DePaul Law Review Volume 28 Issue 1 Fall 1978 Article 9 Specific Intent Made More Specific: A Clarification of the Law of Attempted Murder in Illinois - People v. Harris Nancy Lea Barrett Follow this and additional works at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/law-review Recommended Citation Nancy L. Barrett, Specific Intent Made More Specific: A Clarification of the Law ofttempted A Murder in Illinois - People v. Harris , 28 DePaul L. Rev. 157 (1978) Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/law-review/vol28/iss1/9 This Notes is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Law at Via Sapientiae. It has been accepted for inclusion in DePaul Law Review by an authorized editor of Via Sapientiae. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. SPECIFIC INTENT MADE MORE SPECIFIC: A CLARIFICATION OF THE LAW OF ATTEMPTED MURDER IN ILLINOIS -PEOPLE V. HARRIS The essence of the crime of attempted murder is a specific intent to take life. 1 This concept has undergone a subtle but significant change in Illinois law. In a recent decision, the Illinois Supreme Court has sought to define the precise mental element necessary to sustain a conviction of attempted murder. In People v. Harris,2 the court held that "to convict for attempted murder nothing less than a criminal intent to kill must be shown. "3 The significance of this seemingly straightforward holding can be better ap- preciated in light of prior Illinois decisions, many of which have sanctioned attempted murder charges based on something less than intent to cause 4 death.