People v. Crane

After fatally striking Gahan with numchucks during a struggle he claimed was self-defense, Crane (defendant), believing Gahan was dead, poured gasoline on him and set him on fire, only later learning Gahan may have still been alive at that point; at trial, medical experts could not conclusively determine whether Gahan was alive before the burning, and one doctor testified a layperson could reasonably believe an unconscious, injured body like Gahan's was dead. The trial court refused Crane's requested mistake-of-fact instruction (giving only a self-defense instruction), he was convicted, and the appellate court reversed, prompting the state's appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court.