People v. Morgan

We are asked to consider under what circumstances a capital defendant is entitled to a new sentencing hearing after receiving a limited pardon removing the death penalty as a legal consequence of his actions. The circuit court held defendant Samuel Morgan was not entitled to a hearing on remand and sentenced him to natural life in prison. We agree defendant was not entitled to a new hearing under the facts here and the reasoning set out in People v. Collins, 351 Ill. App. 3d 959, 815 N.E.2d 860 (2004). Natural life imprisonment was the only legal sentencing alternative, other than death, for…