Criminal law — mens rea, inconsistent verdicts

Posted October 21, 2019 3:26 PM

Where a jury returns a verdict finding that the defendant’s criminal actions were both knowing and reckless the verdict is inconsistent as knowing and reckless are mutually exclusive mental states and the defendant is entitled to a new trial.The 1st District Appellate Court reversed and remanded a decision from Cook County Circuit Judge Mary Margaret Brosnahan.On April 14, 2013, Nelson Washington was at a party on the city’s South Side when a fight broke out between John Pipkin and Andre Lewis.Pipkin, being the …

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