Defendant was found guilty of first-degree murder for the shooting death of a pregnant woman, which led both to her death and to the death of her unborn child. He was sentenced to two concurrent terms of natural life imprisonment. Defendant appealed his sentence, arguing that the trial court erred in finding he was subject to mandatory natural life sentencing for the death of more than one victim because the death of the unborn child was not a "murder" and the unborn child was not a "victim" as those terms are defined in the relevant statutes. The appellate court affirmed, finding the plain language of the statutes requires that a defendant who is convicted both of first-degree murder and intentional homicide of an unborn child is required to be sentenced to a term of natural life imprisonment. (GORDON and MCBRIDE, concurring)
Illinois Appellate Court
Criminal Court
Sentencing