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Docket No. 87645-Agenda 2-September 2001.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, Appellee, v. RICHARD MORRIS, Appellant.

Opinion filed March 18, 2004.
 

CHIEF JUSTICE McMORROW delivered the opinion of the court:

Following a jury trial, the defendant, Richard Morris, was convicted of first degree murder (720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(1) (West 1994)), aggravated vehicular hijacking (720 ILCS 5/18-4(a)(3) (West 1994)), and aggravated kidnapping (720 ILCS 5/10-2(a)(3) (West 1994)). At a subsequent death penalty hearing, the same jury found defendant eligible for the death penalty and further found that there were no mitigating factors sufficient to preclude the imposition of a death sentence. Accordingly, the trial court sentenced defendant to death on the first degree murder conviction. The trial court also sentenced defendant to 30 years' imprisonment for aggravated vehicular hijacking and to a consecutive term of 15 years' imprisonment for aggravated kidnapping. Because defendant was sentenced to death, his appeal was brought directly to this court. Ill. Const. 1970, art. VI,