People State Illinois v. Larry Childs

JUSTICE McMORROW delivered the opinion of the court: On May 11, 1990, a jury in the circuit court of Cook County found defendant guilty of murder and armed robbery. The court
sentenced defendant to concurrent terms of life imprisonment for the murder and 60 years for armed robbery. The appellate
court reversed defendant's conviction, holding that the trial court's ex parte instruction to the jury during its deliberations
was reversible error. (230 Ill. App. 3d 993.) We granted the State's petition for leave to appeal (134 Ill. 2d R. 315).