Conviction Reinstated in 1996 Shooting Death of 6-year-old

AURORA, Ill. (AP) – The Illinois Supreme Court has reinstated the conviction of man who is serving prison time for fatally shooting a 6-year-old boy as he slept in his grandparents’ house. The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald reports a state appellate court previously vacated 39-year-old Mark Downs’ conviction on the grounds that the judge in his 2009 trial gave improper instructions to the jury about the definition of “reasonable doubt.” The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Illinois law doesn’t define “reasonable doubt” and judges are urged not to give any definition when asked.

Downs was sentenced to 70 years in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder in the 1996 shooting death of Nicholas “Nico” Contreras of Aurora. Downs remains in the Stateville Correctional Center.

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