People v. Johnson

Summary

The Illinois Supreme Court reversed the appellate court’s judgment setting aside Antrell Johnson’s first-degree-murder conviction and remanded for consideration of his ineffective-assistance claim. The court held that the appellate court improperly applied an admissibility test for eyewitness identifications instead of the deferential sufficiency-of-the-evidence standard, relied on extra-record social-science materials, and improperly used the jury’s split verdict to discredit the murder evidence. Viewing the evidence favorably to the prosecution, the court concluded that three eyewitness identifications were sufficient for a rational jury to find Johnson guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.