People v. Griffin

              THIRD DIVISION
AUGUST 15, 2007
No. 1-05-2481
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, ) Appeal from the
) Circuit Court of
Plaintiff-Appellee, ) Cook County.
)
v. ) No. 04 CR 8865
)
SHEROME GRIFFIN, ) The Honorable
) James B. Linn,
Defendant-Appellant. ) Judge Presiding.
JUSTICE GREIMAN delivered the opinion of the court:
Following a jury trial, defendant, Sherome Griffin, was convicted of first degree murder,
armed robbery, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
Defendant was ultimately sentenced, as a result of a resentencing hearing, to a total of 42 years’
imprisonment. On appeal, defendant contends that inadmissible prior consistent statements made
by the State’s key witness were improperly introduced and used to bolster the witness’s
testimony. Defendant additionally contends that his conviction and sentence for armed robbery
must be vacated. Finally, defendant argues that the State impermissibly asserts that the trial court
erred in imposing concurrent sentences in violation of section 5-8-4(a)(i) of the Unified Code of
Corrections (Code) (730 ILCS 5/5-8-4(a)(i) (West 2002)).
Briefly stated, the evidence demonstrated that, on February 17, 2002, defendant, his
brother, Andre, Sherrod Guy and Antonio Young forced the victim, Walter Gills, and his young
son into a van at gunpoint. They restrained the victim, a known drug dealer, and stole items from
his home and his mother’s home, including two handguns, clothing and video game consoles.