Opinion ID: 2190926
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: issues pertaining to the sentencing hearing

Text: We address the issues defendant raises with regard to the sentencing hearing because of the possibility that the circuit court, after remand, may reinstate defendant's convictions. We find that errors at the sentencing hearing require that the sentence of death be vacated. Szabo first raises several issues relating to the constitutionality of the death penalty statute that have been presented to this court in previous cases. These include the argument that the discretion vested by the statute in the prosecutor to request a death sentencing hearing results in the arbitrary and capricious imposition of the death penalty ( People v. Brownell (1980), 79 Ill.2d 508, cert. dismissed (1980), 449 U.S. 811, 66 L.Ed.2d 14, 101 S.Ct. 59; People ex rel. Carey v. Cousins (1979), 77 Ill.2d 531, cert. denied (1980), 445 U.S. 953, 63 L.Ed.2d 788, 100 S.Ct. 1603); the argument that the statute does not provide adequate appellate review procedures ( People v. Brownell (1980), 79 Ill.2d 508); and the argument that the statute does not require consideration as to whether the offender can be restored to useful citizenship ( People v. Gaines (1981), 88 Ill.2d 342). As these issues have already been fully considered and decided by this court, further discussion of them is unnecessary here.