Opinion ID: 2215545
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Natural Life Imprisonment Instruction

Text: Defendant contends the trial court erred when it did not inform the jury that if not sentenced to death, defendant could be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Defendant argues that because the prosecutor raised the issue of defendant's prior criminal record and his commission of crimes after he was paroled, the court was obligated to instruct the jury on the alternative sentences defendant could receive, specifically natural life imprisonment. During the prosecution's closing argument in the second phase of sentencing, the prosecutor reminded the jury that defendant had been imprisoned and paroled on numerous occasions, only to commit a subsequent crime. Defendant did not object to these comments and did not tender a specific instruction on alternate sentences. The trial judge instructed the jury that if it should determine that a death sentence was inappropriate, the court would impose a sentence other than the death penalty. See Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions, Criminal, No. 7C.05 (3d ed. 1992). A defendant may not generally challenge an instruction on appeal unless he makes a contemporaneous objection and, if appropriate, tenders an alternative instruction at trial. People v. Rissley, 165 Ill.2d 364, 406, 209 Ill.Dec. 205, 651 N.E.2d 133 (1995). Accordingly, defendant has waived this issue. Moreover, defendant also failed to raise the issue of the jury instruction with any specificity in his post-trial motion, also warranting waiver. People v. Easley, 148 Ill.2d 281, 337, 170 Ill.Dec. 356, 592 N.E.2d 1036 (1992). Although we do not address defendant's jury instruction claim on the merits, we note that this court has previously rejected defendant's argument. A defendant is not entitled to have the jury informed that if defendant is not sentenced to death, he is eligible for a range of possible alternate sentences, including natural life imprisonment. People v. Simms, 143 Ill.2d 154, 182, 157 Ill.Dec. 483, 572 N.E.2d 947 (1991). While a natural life jury instruction is required in multiple-murder cases where natural life is the only available alternative to the death sentence ( People v. Gacho, 122 Ill.2d 221, 119 Ill.Dec. 287, 522 N.E.2d 1146 (1988)), this court previously declined to extend that rule to cases where, like the present case, the defendant is statutorily eligible for a sentence less than natural life in prison. People v. Williams, 161 Ill.2d 1, 71, 204 Ill.Dec. 72, 641 N.E.2d 296 (1994); see also People v. Bean, 137 Ill.2d 65, 118, 147 Ill.Dec. 891, 560 N.E.2d 258 (1990). Defendant relies on Simmons v. South Carolina, 512 U.S. 154, 114 S.Ct. 2187, 129 L.Ed.2d 133 (1994), in support of his argument that the court was required, sua sponte, to instruct the jury on the alternate sentences defendant could serve if he did not receive the death penalty. In Simmons, the defendant was convicted of murder and under applicable state law, his convictions for prior violent crimes rendered defendant ineligible for parole. The trial judge refused defense counsel's request to define for the jury the term life imprisonment so that the jury would understand that in defendant's case, the sentence did not include the possibility of parole. The trial judge also refused to answer the jury's query during deliberations as to whether the imposition of a life sentence carried with it the possibility of parole. On appeal, the Supreme Court found that the trial court's failure to correct any misperception that the prosecutor may have conveyed to the jury regarding the possibility of defendant's parole could lead the jury to erroneously believe that defendant could be released on parole. Accordingly, the Court held that when a prosecutor raises at sentencing the issue of defendant's future dangerousness and statutory provisions mandate life imprisonment without parole if defendant is not sentenced to death, the jury must be informed that the defendant will never be released on parole. Simmons, 512 U.S. at ___, 114 S.Ct. at 2195-96, 129 L.Ed.2d at 145-46. Defendant's reliance on Simmons is misplaced. The holding in Simmons addresses those situations where state law mandates that if the defendant is not sentenced to death, the only alternate sentence is natural life imprisonment. Here, if defendant was not sentenced to death, the court could have imposed any sentence within the permissible statutory range for the crime of murder. The rule in Simmons does not require a departure from this court's previous holdings that in a single-murder case, where the court could sentence defendant to various terms of imprisonment if the jury did not impose the death sentence, it is error to inform the jury of all the possible sentences defendant could receive. See Bean, 137 Ill.2d at 118, 147 Ill.Dec. 891, 560 N.E.2d 258.