98911, People v. Baez

BACKGROUNDThe following background facts are drawn from the stipulatedtestimony in support of the factual basis for defendant’s plea ofguilty. On August 6, 1999, the body of Juan Estrada was discoveredin a grassy area at 3542 West Carroll Street in Chicago. Estrada’s legswere missing. On August 9, 1999, a human leg was recovered fromthe Chicago River at West North Avenue. Another leg was foundshortly thereafter, and a left arm was also found nearby. The legswere later matched to Estrada, and the arm was later matched to JanetMena. On August 10, 1999, Mena’s body was discovered in a vacantlot in at 1810 West Walnut in Chicago. The head and left arm hadbeen severed and removed, but the head was found at the samelocation as the body. Mena’s car was found parked near a restaurantin Berwyn on August 11, and Estrada’s car was found at 3720 WestBerteau in Chicago on August 12. Estrada’s car had been ticketed atthat location on August 10.Dr. Joseph Lawrence Cogan, an assistant medical examiner,testified that he performed a postmortem examination of JuanEstrada. According to Cogan, the amputation of Estrada’s legsappeared to be postmortem. Estrada’s left shoulder had also beenpartially amputated. Cogan also found 24 incised wounds onEstrada’s body. He explained that incised wounds are elongated cutscreated when a sharp instrument is drawn along the cut surface.Sixteen of the incised wounds were on Estrada’s head, while theothers were concentrated in the arms. Cogan described the armwounds as “defense-type wounds.” Cogan also found 14 stab wounds,which differ from incised wounds in that they are “penetrating.” Thestab wounds were on various parts of Estrada’s torso, chest, and back.Estrada had also been shot twice, once in the right chest and once inthe right back. Cogan opined that the cause of death was multipleinjuries due to an assault.Cogan also performed a postmortem on Janet Mena. Parts ofMena’s body were “very decomposed.” In particular, Cogan describedMena’s head as “half skeletonized” and not “recognizable visually.”A skull fracture on Mena’s left side corresponded to a cut over herleft ear, and Cogan opined that this was “some kind of a blow or chopinjury with a sharp instrument.” He also found evidence of a bluntforce trauma to the left side of the head and possible evidence of-2-