The People of the State of Illinois, Appellant v. Robert Becker, Appellee

Summary

The Illinois Supreme Court reversed the appellate court and affirmed the circuit court’s judgment, holding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by excluding Dr. Katherine Okla’s proposed expert testimony concerning the reliability of the child victim’s statements and testimony. The proposed testimony directly addressed the victim’s credibility and concerned matters within the common understanding of jurors, while its limited probative value was outweighed by its prejudicial effect. The court further held that, even assuming error, admission of the victim’s later hearsay statements was harmless because the statements were cumulative of properly admitted evidence.