People v. Lawrence , 2020 IL App (1st) 171399 ( 2020 )

2020 IL App (1st) 171399
No. 1-17-1399
December 31, 2020
FIRST DIVISION
IN THE
APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS
FIRST DISTRICT
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, ) Appeal from the Circuit Court
) Of Cook County.
Plaintiff-Appellee, )
) No. 16 CR 2005
v. )
) The Honorable
MARIO LAWRENCE, ) Luciano Panici,
) Judge Presiding.
Defendant-Appellant. )
PRESIDING JUSTICE WALKER delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.
Justices Pierce and Coghlan concurred in the judgment and opinion.
OPINION
¶1 The trial court found Mario Laurence guilty of home invasion. (Although the State
spelled the defendant’s name “Lawrence” on the indictment, the defendant clarified in his
testimony that he spells his name “Laurence.”) In support of his motion for a new trial, Laurence
presented a purported lease that listed him as a tenant of the home he allegedly invaded. The trial
court denied the motion for a new trial, entered an order of protection against Laurence, and
assessed certain fines, fees, and costs as part of Laurence’s sentence. Laurence argues on appeal
No. 1-17-1399
that the State did not prove home invasion, the court did not meet the statutory requirements for
an order of protection, and the court made mistakes in its assessment of fines, fees, and costs.
¶2 We hold that the purported lease constitutes unrefuted admissible evidence that the
lease named Laurence as a tenant, but we affirm the conviction for home invasion because the
victim had thrown Laurence out of the home. We agree with Laurence that the trial court did not
meet the statutory requirements for entry of an order of protection. Supreme Court rules preclude
us from addressing the argument about fines, fees, and costs.
¶3 I. BACKGROUND
¶4 Tasha Arrington married Laurence in 2014, and they shared a house in Sauk Village.
In July 2015, Laurence left after a fight with Arrington. Arrington put his clothes outside the
house and did not permit him to reenter. On January 5, 2016, Laurence entered Arrington’s
bedroom and told Arrington’s boyfriend, Wardell Williams, to leave. Arrington called police
around 3:30 a.m. to report a home invasion in progress. Laurence left before police arrived. Police
later arrested Laurence. A grand jury indicted Laurence on charges of home invasion and
kidnaping.
¶5 At the bench trial, Arrington testified that she changed the locks on the house when
she kicked Laurence out in July 2015. They arranged for times for him to see his children. When
Arrington picked up the children from a visit on January 4, 2016, she reminded Laurence that they
had divorce proceedings scheduled for the following day. She awoke in the middle of the night
when Laurence, in her bedroom, told her and Williams to “Get the F up.” Laurence said to
Williams, “what the F you doing in my house, this my wife, get up before I blow your head off.”
After Williams left, Laurence punched Arrington in the face, and then on her sides as she curled
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into a ball and covered her face. The beating stopped, the door slammed, and Arrington looked
up to see her 10-year-old daughter crying. Arrington told her daughter to dial 911. Arrington
checked the house to make sure all doors were locked and Laurence had gone. The officer who
responded to the call checked the house with her and found a window broken in the attached
garage and a brick inside the garage under the broken window.
¶6 Williams corroborated Arrington’s testimony about being awoken by Laurence’s
threats, and Williams’s exit. The parties stipulated that Officer Bugajski would testify that he
responded to the 911 call, and he found the broken garage window and the brick under the
window. The parties further stipulated that Bugajski would testify that Arrington’s face had
swollen where Arrington said Laurence hit her.
¶7 Laurence testified that he always retained his keys to the house, and Arrington must
not have changed the locks because his keys continued to work. Laurence said he lived with
relatives, and for a few weeks in October 2015, he stayed in the house in Sauk Village with
Arrington. He used his keys to enter the house on January 5, 2016. He did not enter through the
attached garage. He did not threaten Williams, and he did not hit Arrington.
¶8 The court found Arrington credible and Laurence not credible. The court held that the
State did not prove kidnaping, but it proved home invasion.
¶9 In a motion for a new trial, Laurence contended that new evidence would show he did
not commit home invasion because he had a right to enter the house. The court heard evidence in
support of the motion. Lyn Taylor testified that, in November 2014, Arrington and Laurence came
to the rental store Taylor managed. For the merchandise Arrington and Laurence sought to rent,
they needed to prove residency. They presented to Taylor a copy of a document and told her the
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document was their lease for their Sauk Village home. The document Taylor identified as the one
Arrington used lists both Arrington and Laurence as tenants of that home.
¶ 10 The trial court first said that Taylor apparently could not authenticate the document,
then held that even if the lease named Laurence as a tenant, he remained guilty of home invasion
because Arrington had thrown him out and changed the locks. The court sentenced Laurence to
six years in prison and assessed fines, fees, and costs.
¶ 11 Arrington petitioned for an order of protection, restating the testimony about the
incident on January 5, 2016, as grounds for the order. The court heard Arrington’s brief testimony
in support of the petition and said, “All right. Order of protection is granted.” The written order
of protection includes no further findings. Laurence now appeals.
¶ 12 II. ANALYSIS
¶ 13 On appeal, Laurence argues (1) his rights as a tenant preclude a finding that he
committed home invasion, (2) the court failed to make the findings necessary for an order of
protection, and (3) the court erred in its assessment of fines and fees.
¶ 14 A. Home Invasion
¶ 15 Laurence’s appeal raises a question of law as to whether a person can commit a home
invasion in violation of section 19-6 of the Criminal Code of 2012 (Criminal Code) (720 ILCS
5/19-6 (West 2016)) when the lease for the invaded property lists him as a tenant. Because
Laurence raises a question of the interpretation of a statute, we review the issue de novo. People
v. McFadden, 2016 IL 117424, ¶ 26.
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¶ 16 The State contends that Laurence failed to authenticate the lease. Laurence offered the
putative lease as evidence that he retained an interest in the house as a tenant. He asks the court
to accept the document as proof of that interest. We find that Illinois Rule of Evidence 803(15)
(eff. Apr. 26, 2012) governs the document’s admissibility. That rule provides:
“The following are not excluded by the hearsay rule ***:
***
(15) Statements in Documents Affecting an Interest in Property. A statement
contained in a document purporting to establish or affect an interest in property if the
matter stated was relevant to the purpose of the document, unless dealings with the
property since the document have been made inconsistent with the truth of the
statement or the purport of the document.” Ill. R. Evid. 803 (eff. Apr. 26, 2012).
¶ 17 We found no case interpreting the rule, and few cases from other jurisdictions
interpreting similar rules. Rule 803(15) of the Michigan Rules of Evidence (Mich. R. Evid.
803(15) (eff. Jan. 2, 2018)) matches the language of Rule 803(15) of the Illinois Rules of Evidence
(Ill. R. Evid. 803(15) (eff. Apr. 26, 2012)). In Botsford General Hospital v. Citizens Insurance
Co., 489 N.W.2d 137, 141-43 (Mich. Ct. App. 1992), the court found that the rule made
documents admissible because of their
“indicia of trustworthiness: (1) the circumstances in which dispositive instruments are
made and the financial interests at stake promote reliability; (2) the fact that the recital
is in writing eliminates the danger of inaccuracy of transmission; (3) since the
statement must be germane to the purpose of the document, a protest would be
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No. 1-17-1399
expected about an untrue fact intrinsic to the transaction; and (4) the exception does
not apply if dealings with the property have been inconsistent with the tenor of the
document.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
¶ 18 We find a useful application of the rule in Madden v. State, 799 S.W.2d 683 (Tex.
Crim. App. 1990). In Madden, the State sought to prove that Herbert, a murder victim, had owned
a gun that Madden sold. The trial court permitted the State to present a list in Herbert’s
handwriting of the serial numbers of the guns he owned. The appellate court applied Texas Rule
of Civil Evidence 803(15) (eff. 1983), which matches the language of the Illinois rule. Madden,
799 S.W.2d at 698. The Madden court held:
“[R]ecitals contained in documents affecting interests in property are
admissible as proof of the matters asserted and are strong evidence concerning
such matters. [Citation.] This hearsay exception is based upon the reliability of
such documents. [Citation.] *** [T]he court of appeals construed Texas Rule
803(15) to relate to recitals or statements made in deeds, leases, mortgages,
and other such documents affecting an interest in property. *** Additionally,
this Court has expressed that an exception to the hearsay rule should be
liberally construed, but not mechanistically applied. [Citation.]
*** [T]he document is a list of the weapons which Herbert owned
and their corresponding serial numbers, thus indicating his interest in the
property. Secondly, the document bears more than an adequate indicia of
reliability. *** It is reasonable to assume *** that Herbert made this list for his
own protection, i.e. insurance purposes, in case of theft or loss of one or all of
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the weapons, and the recitals therein are germane to the purpose of the
document.” (Emphasis and internal quotation marks omitted) Madden, 799
S.W.2d at 698.
¶ 19 The court found no error in the admission of the list into evidence.
¶ 20 Here, Taylor testified that Arrington and Laurence gave her a copy of the lease to meet
the requirements for the rental they sought. Laurence’s rights as a tenant were germane to the
purpose of the lease. We find Taylor’s unrebutted testimony sufficient to support a finding that
the document is the lease for the Sauk Village home.
¶ 21 Section 19-6 of the Criminal Code provides:
“(a) A person who is not a peace officer acting in the line of duty commits
home invasion when without authority he or she knowingly enters the dwelling
place of another when he or she knows or has reason to know that one or more
persons is present or he or she knowingly enters the dwelling place of another and
remains in the dwelling place until he or she knows or has reason to know that
one or more persons is present *** and
***
(2) Intentionally causes any injury *** to any person or persons
within such dwelling place ***
***
(d) For purposes of this Section, ``dwelling place of another’ includes a
dwelling place where the defendant maintains a tenancy interest but from which
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the defendant has been barred by a divorce decree, judgment of dissolution of
marriage, order of protection, or other court order.” 720 ILCS 5/19-6 (West 2016).
¶ 22 No divorce decree, order of protection, or other court order barred Laurence from the
Sauk Village home. The State, relying on People v. Howard, 374 Ill. App. 3d 705 (2007), argues
that Laurence had no right to enter the property because he no longer lived there. The Howard
court held that “an estranged spouse cannot avoid prosecution for home invasion unless he has
both a tenancy interest and a possessory interest. *** [Defendant] had no possessory interest ***
because he was no longer living in the town house.” (Emphasis omitted.) Howard, 374 Ill. App.
3d at 712.
¶ 23 Howard accords with the reasoning of cases from other jurisdictions interpreting
similar home invasion and burglary statutes. In Commonwealth v. Robbins, 662 N.E.2d 213, 220
(Mass. 1996), the court held that in determining a defendant’s right to enter his or her spouse’s or
ex-spouse’s property, the trier of fact should consider “the marital status of the parties, *** the
existence of any legal orders against the defendant, extended periods of separation, the names on
leases or documents of title, the acknowledgment by the defendant that he has no right to enter
the premises, and the method of entry.” See also People v. Sears, 401 P.2d 938, 944 (Cal. 1965).
The court in People v. Hollenbeck, 944 P.2d 537, 539 (Colo. App. 1996), applied the Robbins
factors in a case factually similar to the case before us. The Hollenbeck court said:
“Defendant’s wife testified that approximately two and one-half months before
the burglary they had had an argument and separated and she had told him that
she wanted a divorce and that he was no longer welcome in the home.
Accordingly, he left and took many of his personal belongings, including most of
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his clothes. She later informed defendant that she had seen an attorney in regard
to filing a divorce and that she had changed the locks on the home.” Hollenbeck,
944 P.2d at 539-40.
¶ 24 The court found the evidence sufficient to sustain a burglary conviction. Hollenbeck,
944 P.2d at 540.
¶ 25 According to Arrington’s testimony, which the trial court found credible, Arrington
changed the locks on the home and put Laurence’s clothing outside when he left the home in July
2015. Laurence did not live in the Sauk Village home when he entered it on January 5, 2016. His
use of a brick, breaking a window to gain entry, further supports a finding that he had no right to
enter. See Parham v. State, 556 A.2d 280, 284 n.3 (Md. Ct. Spec. App. 1989).
¶ 26 Applying the reasoning of Howard, Robbins, and Hollenbeck, we find that the
evidence as a whole shows that Laurence had no right to enter the Sauk Village home during the
night of January 5, 2016, despite the inclusion of his name on the lease. The evidence supports
the trial court’s finding that Laurence committed home invasion.
¶ 27 B. Order of Protection
¶ 28 Laurence next contends that we should reverse the order of protection because the trial
court failed to make statutorily required findings. Again, we review the issue of statutory
interpretation de novo. McFadden, 2016 IL 117424, ¶ 26.
¶ 29 Section 214(c) of the Domestic Violence Act, concerning orders of protection,
provides:
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“(1) In determining whether to grant a specific remedy, other than
payment of support, the court shall consider relevant factors, including but not
limited to the following:
(i) the nature, frequency, severity, pattern and consequences of the
respondent’s past abuse, neglect or exploitation of the petitioner or any
family or household member, including the concealment of his or her
location in order to evade service of process or notice, and the likelihood
of danger of future abuse, neglect, or exploitation to petitioner or any
member of petitioner’s or respondent’s family or household; ***
***
(3) *** [T]he court shall make its findings in an official record or in
writing, and shall at a minimum set forth the following:
(i) That the court has considered the applicable relevant factors
described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection.
(ii) Whether the conduct or actions of respondent, unless
prohibited, will likely cause irreparable harm or continued abuse.
(iii) Whether it is necessary to grant the requested relief in order to
protect petitioner or other alleged abused persons.” 750 ILCS 60/214(c)
(West 2016).
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¶ 30 Because the trial court did not comply with section 214, we reverse the order of
protection and remand for further proceedings on the petition. See People ex rel. Minteer v. Kozin,
297 Ill. App. 3d 1038, 1043 (1998).
¶ 31 C. Fines, Fees, and Costs
¶ 32 Finally, Laurence objects to several of the fines, fees, and costs the trial court imposed
as part of the sentence. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 472 (eff. May 17, 2019) now bars this court
from granting Laurence the relief he seeks. Rule 472 provides:
“(a) In criminal cases, the circuit court retains jurisdiction to correct the
following sentencing errors at any time following judgment and after notice to the
parties ***:
(1) Errors in the imposition or calculation of fines, fees,
assessments, or costs;
***
(c) No appeal may be taken by a party from a judgment of conviction on
the ground of any sentencing error specified above unless such alleged error has
first been raised in the circuit court.” Ill. S. Ct. R. 472 (eff. May 17, 2019).
¶ 33 Because the record does not show that the trial court addressed the alleged
improprieties in the assessment of fines, fees, and costs, we cannot address the issue on this
appeal. See People v. Whittenburg, 2019 IL App (1st) 163267, ¶ 6. We remand to the trial court
to permit Laurence to file a motion to correct the fines, fees, and costs. See People v. Williams,
2020 IL App (1st) 163417, ¶ 93.
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¶ 34 III. CONCLUSION
¶ 35 Under Illinois Rule of Evidence 803(15) (eff. Apr. 26, 2012), the store manager’s
testimony about the use Arrington and Laurence made of the lease sufficiently supports the
admission of the lease into evidence, and the lease lists Laurence as a tenant for the Sauk Village
home. However, the evidence that Arrington changed the locks to keep Laurence out of the home
and that Laurence broke a window to gain entry against Arrington’s wishes supports the
conviction for home invasion. The trial court did not make the findings necessary for an order of
protection. Rule 472 bars us from addressing Laurence’s arguments regarding fines, fees, and
costs. We affirm the conviction, reverse the order of protection, and remand for further
proceedings.
¶ 36 Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.
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No. 1-17-1399
Cite as: People v. Lawrence, 2020 IL App (1st) 171399
Decision Under Review: Appeal from the Circuit Court of Cook County, No. 16-CR-2005;
the Hon. Luciano Panici, Judge, presiding.
Attorneys James E. Chadd, Patricia Mysza, and Erin Sostock, of State
for Appellate Defender’s Office, of Chicago, for appellant.
Appellant:
Attorneys Kimberly M. Foxx, State’s Attorney, of Chicago (Alan
for J. Spellberg, Destinee M. Montalvo, and Kathryn A. Schierl,
Appellee: Assistant State’s Attorneys, of counsel), for the People.
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