People v. Gay

              NO. 4-06-0010 Filed 12/28/07
IN THE APPELLATE COURT
OF ILLINOIS
FOURTH DISTRICT
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
ANTHONY GAY,
Defendant-Appellant.
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Appeal from
Circuit Court of
Livingston County
No. 04CF13
Honorable
Robert M. Travers,
Judge Presiding.
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JUSTICE TURNER delivered the opinion of the court:
In January 2004, the State charged defendant, Anthony
Gay, with two counts of aggravated battery (720 ILCS 5/12-4(b)(6)
(West 2000)). On March 3, 2004, defendant filed a speedy-trial
demand. After a November 2005 trial, a jury found defendant
guilty of aggravated battery. Defendant filed two posttrial
motions. At a joint December 2005 hearing, the trial court
denied defendant's motions and sentenced him to 6 years' impris-onment
to run consecutive to his sentences in 12 other cases.
Defendant appeals, contending (1) his speedy-trial
right was violated and (2) the trial court erred by failing to
hold an in camera questioning of two jurors on the names of their
friends who were correctional officers. We affirm.
I. BACKGROUND
Defendant was first sentenced to the Department of
Corrections (DOC) for seven years on a 1994 robbery conviction.
Since being imprisoned, defendant had accrued numerous
aggravated-battery convictions. In this case, case No. 04-CF-13