People v. Cortes
Case Date: 12/31/1969
Court: Supreme Court
Docket No: 80149
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Docket No. 80149--Agenda 3--September 1997. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, Appellee, v. JUAN CORTES, Appellant. Opinion filed January 23, 1998. JUSTICE HARRISON delivered the opinion of the court: Following a jury trial in the circuit court of Cook County, defendant, Juan Cortes, was convicted of four counts of first degree murder (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 38, par. 9--1) and two counts of armed robbery (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 38, par. 18--2). Defendant elected to have the trial court determine his sentence, and the court found that he was eligible for the death penalty because he was convicted of murdering two or more individuals and because the victims were killed in the course of another felony. Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 38, par. 9--1(b)(3), (b)(6). The court further determined that there were no mitigating factors sufficient to preclude imposition of a sentence of death. See Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 38, par. 9--1(h). Accordingly, the court sentenced defendant to death. Defendant's execution has been stayed pending direct review of the case by this court. Ill. Const. 1970, art. VI, sec. 4(b); 134 Ill. 2d R. 603, 609(a). On February 4, 1991, the bodies of the Gama brothers, Ayax, 34, and Rafael, 28, were discovered inside their apartment in Chicago. Each had been shot twice in the head at close range. Numerous items were later believed to be missing from the brothers' apartment, including a television set, jewelry, and a compact disc player. Defendant was arrested on February 26, 1991, and subsequently indicted on murder and armed robbery charges. During the 3 |