Opinion ID: 2094772
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 22

Heading: Failure to Object to the Use of Residential Burglary as an Eligibility and Aggravating Factor

Text: Defendant next contends that his counsel was ineffective during the sentencing hearing because counsel failed to object to the State's use of residential burglary during the eligibility phase as an aggravating factor rendering defendant eligible for the death penalty. When defendant was sentenced, residential burglary was not one of the enumerated felonies making a defendant eligible for a death sentence. See Ill.Rev.Stat.1985, ch. 38, par. 9-1(b)(6)(c) (now codified, as amended, at 720 ILCS 5/9-1(b)(6)(c) (West 1998)). Defendant also contends that counsel was ineffective in not objecting to the use of the residential burglary conviction as an aggravating factor during the aggravation/mitigation phase. Finally, defendant asserts that appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to raise this issue on appeal. We can easily reject defendant's assertion with respect to the use of residential burglary as an aggravating factor during the eligibility phase. At the conclusion of the eligibility phase, the jury returned two verdicts: one found defendant eligible for the death penalty based on multiple murders (see Ill.Rev.Stat.1985, ch. 38, par. 9-1(b)(3) (now 720 ILCS 5/9-1(b)(3) (West 1998))), the other found defendant eligible for the death penalty because the murders occurred during a home invasion or residential burglary (see Ill. Rev.Stat.1985, ch. 38, par. 9-1(b)(6)(c) (now codified, as amended, at 720 ILCS 5/9-1(b)(6)(c) (West 1998))). Defendant raises no challenge to the jury's finding with respect to his eligibility for the death penalty based upon multiple murders. The law is well established that, where a defendant is found eligible for the death penalty based upon two or more aggravating factors, the fact that one of those factors may later be found improper does not affect the separate valid aggravating factor. People v. Macri, 185 Ill.2d 1, 58, 235 Ill.Dec. 589, 705 N.E.2d 772 (1998). Because the eligibility factor based upon multiple murders remains valid, even if appellate counsel had raised this issue on direct appeal, no reasonable probability exists that this court would have found that the outcome of the proceeding would have been different if trial counsel had objected to this use of the residential burglary conviction. Turning to the other facet of defendant's argument, we see no ineffectiveness in not objecting to the State's use of defendant's conviction of residential burglary as an aggravating factor during the aggravation-mitigation stage. Because evidence of a defendant's prior crimes is admissible, as an aggravating factor ( People v. Hope, 168 Ill.2d 1, 41-42, 212 Ill.Dec. 909, 658 N.E.2d 391 (1995)), no reasonable probability exists that, had appellate counsel raised this issue on direct appeal, this court would have found that trial counsel was ineffective.