[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."