State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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91_HB0829

 
                                               LRB9101676RCcs

 1        AN  ACT  to  amend  the Criminal Code of 1961 by changing
 2    Section 9-1.

 3        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:

 5        Section  5.   The  Criminal  Code  of  1961 is amended by
 6    changing Section 9-1 as follows:

 7        (720 ILCS 5/9-1) (from Ch. 38, par. 9-1)
 8        Sec.  9-1.  First  degree  Murder  -  Death  penalties  -
 9    Exceptions - Separate Hearings - Proof - Findings - Appellate
10    procedures - Reversals.
11        (a)  A person who  kills  an  individual  without  lawful
12    justification  commits  first degree murder if, in performing
13    the acts which cause the death:
14             (1)  he either intends to kill or  do  great  bodily
15        harm  to  that  individual or another, or knows that such
16        acts will cause death to that individual or another; or
17             (2)  he  knows  that  such  acts  create  a   strong
18        probability  of  death  or  great  bodily  harm  to  that
19        individual or another; or
20             (3)  he  is  attempting  or  committing  a  forcible
21        felony other than second degree murder.
22        (b)  Aggravating Factors.  A defendant who at the time of
23    the  commission  of the offense has attained the age of 18 or
24    more and who has been found guilty of first degree murder may
25    be sentenced to death if:
26             (1)  the murdered individual was a peace officer  or
27        fireman  killed  in  the  course of performing his or her
28        official  duties,  to  prevent  the  performance  of  his
29        official duties, or in  retaliation  for  performing  his
30        official  duties,  and  the defendant knew or should have
31        known that the murdered individual was a peace officer or
 
                            -2-                LRB9101676RCcs
 1        fireman; or
 2             (2)  the murdered individual was an employee  of  an
 3        institution or facility of the Department of Corrections,
 4        or  any  similar local correctional agency, killed in the
 5        course of performing his official duties, to prevent  the
 6        performance of his official duties, or in retaliation for
 7        performing   his   official   duties,   or  the  murdered
 8        individual was an inmate at such institution or  facility
 9        and  was  killed  on the grounds thereof, or the murdered
10        individual was otherwise present in such  institution  or
11        facility  with  the  knowledge  and approval of the chief
12        administrative officer thereof; or
13             (3)  the defendant has been convicted  of  murdering
14        two  or  more  individuals  under  subsection (a) of this
15        Section or under any law of the United States or  of  any
16        state which is substantially similar to subsection (a) of
17        this  Section  regardless  of whether the deaths occurred
18        as the result of the same act or of  several  related  or
19        unrelated  acts  so long as the deaths were the result of
20        either an intent to kill  more  than  one  person  or  of
21        separate  acts which the defendant knew would cause death
22        or create a strong probability of death or  great  bodily
23        harm to the murdered individual or another; or
24             (4)  the  murdered individual was killed as a result
25        of the hijacking of an  airplane,  train,  ship,  bus  or
26        other public conveyance; or
27             (5)  the  defendant committed the murder pursuant to
28        a contract, agreement or understanding by which he was to
29        receive  money  or  anything  of  value  in  return   for
30        committing  the  murder or procured another to commit the
31        murder for money or anything of value; or
32             (6)  the  murdered  individual  was  killed  in  the
33        course of another felony if:
34                  (a)  the murdered individual:
 
                            -3-                LRB9101676RCcs
 1                       (i)  was actually killed by the defendant,
 2                  or
 3                       (ii)  received      physical      injuries
 4                  personally   inflicted   by    the    defendant
 5                  substantially  contemporaneously  with physical
 6                  injuries caused by  one  or  more  persons  for
 7                  whose   conduct   the   defendant   is  legally
 8                  accountable under Section 5-2 of this Code, and
 9                  the physical injuries inflicted by  either  the
10                  defendant  or  the  other person or persons for
11                  whose conduct he is legally accountable  caused
12                  the death of the murdered individual; and
13                  (b)  in  performing  the  acts which caused the
14             death of the murdered individual or  which  resulted
15             in  physical  injuries  personally  inflicted by the
16             defendant  on  the  murdered  individual  under  the
17             circumstances of subdivision  (ii)  of  subparagraph
18             (a)  of  paragraph  (6)  of  subsection  (b) of this
19             Section, the defendant acted with the intent to kill
20             the murdered individual or with the  knowledge  that
21             his  acts  created  a strong probability of death or
22             great bodily harm  to  the  murdered  individual  or
23             another; and
24                  (c)  the other felony was one of the following:
25             armed  robbery,  armed  violence, robbery, predatory
26             criminal  sexual  assault  of  a  child,  aggravated
27             criminal  sexual  assault,  aggravated   kidnapping,
28             aggravated  vehicular hijacking, forcible detention,
29             arson,  aggravated   arson,   aggravated   stalking,
30             burglary,   residential   burglary,  home  invasion,
31             calculated criminal drug conspiracy  as  defined  in
32             Section  405  of  the Illinois Controlled Substances
33             Act, streetgang criminal drug conspiracy as  defined
34             in   Section   405.2   of  the  Illinois  Controlled
 
                            -4-                LRB9101676RCcs
 1             Substances Act, or the attempt to commit any of  the
 2             felonies listed in this subsection (c); or
 3             (7)  the  murdered  individual was under 12 years of
 4        age and the death resulted from exceptionally  brutal  or
 5        heinous behavior indicative of wanton cruelty; or
 6             (8)  the  defendant committed the murder with intent
 7        to prevent the murdered individual from testifying in any
 8        criminal prosecution or giving material assistance to the
 9        State in any investigation or prosecution, either against
10        the defendant or another; or the defendant committed  the
11        murder  because  the murdered individual was a witness in
12        any prosecution or gave material assistance to the  State
13        in  any  investigation or prosecution, either against the
14        defendant or another; or
15             (9)  the  defendant,  while  committing  an  offense
16        punishable under Sections 401, 401.1, 401.2, 405,  405.2,
17        407  or  407.1  or  subsection  (b) of Section 404 of the
18        Illinois Controlled Substances Act, or while engaged in a
19        conspiracy  or  solicitation  to  commit  such   offense,
20        intentionally   killed   an   individual   or  counseled,
21        commanded, induced, procured or  caused  the  intentional
22        killing of the murdered individual; or
23             (10)  the   defendant   was   incarcerated   in   an
24        institution  or facility of the Department of Corrections
25        at the time  of  the  murder,  and  while  committing  an
26        offense  punishable  as  a  felony under Illinois law, or
27        while engaged in a conspiracy or solicitation  to  commit
28        such  offense,  intentionally  killed  an  individual  or
29        counseled,  commanded,  induced,  procured  or caused the
30        intentional killing of the murdered individual; or
31             (11)  the murder was committed in a cold, calculated
32        and premeditated manner pursuant to a preconceived  plan,
33        scheme  or design to take a human life by unlawful means,
34        and the conduct of the  defendant  created  a  reasonable
 
                            -5-                LRB9101676RCcs
 1        expectation  that the death of a human being would result
 2        therefrom; or
 3             (12)  the  murdered  individual  was  an   emergency
 4        medical   technician   -   ambulance,  emergency  medical
 5        technician - intermediate, emergency medical technician -
 6        paramedic, ambulance driver, or other medical  assistance
 7        or  first  aid  personnel,  employed by a municipality or
 8        other  governmental  unit,  killed  in  the   course   of
 9        performing   his   official   duties,   to   prevent  the
10        performance of his official duties, or in retaliation for
11        performing his official duties, and the defendant knew or
12        should have known that the  murdered  individual  was  an
13        emergency   medical  technician  -  ambulance,  emergency
14        medical  technician  -  intermediate,  emergency  medical
15        technician  -  paramedic,  ambulance  driver,  or   other
16        medical assistance or first aid personnel; or
17             (13)  the  defendant  was a principal administrator,
18        organizer,  or  leader  of  a  calculated  criminal  drug
19        conspiracy  consisting  of  a  hierarchical  position  of
20        authority superior to that of all other  members  of  the
21        conspiracy,   and  the  defendant  counseled,  commanded,
22        induced, procured, or caused the intentional  killing  of
23        the murdered person; or
24             (14)  the  murder  was  intentional and involved the
25        infliction of torture.  For the purpose of  this  Section
26        torture  means the infliction of or subjection to extreme
27        physical pain, motivated by  an  intent  to  increase  or
28        prolong the pain, suffering or agony of the victim; or
29             (15)  the  murder  was  committed as a result of the
30        intentional discharge of a firearm by the defendant  from
31        a motor vehicle and the victim was not present within the
32        motor vehicle; or
33             (16)  the murdered individual was 60 years of age or
34        older and the death resulted from exceptionally brutal or
 
                            -6-                LRB9101676RCcs
 1        heinous behavior indicative of wanton cruelty; or
 2             (17)  the  murdered individual was a disabled person
 3        and the defendant knew or  should  have  known  that  the
 4        murdered  individual  was disabled.  For purposes of this
 5        paragraph (17), "disabled  person"  means  a  person  who
 6        suffers  from  a  permanent physical or mental impairment
 7        resulting from disease, an injury, a functional disorder,
 8        or  a  congenital  condition  that  renders  the   person
 9        incapable  of  adequately  providing  for  his or her own
10        health or personal care; or
11             (18)  the murder was  committed  by  reason  of  any
12        person's activity as a community policing volunteer or to
13        prevent  any  person  from  engaging  in  activity  as  a
14        community policing volunteer; or .
15             (19) (18)  the murdered individual was subject to an
16        order  of  protection  and  the murder was committed by a
17        person against whom the  same  order  of  protection  was
18        issued under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986.
19        (c)  Consideration   of   factors   in   Aggravation  and
20    Mitigation.
21        The court shall consider, or shall instruct the  jury  to
22    consider any aggravating and any mitigating factors which are
23    relevant to the imposition of the death penalty.  Aggravating
24    factors  may include but need not be limited to those factors
25    set forth in subsection (b). Mitigating factors  may  include
26    but need not be limited to the following:
27             (1)  the  defendant  has  no  significant history of
28        prior criminal activity;
29             (2)  the murder was committed  while  the  defendant
30        was  under  the  influence of extreme mental or emotional
31        disturbance, although not such as to constitute a defense
32        to prosecution;
33             (3)  the murdered individual was  a  participant  in
34        the  defendant's  homicidal  conduct  or consented to the
 
                            -7-                LRB9101676RCcs
 1        homicidal act;
 2             (4)  the defendant acted  under  the  compulsion  of
 3        threat  or  menace of the imminent infliction of death or
 4        great bodily harm;
 5             (5)  the defendant was not personally present during
 6        commission of the act or acts causing death.
 7        (d)  Separate sentencing hearing.
 8        Where requested by the State, the court shall  conduct  a
 9    separate  sentencing proceeding to determine the existence of
10    factors set forth in  subsection  (b)  and  to  consider  any
11    aggravating  or mitigating factors as indicated in subsection
12    (c).  The proceeding shall be conducted:
13             (1)  before the jury that determined the defendant's
14        guilt; or
15             (2)  before a jury impanelled for the purpose of the
16        proceeding if:
17                  A.  the defendant was convicted upon a plea  of
18             guilty; or
19                  B.  the  defendant  was convicted after a trial
20             before the court sitting without a jury; or
21                  C.  the court for good cause  shown  discharges
22             the jury that determined the defendant's guilt; or
23             (3)  before  the court alone if the defendant waives
24        a jury for the separate proceeding.
25        (e)  Evidence and Argument.
26        During the proceeding any information relevant to any  of
27    the  factors  set forth in subsection (b) may be presented by
28    either the State or the defendant under the  rules  governing
29    the   admission   of   evidence   at  criminal  trials.   Any
30    information relevant to any additional aggravating factors or
31    any mitigating factors indicated in  subsection  (c)  may  be
32    presented  by  the  State  or  defendant  regardless  of  its
33    admissibility  under  the  rules  governing  the admission of
34    evidence at criminal trials.  The  State  and  the  defendant
 
                            -8-                LRB9101676RCcs
 1    shall  be  given  fair  opportunity  to rebut any information
 2    received at the hearing.
 3        (f)  Proof.
 4        The burden of proof of establishing the existence of  any
 5    of  the  factors  set forth in subsection (b) is on the State
 6    and shall  not  be  satisfied  unless  established  beyond  a
 7    reasonable doubt.
 8        (g)  Procedure - Jury.
 9        If  at  the separate sentencing proceeding the jury finds
10    that none of the factors set forth in subsection (b)  exists,
11    the   court  shall  sentence  the  defendant  to  a  term  of
12    imprisonment  under  Chapter  V  of  the  Unified   Code   of
13    Corrections.   If  there  is  a unanimous finding by the jury
14    that one or more of the factors set forth in  subsection  (b)
15    exist,  the  jury  shall  consider aggravating and mitigating
16    factors as  instructed  by  the  court  and  shall  determine
17    whether  the sentence of death shall be imposed.  If the jury
18    determines unanimously that there are no  mitigating  factors
19    sufficient  to preclude the imposition of the death sentence,
20    the court shall sentence the defendant to death.
21        Unless the jury  unanimously  finds  that  there  are  no
22    mitigating  factors  sufficient to preclude the imposition of
23    the death sentence the court shall sentence the defendant  to
24    a term of imprisonment under Chapter V of the Unified Code of
25    Corrections.
26        (h)  Procedure - No Jury.
27        In  a  proceeding  before  the  court alone, if the court
28    finds that none  of  the  factors  found  in  subsection  (b)
29    exists,  the  court shall sentence the defendant to a term of
30    imprisonment  under  Chapter  V  of   the  Unified  Code   of
31    Corrections.
32        If  the  Court determines that one or more of the factors
33    set forth in subsection (b) exists, the Court shall  consider
34    any  aggravating  and  mitigating  factors  as  indicated  in
 
                            -9-                LRB9101676RCcs
 1    subsection  (c).   If  the Court determines that there are no
 2    mitigating factors sufficient to preclude the  imposition  of
 3    the death sentence, the Court shall sentence the defendant to
 4    death.
 5        Unless  the  court  finds  that  there  are no mitigating
 6    factors sufficient to preclude the imposition of the sentence
 7    of death, the court shall sentence the defendant to a term of
 8    imprisonment  under  Chapter  V  of  the  Unified   Code   of
 9    Corrections.
10        (i)  Appellate Procedure.
11        The  conviction and sentence of death shall be subject to
12    automatic review by the Supreme Court.  Such review shall  be
13    in accordance with rules promulgated by the Supreme Court.
14        (j)  Disposition of reversed death sentence.
15        In  the  event that the death penalty in this Act is held
16    to be unconstitutional by the Supreme  Court  of  the  United
17    States  or  of the State of Illinois, any person convicted of
18    first degree murder shall be sentenced by the court to a term
19    of imprisonment under  Chapter  V  of  the  Unified  Code  of
20    Corrections.
21        In  the  event  that  any  death sentence pursuant to the
22    sentencing   provisions   of   this   Section   is   declared
23    unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States or
24    of the State of Illinois, the court having jurisdiction  over
25    a  person  previously  sentenced  to  death  shall  cause the
26    defendant to be brought before the court, and the court shall
27    sentence the  defendant  to  a  term  of  imprisonment  under
28    Chapter V of the Unified Code of Corrections.
29    (Source: P.A. 89-235, eff.  8-4-95;  89-428,  eff.  12-13-95;
30    89-462,  eff.  5-29-96;  89-498,  eff.  6-27-96; 90-213, eff.
31    1-1-98; 90-651, eff. 1-1-99;  90-668,  eff.  1-1-99;  revised
32    9-16-98.)

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