People v. Breseman, 2025 IL App (1st) 232362-U

John Breseman was convicted of first-degree murder for shooting and killing Christina Czuj following an altercation in his vehicle in the early hours of January 1, 2021.
Breseman and Czuj had a volatile, tumultuous relationship, with evidence of Breseman’s obsessive behavior, including repeated blocked phone calls and stalking-like conduct.
On the night of the incident, the two had been drinking, and Czuj was reportedly intoxicated; after leaving a bar, an altercation occurred inside Breseman’s truck, leading to Czuj’s death.
During trial, the prosecution introduced witness testimony characterizing Breseman as Czuj’s “stalker,” and presented evidence of the strained relationship as motive.
The defense asserted self-defense and challenged: (1) the refusal of a jury instruction related to potentially exculpatory evidence (the failure to test a substance on Czuj’s face), and (2) the admission of testimony labeling him a “stalker.”

Issue	Breseman’s Argument	State’s Argument	Held
Refusal to give non-pattern jury instruction re: evidence	Jury should be told failure to test substance allows inference against the State	No duty to test every stain; no evidence this was exculpatory or significant	No abuse of discretion; any error was harmless
Admitting "stalker" testimony from two witnesses	Prejudicial and misleading; labels him the aggressor	Relevant to show motive, relationship, and context for jury	Properly admitted; not unduly prejudicial

People v. Bannister, 232 Ill. 2d 52 (jury instructions must provide correct legal principles to the jury)
People v. Danielly, 274 Ill. App. 3d 358 (non-IPI instruction appropriate where lost evidence is critical to defense)
Arizona v. Youngblood, 488 U.S. 51 (no due process violation from lost evidence absent bad faith by police)
People v. Robinson, 189 Ill. App. 3d 323 (evidence of motive generally admissible in homicide cases)