Illinois Supreme Court considers constitutional questions in 2019 murder case
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
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The Illinois Supreme Court this spring will decide whether law enforcement should have read a woman her Miranda rights during an investigation into her son’s death.
Macon County mother Jessica Logan and her legal team hope to overturn her 2021 conviction in which a jury found her guilty of murdering her 19-month-old son. They argue key evidence in her trial was used in violation of her Miranda and constitutional rights.
Miranda rights are named for a landmark 1966 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miranda v. Arizona, in which the court ruled law enforcement must identify certain constitutional protections to people in custody. The decision protects peoples’ right to remain silent, and to have an attorney, among other things.
The evidence in question includes a reenactment video of Logan finding her son’s body, and audio from recorded phone calls with her sons’ father.
Logan’s legal counsel argued she was coerced into creating the reenactment video and should have been read her Miranda rights before participating in it.
The prosecution, however, claimed Logan could have declined to participate and was not detained, which meant reading Miranda rights to her was unnecessary.
The high court heard arguments Tuesday. It could be several months before a ruling.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.