5 consecutive life sentences for Christopher Harris

[July 20, 2013]  Friday afternoon the Logan County Courthouse saw a great deal of activity as members of the media from a wide region converged to hear the final sentencing of convicted murderer Christopher Harris.

Inside the third-floor courtroom of Judge Scott Drazewski, seats had been marked by court officials as being designated for "family" and "press only."

On the family side of the room, the first several rows of seats were filled. The vast majority of people in the gallery appeared to be family and friends of the Raymond Gee family.

Also inside the courtroom was a very visible presence of law enforcement. At least 10 officers were inside the courtroom during most of the proceedings, including Logan County Sheriff Steve Nichols and several Logan County deputies.

Prior to the beginning of the hearing, Nichols announced to those in the gallery that the rules set during the Peoria County trial would carry over to the Friday afternoon proceedings. Members of the media were permitted to use their laptops and cellphones for electronic transmission of texts or tweets. All non-media people in the courtroom were required to turn off their cellphones during the proceedings.

At 1:48 p.m. the attorneys for the prosecution and defense entered the room. Shortly thereafter Judge Drazewski came in. Finally Christopher Harris was brought into the room. He was brought into court in shackles and wearing his prison clothing.

The first order of business was to address the request for a new trial made by defense attorneys Dan Fultz and Peter Naylor, based on claims of errors.

Fultz told the judge that it was common procedure to file a motion for a new trial and that he was doing so, standing on the claims that errors had been made. He did not comment on the details of the motion.

For the prosecution, Logan County State's Attorney Jonathan Wright spoke in opposition to a new trial. He told Drazewski that issues had been raised, but the courts had handled them appropriately.

Some of the issues included what Wright referred to as pre-trial issues. Wright said he believed the court made correct and proper rulings regarding these pre-trial motions and that there had been no errors in disallowing certain items.

Wright said that he saw the trial as being a "clean trial" and that no errors had been made. In regard to a claim by the defense that there was insufficient evidence to convict, Wright said the prosecution supplied ample evidence.

During his ruling on this, Drazewski said that the purpose of these motions was to alert the courts to any errors that had been made and to allow the defendant to seek a review of the trial.

Drazewski said the law demands that the defendant be entitled to a fair trial, but that he is not entitled to a "perfect trial," if there is one. Drazewski said it was his belief that there were no mistakes made during the trial, and therefore he would deny the request.

Next Drazewski asked if the attorneys had further evidence to present before sentencing. Wright said he had a number of victim impact statements from members of the Gee family. He noted there would be oral statements as well as written statements.

The first person to take the stand was Stacy Harris. Harris is the daughter of Vickie Buss, who is sister of the late Ruth Gee. Harris read aloud a statement prepared by her mother.

In Vickie Buss' letter she said that she lives with a broken heart that no amount of money or any number of professionals will ever be able to cure. She said she would never see her sister again, and her sister would never have the pleasure of holding her grandchildren again.

She said the crime Christopher Harris committed had an impact on all the family. She said young Dillen would never again say to her, "I love you." Austin would never see another sunrise or feel rain on his face. And little Tabitha would not have a father to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day.

She wrote, addressing Christopher directly: "Your crime has changed us all forever. Thoughts of evil never leave us, and we fear for Tabitha's safety. We fear for her life."

She closed by saying she hoped Christopher Harris never sees freedom again.

Next to take the stand was Judi Stodgell. Stodgell is Rick Gee's mother and currently has custody of the sole survivor of the murders, Tabitha Gee.

Stodgell first spoke on her own behalf, saying, "Not even an animal would savagely attack a 3-year-old the way you did."

She talked about the terror issues of Tabitha Gee and how almost nightly she asks her grandmother, "Are you going to die tonight? Am I?"

She spoke directly to Harris, saying, "You took my only child, my best friend and my security."

Stodgell asked him why he would do that, noting that her son (Rick Gee) was always kind to everyone, including Harris.

As she spoke about Rick Gee, Austin Gee and Dillen Constant, she recounted the brutal details of how they died. She added in talking about Dillen, "You thrashed him, then blamed him for your evilness."

She spoke of biblical justice and said if she could have an eye for an eye; Harris would be beaten to death with a tire iron. She ended by saying, "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. God will repay you!"

Next Stodgell read a note from 7-year-old-Tabitha Gee. The note began, "Chris, I am not happy with you. You are a big liar and an idiot."

She went on to say, "I wish you were dead and my mommy, daddy, brothers and sister were alive."

At the end of the note Tabitha Gee implored Harris to at least say he was sorry.

Dillen Constant's sister, Terri Miller, took the stand and began by thanking law enforcement, the state's attorney and assistant attorneys general for the work they did on this case.

She spoke primarily about her brother, saying he would have been 17 by now. She said he would never have that first girlfriend, would never go to prom or homecoming, and no one would ever know what he would have become as an adult.

She said, "We will never forget him, but he doesn't want us to mourn him forever." She said her brother would want her to hang on to the positive memories.

She also noted he was a young boy with a strong character, which is why he went back into the house. She said he went in to help his family.

She said though the family left behind was hurting, they were not broken. "The family bond grows stronger," she said.

The last person scheduled to speak was Nicole Gee. However, at the last minute, that statement of impact was read aloud by Lisa Bobb, the victim witness coordinator for the state's attorney's office.

The statement was from Nicole and the daughter she shares with Christopher Harris, Alyssa.

In her letter she told Harris that she never wanted to see him again. She said he was a liar and always had been, and he was a waste of her time. She said, "You're nothing to us, never really was, and never will be."

During this proceeding, media members in the gallery could not see Christopher Harris' face. For the most part he sat with his head at an angle that made it appear he was looking toward the speakers but not at them.

During the reading of Nicole Gee's letter, he dropped his head and appeared to be staring at the tabletop for the greatest part of it.

When Bobb finished reading the statement, Drazewski acknowledged three additional written statements presented by Gee family members. He sat at the bench quietly reading through them.

While he read, there were conversations going on at the defense table that were not audible. Defense attorney Peter Naylor whispered to Harris, who nodded affirmatively. Fultz also spoke to Harris, and he shook his head in a negative motion. Fultz said something else and Harris nodded affirmatively.

Soon after this, Fultz said that Harris would like to make a statement. Drazewski said Harris would be allowed to make that statement at the appropriate time in the process.

Next, Wright delivered his recommendation for sentencing. He said that what Harris had done is the most horrific crime in recent Logan County history, if not ever. He said the court had heard from many voices on Friday afternoon. Those voices had spoken of suffering and heartache. The court had even heard from Tabitha Gee, who no longer has an immediate family.

He said Tabitha Gee will never have closure. "As long as she takes a breath, she'll think of Rick Gee, she'll think of Ruth Gee, she'll think of Justina, she'll think of Dillen, and she'll think of Austin," Wright said.

He commented briefly that in spite of all that may have been said, the Gee family was a family and they all loved one another.

He added that Christopher Harris also had a voice. He had the opportunity to show remorse and take responsibility, but that voice had been deafeningly silent. He said Harris continues to deny his actions, shows no remorse and no regrets.

Wright concluded by saying there was only one voice left to hear, the voice of justice.

Wright asked that Harris be given the maximum sentence on all counts. This included five counts of first-degree murder with sentences of natural life in prison and a count of attempted murder in the case of Tabitha Gee, which carries a maximum of 30 years in prison. In addition, the convictions for home invasion, armed robbery and aggravated battery of a child carry sentences of 30 years each.

Drazewski asked if Wright was seeking consecutive terms or concurrent, and Wright indicated consecutive.

Drazewski granted the five consecutive life terms and vacated the conviction of aggravated battery against Tabitha Gee in favor of the attempted murder charge.

When Dan Fultz was called on to speak, he said first of all that all the work done by law enforcement and the state's attorney had been "top-notch." He said Logan County had a lot to be proud of as did the state of Illinois. He noted that the jury did their very best to deliver an appropriate verdict.

He added that in his relationship with Chris Harris, Harris had been "nothing but decent," and concluded that Chris would pay a horrific price for a horrific crime. He concluded by saying "guilty or not, he lived his life in such a way as to put himself in this position."

Finally he said, "I don't know what recommendation I can make that will make any difference."

Afterward Harris was allowed to speak to the judge in open court. He up stood at the defense table and spoke. "I'm very sorry," he said. "I made some stupid, stupid decisions that night, but I did not commit this crime."

As he sat down, there were some brief heckles in the gallery, but they quickly stopped.

When Drazewski rendered all the sentences, he said to the gallery: "This is not about Mr. Harris. This is about Rick Gee, Ruth Gee, Justina Constant, Dillen Constant and Austin Gee."

He spoke to Harris, saying, "Your actions defy logic."

He also spoke about the officers and investigators who worked on the case, saying they were exposed to carnage that would impact them for the rest of their lives as well.

He noted that giving consecutive life terms really didn't mean a great deal as Harris has only one life. Nonetheless, consecutive terms were delivered; maximum terms were delivered for all the lesser charges with the exception of armed robbery.

Drazewski ended by saying: "I search for words and I don't have sufficient vocabulary. You deserve punishment. Society must be protected."

He continued: "Some say this will bring closure. But that isn't true. The family had to endure this trial, and now they've today had to hear your hypocritical statement."

Drazewski finished by telling the defense that Harris had the right to an appeal, but the appeal had to be filed within 30 days of the conviction date. Fultz told the judge that Harris would seek an appeal.

Drazewski then went through the rules of having a court-appointed attorney, and it was determined that Harris did need a public defender.

Immediately following this, Fultz said he would request that Drazewski terminate his and Peter Naylor's appointment to the case. The judge did so.

After the hearing was adjourned, Fultz explained this is standard procedure and that a public defender will be appointed for the appeal. Fultz was asked if he would seek that appointment and he responded simply, "No."

[LDN]