People v. Saxon

              1
No. 3--05--0292
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Filed June 26, 2007.
IN THE APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS
THIRD DISTRICT
A.D., 2007
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ) Appeal from the Circuit Court
ILLINOIS, ) for the 21st Judicial Circuit,
) Kankakee County, Illinois
)
Plaintiff-Appellee, ))
No. 02-CF-116
v. )
)
TODD SAXON, ) Honorable
) Gordon S. Lustfeldt,
Defendant-Appellant. ) Judge, Presiding.
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JUSTICE CARTER delivered the opinion of the court:
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Defendant Todd Saxon was convicted of first degree murder (720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(1) (West
2004)), arson (720 ILCS 5/20-1(a) (West 2004)), and concealment of homicidal death (720 ILCS
5/9-3.1(a) (West 2004)) following a jury trial. Defendant now appeals that conviction, contending
that he was not proven guilty of the offenses beyond a reasonable doubt.
FACTS
Victim O.W., a 12-year-old girl, was found stabbed to death inside a garage that had been
burned down in Kankakee, Illinois, on March 30, 1995. Defendant Todd Saxon was charged with
first degree murder, arson, and concealment of a homicide on February 26, 2002, in connection with
O.W.’s death. Specifically, defendant was charged with three counts of first degree murder on the