Murder Conviction Based on a Sole Witness Who Was Was An Accomplice Was Reversed

In People v. Kiel, 75 Ill. App. 3d 1030, 394 N.E.2d 883, 31 Ill. Dec. 681 (1979), the defendant's conspiracy to commit murder conviction was reversed where the sole witness who incriminated her was an accomplice, and the witness failed to reveal his story for nearly two years after the incident. Further, the witness did not accuse the defendant until he was arrested for robbery. Initially, at the preliminary hearing, the witness claimed that he had no recollection of the offense, his testimony was inconsistent with other statements, and he admitted to using drugs when the events at issue took place. In light of these circumstances, the appellate court found the witness's testimony was "inherently unworthy of belief" and the defendant's conviction was reversed. Kiel, 75 Ill. App. 3d at 1036, 394 N.E.2d at 887.