People v. Hanson

              Docket No. 106566.
IN THE
SUPREME COURT
OF
THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, Appellee, v. ERIC
HANSON, Appellant.
Opinion filed June 24, 2010.
JUSTICE GARMAN delivered the judgment of the court, with
opinion.
Chief Justice Fitzgerald and Justices Freeman, Thomas, Kilbride,
Karmeier, and Burke concurred in the judgment and opinion.
OPINION
Following a jury trial in February 2008, in the circuit court of
Du Page County, defendant, Eric Hanson, was convicted of four
counts of first degree murder (720 ILCS 5/9–1(a)(1) (West 2006)),
two counts of armed robbery (720 ILCS 5/18–2(a)(1) (West 2006)),
two counts of aggravated kidnapping (720 ILCS 5/10–2(a)(8) (West
2006)) and two counts of identity theft (720 ILCS 5/16G–15(a)(1),
(d)(1)(D) (West 2006)). The jury found death to be the appropriate
sentence on the murder convictions and the circuit court of Du Page
County imposed a sentence of death. The circuit court also found that
the armed robbery and aggravated kidnapping convictions merged into
the murder convictions and, therefore, did not enter sentences on
those counts. However, the circuit court did sentence defendant to