People v. Bean

Harold Bean, the defendant in this case, was jointly tried in the circuit court of Cook County with codefendant Robert Byron for a variety of crimes connected with the death of Dorothy Polulach on February 17, 1981. Byron and Bean were both convicted of murder, armed robbery, home invasion, and conspiracy, and Bean was also convicted of solicitation. At a special sentencing hearing convened before the same jury (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1981, ch. 38, par. 9 — 1(d)), Byron and Bean were sentenced to death for the murder of Dorothy Polulach. The sentence was stayed pending Bean’s appeal directly to this…