Armory only observed two guns demonstrate the recall circumstance and one
was still under investigation, though 250,000 guns were subject to the recall. In the post-
recall group, four firearms had been returned to Springfield Armory for warranty repairs,
including one for a light primer strike and one for a stuck magazine.
¶ 39 Williams explained that if a gun’s operator does not operate it correctly, for
instance, if the operator does not pull the slide all the way back, the gun probably would
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not load. He estimated that there were probably a dozen different ways that a bullet
could get caught in a gun’s breech and pop out of the breech without being fired. For
example, that could happen if the operator put the cartridge in the magazine backward; in
that case, the cartridge would jam the mechanism or fall on the floor. If the operator put
a cartridge in the magazine and retracted the slide but did not release the slide to let it
drive home, the slide might not close completely, leading the cartridge to bounce or come
out of the magazine. He agreed, though, that there were no reported problems with the
post-recall redesign of the gun.
¶ 40 The defendant testified and presented evidence in his defense. His second ex-
wife, Trisha Veach, testified that during their divorce in 2008, the defendant attempted to
kill himself. She believed that the end of their relationship “crushe[d]” the defendant and
made him “feel hollow.” Veach was aware that the defendant made the lip-syncing
videos and had seen some of them on his Facebook page. A few days before October 31,
the defendant’s son told Veach about the defendant’s situation and that the defendant was
upset and inconsolable. Veach contacted the defendant and said that he needed to pick
himself up and move on for the kids, but he seemed very down. On October 31, Veach
contacted the defendant again to let him know that she was getting remarried and moving
to Marion. The defendant was very upset because he felt like Veach was trying to take
his son from him, which was not her intent. She wanted their son to spend more time
with the defendant because of what he was going through.
¶ 41 The defendant’s son, Drew, testified that a few days before October 31, he
accompanied the defendant to Home Depot to return some home renovation supplies.
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During that trip, the defendant said that he was “tired of being hurt from marriage.”
When Drew responded that the defendant would still have him so it would be okay, the
defendant started to cry. This surprised Drew because he had never seen the defendant
cry. Drew testified that the defendant, Neikes, and the children sometimes made the lip-
syncing videos with the Dubsmash program. Drew described the Dubsmash program and
indicated that the user chose the song, but the program chose which portion of the song
the user would sing along to. Drew testified that he went to see the defendant shortly
after he was incarcerated, and he was wearing a green “antisuicide vest.”
¶ 42 The defendant’s daughter, Hannah, testified that she was worried about the
defendant when she spoke to him in the days leading up to the victim’s murder. He came
to her house unannounced, saying that he needed to talk and was heartbroken. He said he
was getting a divorce and was struggling. This was unusual, as he did not normally share
his feelings with her. Hannah learned that the victim was having an affair about two
weeks prior to her death. When Hannah visited the defendant in jail the day after he was
arrested, he was wearing a garment to restrain his arms because he was on suicide watch.
¶ 43 Travis Clark, the defendant’s friend, testified that the defendant did not have an
angry or violent reputation in the community. The two of them went on a motorcycle
ride a day or two before the victim died, and although the defendant talked about his
marriage, he did not express any anger toward the victim.
¶ 44 The defendant testified that he used the Dubsmash application, in which the user
lip-syncs to a song, and that he had often used it with the victim and the kids. The
defendant testified that the Johnny Cash video was made on May 5, 2015. He claimed
15
that he was using the Dubsmash application on October 26, 2016, and either deleting
videos from the app or saving them to his phone. The defendant, as well as Shelby and
Hannah, testified that Johnny Cash was the defendant’s favorite singer.
¶ 45 The defendant testified that he thought he and the victim were happily married
until mid-October 2016. Around October 25, 2016, he and the victim started discussing
divorce and the division of their assets. The car would be put in her name, and she would
take out a loan; she also planned to give the defendant the equity in the house, and she
would also keep everything in the house. The next day, the defendant wrote suicide notes
to the victim and his children after the victim left for work that night. He explained that
around that time, he decided that he did not want to live anymore and wanted to use a
weapon so the suicide would be quick and easy.
¶ 46 The defendant testified that on October 29, 2016, things with the victim changed
again, and their relationship was like a roller coaster around that time. When they were
angry with each other, they would send “not nice” texts to one another. At the same time,
he explained, they tried to get along when they were together. He and the victim took
Shelby and Riley to Carbondale to run errands. The defendant and the victim talked for a
couple of hours after they got home; they made plans to take the children to Six Flags the
next day, and she mentioned calling a marriage counselor. However, on October 30,
2016, the defendant learned that the victim had been at Burns’s house again. After
learning this, the defendant opted out of the trip to Six Flags; instead, he and Clark rode
their motorcycles.
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¶ 47 On October 31, 2016, the defendant and the victim were eating lunch before
heading to the bank to separate their accounts when he received a text message from
Veach that she was getting remarried and moving to Marion. The defendant testified that
he “kind of lost it” and cried all the way home, canceling the trip to the bank. The
defendant was upset by Veach’s news because he felt that she was trying to take his son
away. This was very upsetting because Hannah’s mother had done the same thing after
that divorce. The defendant and Drew had become “really close.”
¶ 48 The defendant explained that he had never owned or fired a gun before October
31. The defendant had gotten his FOID card over a year before; the victim had not done
so yet. The two of them had planned to buy a firearm at some point but had not bought
one yet because of the money involved. When he ultimately bought the gun, he told the
victim and the children, and the victim saw it after he picked it up. He agreed that he did
not tell Hood, or indicate on his ISP paperwork, that he intended to use the gun to kill
himself or his wife.
¶ 49 On cross-examination, the defendant was asked about the events of October 31,
2016, leading to the victim’s death. He testified that after he and Neikes arrived at his
house that evening, he told Neikes he would be right back out so Neikes would not
follow him into the house. The defendant agreed that he was holding the victim’s phone
but denied scrolling through the messages. He testified that he was holding it away from
her so she would follow him into the garage. When asked whether the phone was “bait”
for the victim to follow him into the garage, he responded in the affirmative. He wanted
the two of them to be in the garage so he would not be in the house with the kids when he
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shot himself. He was angry with the victim and wanted her to see him shoot himself.
The defendant admitted that the victim’s back was facing him when he shot her in the
kitchen, although he claimed he accidentally shot her.
¶ 50 After the close of all the evidence, the jury found the defendant guilty of first
degree murder and further found that he personally discharged a firearm that proximately
caused the victim’s death.
¶ 51 On June 20, 2018, the defendant filed a motion for new trial alleging, inter alia,
that the trial court erred in admitting the cell phone evidence, the court erred in permitting
the jury to view evidence during deliberations, and the State’s closing argument was
“unfairly prejudicial.” The defendant’s posttrial motion was denied.
¶ 52 On September 18, 2018, the trial court sentenced the defendant to 42 years’
imprisonment for first degree murder and 25 years’ imprisonment for the firearm
enhancement, for a total sentence of 67 years’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of
MSR. The defendant appeals. 1
¶ 53 II. ANALYSIS
¶ 54 On appeal, the defendant makes three contentions. First, he argues that the trial
court abused its discretion in admitting the Johnny Cash video into evidence. Second, he
asserts that the prosecutor committed misconduct during closing arguments. Third, he
contends that structural error occurred when, during jury deliberations, the court allowed
the jury to examine the live rounds found at the house in front of the court and the parties.
1
To prevent unnecessary repetition, additional relevant facts and procedural posture will be set
forth as part of our analysis in section II below.
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¶ 55 A. The Johnny Cash Video
¶ 56 The defendant initially asserts that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting
the Johnny Cash video into evidence. The defendant argues that the prejudicial impact of
the evidence outweighed its probative value. We disagree.
¶ 57 The admissibility of evidence is a matter within the sound discretion of the trial
court. People v. Fillyaw, 2018 IL App (2d) 150709, ¶ 44. Thus, a court’s decision to
admit evidence will not be reversed absent an abuse of discretion. Id. An abuse of
discretion occurs where the court’s decision is unreasonable, arbitrary, fanciful, or
“where no reasonable person would take the view adopted by the trial court.” Id.¶ 58 Generally, evidence is admissible if it is relevant. People v. Pikes, 2013 IL
115171, ¶ 21; Ill. R. Evid. 402 (eff. Jan. 1, 2011). Evidence is relevant if it has any
tendency to make the existence of any fact of consequence to the determination of the
action more or less probable than it would be without the evidence. People v. Burgund,
2016 IL App (5th) 130119, ¶ 199; Ill. R. Evid. 401 (eff. Jan. 1, 2011). “Even relevant
evidence, however, may be excluded if its probative value is substantially outweighed by
the danger of unfair prejudice.” Pikes, 2013 IL 115171, ¶ 21; Ill. R. Evid. 403 (eff. Jan.
1, 2011). Probative value “is determined by testing the proffered fact against the light of
logic, experience and accepted assumptions as to human behavior.” (Internal quotation
marks omitted.) Burgund, 2016 IL App (5th) 130119, ¶ 199.
“Of course, all evidence is prejudicial in that it is intended to impact the
fact finder’s decision. *** In the context of evidence admissibility, the court must
only concern itself with that prejudice which is undue or unfair. Evidence is
unduly prejudicial where it will somehow cast a negative light upon a defendant
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for reasons that have nothing to do with the case on trial.” (Internal quotation
marks omitted.) People v. Gordon, 2017 IL App (3d) 140770, ¶ 25.
¶ 59 In this case, the evidence at issue was a 10-second video that depicted the
defendant lip-syncing along to a portion of a Johnny Cash song called “Cocaine Blues.”
As the defendant sings along to the lyrics, “I took a shot of cocaine and I shot my woman
down,” he raises his hand and makes a shooting motion. This evidence clearly had
probative value as it tended to make a fact of consequence—that the defendant shot his
wife intentionally, rather than accidentally—more probable than it would have been
without the evidence. The defendant attempts to challenge the probative value of the
video by arguing that it was made over a year before the victim’s death. However, ISP
trooper McDaniel agreed that the defendant downloaded it again on October 26, 2016,
just five days prior to the murder for which the defendant was on trial. Nevertheless, we
find that the date is insignificant to resolving the issue before us because the age of the
video went to the weight to be given to the evidence, not to its admissibility. See People
v. Chambers, 261 Ill. App. 3d 123, 134 (1994) (noting the remoteness of evidence goes to
the weight to be given to it rather than its admissibility); see also People v. Ward, 2011
IL 108690, ¶ 34 (the jury is tasked with assigning weight to the evidence presented).
¶ 60 Moreover, while the video was prejudicial to the defendant in that it negatively
affected his defense, such prejudice resulted from reasons having to do with the case on
trial. Accordingly, we cannot say that the defendant suffered from undue or unfair
prejudice. See Gordon, 2017 IL App (3d) 140770, ¶ 25 (“Evidence is unduly prejudicial
where it will somehow cast a negative light upon a defendant for reasons that have
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nothing to do with the case on trial.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.)). Further, we
find it important to note that the trial court’s balancing of probative value and unfair
prejudice pursuant to Illinois Rule of Evidence 403 (eff. Jan. 1, 2011) is subject to an
abuse of discretion standard. People v. Bates, 2018 IL App (4th) 160255, ¶ 84, aff’d as
modified, 2019 IL 124143. Under the circumstances presented in this case, we find that
the court did not abuse its discretion in determining that the probative value of the Johnny
Cash video was not outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. Therefore, the court
did not abuse its discretion in admitting the video into evidence.
¶ 61 B. Closing Arguments
¶ 62 The defendant also asserts that the prosecutor committed misconduct during
closing arguments. He maintains that the prosecutor’s alleged misconduct denied him a
fair trial. The defendant admits that he did not object to all of the prosecutor’s allegedly
improper remarks and only included some of them in his posttrial motion.
¶ 63 A defendant’s failure to object at trial and to raise an issue in a posttrial motion
operates as a forfeiture of the right to raise the issue as a ground for reversal on appeal.
People v. Harvey, 211 Ill. 2d 368, 385 (2004). The plain-error rule is a narrow and
limited exception and is applied to ameliorate the harshness of strict application of the
forfeiture rule. Id. Under the plain-error rule, a reviewing court may consider a forfeited
claim when: “(1) a clear or obvious error occurs and the evidence is so closely balanced
that the error alone threatened to tip the scales of justice against the defendant, regardless
of the seriousness of the error, or (2) a clear or obvious error occurs and that error is so
serious that it affected the fairness of the defendant’s trial and challenged the integrity of
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the judicial process, regardless of the closeness of the evidence.” People v.
Piatkowski, 225 Ill. 2d 551, 565 (2007). Under plain-error review, defendant bears the
burden of persuasion. People v. Thompson, 238 Ill. 2d 598, 613 (2010).
¶ 64 The parties here disagree as to the applicable standard of review. The defendant
asserts that statements made by the prosecution during closing argument should be
reviewed de novo. See People v. Wheeler, 226 Ill. 2d 92, 121 (2007) (“Whether
statements made by a prosecutor at closing argument were so egregious that they warrant
a new trial is a legal issue this court reviews de novo.”). The State maintains that such
statements should be reviewed for an abuse of discretion. See People v. Blue, 189 Ill. 2d
99, 128 (2000) (“The regulation of the substance and style of the closing argument is
within the trial court’s discretion, and the trial court’s determination of the propriety of
the remarks will not be disturbed absent a clear abuse of discretion.” (Internal quotation
marks omitted.)). Illinois courts have previously stated that, where the result would be
the same under either standard, we may “refrain from discussing the applicable standard
until our supreme court resolves the conflict.” People v. Burman, 2013 IL App (2d)
110807, ¶ 26. Because we conclude that the result here would be the same under either
standard, we decline to take a position.
¶ 65 A defendant seeking reversal of his conviction based upon improper remarks made
during closing argument faces a difficult burden. People v. Holmon, 2019 IL App (5th)
160207, ¶ 48. Prosecutors enjoy considerable latitude in closing argument. Id. ¶ 49.
Closing arguments are viewed in their entirety, and the challenged remarks must be
considered in context “rather than focusing on selected phrases or remarks.” People v.
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Runge, 234 Ill. 2d 68, 142 (2009); Holmon, 2019 IL App (5th) 160207, ¶ 51. In
reviewing comments made during closing arguments, the court asks whether the
comments caused substantial prejudice to defendant such that it is impossible to say
whether or not they resulted in a guilty verdict. Wheeler, 226 Ill. 2d at 123. Reversal is
only warranted if the prosecutor’s remarks resulted in substantial prejudice to defendant
and constituted a material factor in the jury’s verdict. People v. Gutierrez, 402 Ill. App.
3d 866, 895 (2010). An instruction that closing arguments are not evidence tends to cure
possible prejudice from improper remarks. People v. Sangster, 2014 IL App (1st)
113457, ¶ 126. With these principles in mind, we consider the defendant’s contentions.
¶ 66 The defendant initially argues that the prosecutor’s argument as to his statement to
the police improperly ignored the trial court’s pretrial partial suppression order and
implied that the jury should penalize the defendant for invoking his right to silence. Prior
to trial, the defendant moved to suppress part of his statement to the police. After a
hearing, the court granted his motion, ruling that the statement would end at the 25-
minute mark just before the defendant said he no longer wished to talk. Based on the
court’s order, the interrogation video presented to the jury ended at that point.
¶ 67 During closing argument, defense counsel extensively recounted the defendant’s
statement to the police, which took place shortly after the shooting occurred. Counsel
also played the video of the interrogation for the jury. Thereafter, the State’s rebuttal
argument began by addressing the defendant’s statement. The prosecutor explained that
the jury would be tasked with determining the weight to be given to the defendant’s
statement. The prosecutor then argued:
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“[W]e played a post-arrest statement of this defendant in our case at the trial. You
got to hear it again. You got to hear a person making a statement under a charge
of first degree murder and what kind of bias and motive the person had to make
those kind of statements.
We and you do not have to take the word of a person. I’d like you to look
at that statement, the length of the statement, how it starts with just the statements
of the defendant, how Officer Colp then starts to question some of the statements.
One answer that I see in there, I have already answered that. I already said that.
Then the statement ends.” (Emphasis added.)
¶ 68 The defendant asserts that the foregoing portion of the prosecutor’s argument
misrepresented his statement to the police “as one-sided, with little questioning by Colp;
in fact, Colp was an active participant throughout the statement.” We disagree, as the
argument was a fair summary of how the interrogation went. ISP trooper Colp asked the
defendant to explain what happened, and the defendant did so. As the defendant spoke,
Colp occasionally interjected with questions in an attempt to guide the defendant through
his version of events. After the defendant finished his explanation, Colp asked more
detailed and follow up questions. We also note that the jury heard this argument shortly
after hearing defense counsel’s more detailed summary of the defendant’s statement and
watching the video itself. As such, we find that the prosecutor’s statement could not have
misled the jury as to Colp’s participation in the interrogation.
¶ 69 The defendant additionally maintains that the argument commented on excluded
evidence and suggested that the statement ended where it did because the defendant knew
he was guilty. He is correct that it is improper for the State to comment on excluded
evidence during closing arguments. See, e.g., People v. Mullen, 141 Ill. 2d 394, 404
(1990). However, that is not what the prosecutor did in this case. The prosecutor merely
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said that the statement ended; he did not comment on anything that happened after the
statement ended, nor did he give a reason as to why the statement ended. The argument
was based on the evidence and did not insinuate that the video ended because of the
defendant’s guilt. As such, the defendant’s argument is without merit.
¶ 70 Further, the defendant, citing People v. Meredith, 84 Ill. App. 3d 1065 (1980),
maintains that the argument was improper because it implied that the defendant had
invoked his right to silence. Meredith is easily distinguishable from this case. There, the
prosecutor stated that defendant called his attorney because he knew he shot two people.
Id. at 1071. The reviewing court ruled that the argument constituted reversible error
because it equated the exercise of defendant’s constitutional right to an admission of
guilt, therefore penalizing defendant for exercising his right. Id. at 1071-73.
¶ 71 Here, the prosecutor’s comments did not raise an inference that the defendant
invoked his right to silence because he knew he was guilty. The prosecutor merely
reviewed what happened during the defendant’s interrogation and subsequently stated
that the video ended. The prosecutor did not explicitly state or imply that the video
ended because the defendant invoked his right to silence, and he did not invite the jury to
speculate as to why the video ended. As with his previous argument, the defendant reads
an implication into the prosecutor’s argument that is not there.
¶ 72 The defendant also alleges that the prosecutor repeatedly misstated the evidence
and made arguments not based on the evidence. “The purpose of closing arguments is to
give the parties a final opportunity to review with the jury the admitted evidence, discuss
what it means, apply the applicable law to that evidence, and argue why the evidence and
25
law compel a favorable verdict.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) People v. Nicholas,
218 Ill. 2d 104, 121 (2005). In closing, a prosecutor may comment on the evidence and
any fair and reasonable inferences that may be drawn from the evidence, even if such
inferences reflect negatively on defendant. Id.¶ 73 First, the defendant maintains that the prosecutor’s assertion that he aimed and
pointed the gun at the victim misstated the evidence. The prosecutor stated:
“We heard a lot about this gun. We know it is the defendant’s gun and we know
this gun is in working order and we know this gun, when you point it, it fires
where you point it at. And the only way this gun, from the evidence, fires is when
you pull right here where I won’t put my finger.
And so we believe that the intent involved in this case is simply established
with the gun in this defendant’s hand who shot his wife twice while aiming this
gun at Beth Pheasant, two kill shots. One—
[Defense Counsel]: Objection, Your Honor. I think those are facts not in
evidence, aiming the gun at Ms. Beth Pheasant.
THE COURT: Overruled.
[The State]: One shot from the back of the shoulder to the chest and one
shot through the brain. It is a big old world out here. A spectrum of 360 degrees
all around me and yet that’s where that gun was aimed. That’s where that gun was
discharged, into this young woman, which was this defendant’s wife.”
¶ 74 In response, the defense argued that the there was “no evidence that [the
defendant] pulled the trigger. The gun went off and there is evidence of that.” The
defense maintained that the defendant meant to kill himself and accidentally killed the
victim. Defense counsel insisted that the State failed to establish that the defendant
pointed the gun at the victim and pulled the trigger, relying in part on the defendant’s
lack of firearm experience.
¶ 75 We disagree with the defendant’s contention, as we find that these statements were
fair inferences from the testimony. The victim was shot in her chest and head, and it is
26
undisputed that the defendant fired the gun. Gamboe and Williams testified that the gun
only fired when used properly, and they could not get it to fire accidentally. The fact that
the gun fired where it was pointed or aimed is a fair and reasonable inference from that
testimony. Although the defendant claimed that the gun malfunctioned, with support
from Hood’s testimony that there was a “little hiccup” with the gun, Gamboe and
Williams testified that the firearm was manufactured after the recall circumstance was
resolved and was not a part of the recall. Nevertheless, the prosecutor was allowed to
argue the fair and reasonable inferences based on the evidence, even if they negatively
reflected on the defendant. See id. As such, the State’s argument was not improper.
¶ 76 Second, the defendant challenges the prosecutor’s statement that:
“And Dr. Heidingsfelder found the manner of death to be homicide. Not accident.
You remember that sequence of questions? That was one of the choices. They
may have a different—a little bit different—it is not the same decision you are
making. I’ll tell you that. This is your decision whether this is a first degree
murder or something else. But that was his opinion.”
This is a fair recollection of Dr. Heidingsfelder’s testimony, in which he said the cause of
the victim’s death was a homicide, which he clarified meant “the killing of one person by
another person” and was not a conclusion as to whether the shooting was accidental or
not. However, Dr. Heidingsfelder also opined that the victim’s death did not appear to be
accidental because it involved two gunshot wounds. In light of this testimony, the
prosecutor’s remarks were not improper.
¶ 77 Third, the defendant complains of the prosecutor’s argument that, “Trisha
Pheasant [(n/k/a Veach)] told you a lot more than that. She told you about *** having an
order of protection against this defendant, having physical fights with this defendant,
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having verbal arguments with this defendant during their marriage.” This was not a
misstatement of the evidence, as Veach did not deny that she and the defendant fought
physically. Rather, she admitted to being the aggressor of some of the violence. In light
of Veach’s testimony, and the context of the closing arguments as a whole, we find that
the prosecutor’s statements were not reversible error.
¶ 78 Lastly, the defendant contends that the prosecutor’s argument that the defendant
used the victim’s phone as bait for her to follow him into the garage was not based on the
evidence. The prosecutor specifically stated that the defendant was “fighting with his cell
phone, which he calls bait as he testified before you. His words. He gets her in the
garage, pulls out his gun that he had behind him.” In rebuttal, the State argued that the
defendant “made a choice to get that gun and take that gun into that house and, in his
words, baited Ms. Pheasant to the garage where he shot her.”
¶ 79 Although the defendant did not use the word “bait” himself, he agreed when the
State asked him if he used the cell phone as bait. Thus, although the prosecutor’s
statement that the defendant used the word “baited” was incorrect, we cannot conclude
that it constituted reversible error when considering it in light of the defendant’s
testimony and in context of closing arguments as a whole.
¶ 80 In sum, we find that the complained-of comments during closing arguments were
not improper and did not rise to the level of prosecutorial misconduct. Further, we note
that the jury was twice instructed that closing arguments are not evidence and should not
be considered by it as evidence. Therefore, any error that may have occurred was
sufficiently cured. See Sangster, 2014 IL App (1st) 113457, ¶ 126.
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¶ 81 C. Jury Deliberations
¶ 82 The defendant’s third and final contention on appeal is that structural error
occurred when, during jury deliberations, the trial court allowed the jury to examine the
live rounds found at the defendant’s house in front of the court and the parties. He argues
that the procedure by which the court allowed the jury to view the evidence violated his
right to a fair and impartial jury by intruding on the secrecy and privacy of jury
deliberations. At trial, the defendant and his counsel agreed to the procedure utilized by
the court; however, the issue was raised in his posttrial motion.
¶ 83 In his opening brief, the defendant primarily relied on the Third District Appellate
Court’s decision in People v. Hollahan, 2019 IL App (3d) 150556, which held that a
procedure the trial court employed to allow the jury to view a video during deliberations
amounted to plain error. After the defendant filed his initial brief, however, our supreme
court reversed that decision in People v. Hollahan, 2020 IL 125091, cert. denied sub
nom., Hollahan v. Illinois, No. 20-7240, 2021 WL 1074443 (Mar. 22, 2021). In his reply
brief, the defendant agreed that the supreme court’s decision in Hollahan controls our
analysis of this issue.
¶ 84 The trial court’s decision as to whether and how to respond to the jury’s request to
view evidence is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. Id. ¶ 11. Because the defendant
failed to preserve this claim of error by objecting to the procedure at trial, the claim is
considered forfeited unless we deem it to be plain error. See Harvey, 211 Ill. 2d at 385.
The plain-error doctrine allows a reviewing court to consider an unpreserved error when
a clear or obvious error occurred and the evidence at the trial was closely balanced or that
29
error was so egregious as to deny a defendant a fair trial. Piatkowski, 225 Ill. 2d at 565.
However, the first step in plain-error review is to determine whether any error has been
committed at all. Thompson, 238 Ill. 2d at 613.
¶ 85 In Hollahan, after the jurors retired to deliberate, they asked to view a video in
evidence. Hollahan, 2020 IL 125091, ¶ 4. The trial court granted the jury’s request, and
the jury viewed the video in the courtroom because the court did not have the necessary
arrangements to allow the jury to view it in the jury deliberation room. Id. The court
also allowed the parties and two alternate jurors to remain in the courtroom while the jury
viewed the video. Id. Defense counsel did not object to this procedure. Id. Before the
jury was brought into the courtroom, the court admonished the parties and the alternate
jurors that the jury would be watching the videos and that “ ‘[n]o one will have any
conversation.’ ” Id. When the jury was brought into the courtroom, the court advised the
jury that it was unable to have the video shown in the jury deliberation room and that the
court had “ ‘instructed everyone to not say a word.’ ” Id. After watching the video, the
jury returned to the jury room to resume deliberations and subsequently found defendant
guilty. Id. Our supreme court concluded that no error occurred because no deliberations
took place while the jurors were watching the video in the presence of nonjurors, and
there was no communication with nonjurors. Id. ¶ 27.
¶ 86 During trial in the present case, the defendant maintained that as he repeatedly
attempted to commit suicide, his gun jammed and bullets fell out the gun’s breech, and he
accidentally shot the victim. The State disputed this theory, arguing in part that the live
rounds did not contain any marks that would indicate a gun malfunction. Before the jury
30
retired to deliberate, the trial court and the parties all agreed that the five 9-millimeter live
rounds should not go back to the jury room. During deliberations, however, the jury
requested to see those live rounds. The State had no objection; defense counsel said that
she was not sure what she thought but believed that the jury was looking for toolmarks.
Given that, and after viewing the exhibits, defense counsel asserted that the request
should either be denied, or the jury should be able to examine them.
¶ 87 The trial court proposed that the jury be brought into the courtroom to view the
evidence and then returned to the jury room to continue deliberations. The court wanted
the jury’s examination to be under supervision of the court and counsel because of the
nature of the evidence and the possibility of harm. The defendant did not object to the
proposed procedure, and defense counsel ultimately agreed that the jurors needed to be
able to view the bullets and handle the boxes. The court warned, “We can’t talk to the
jury.” Once the jury was brought into the courtroom where the court and counsel were
present, the bailiff handed one exhibit at a time to the jurors to pass around and examine,
until this process had been completed as to each of the five live rounds. After the
viewing was finished, the jury returned to the jury room and resumed deliberations.
¶ 88 The record reveals that the jurors did not deliberate while they were viewing the
live rounds or that the parties communicated, either verbally or nonverbally, with the
jurors. As such, the record does not show that the presence of the trial court or the parties
compromised the secrecy or privacy of the jury’s deliberations. We therefore find no
error in the agreed-upon procedure utilized by the court. In the absence of error, there
can be no plain error.
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¶ 89 III. CONCLUSION
¶ 90 For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the circuit court of Franklin County is
hereby affirmed.
¶ 91 Affirmed.
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