Hanson sentenced to death for murder of 4 family members

Though he clung to a sliver of hope, to Eric Hanson, a jury's decision to sentence him to death for his family's murders isn't much harsher than life in prison.

"What's the difference?" he said in a recent Daily Herald interview. "The idea of living in an institution, I can't think of anything worse."

Eight men and four women deliberated less than 90 minutes Wednesday before telling the 31-year-old Naperville man that he deserves to die for killing his affluent parents, sister and brother-in-law.

More Coverage Stories Jurors say all decisions made swiftly [02/27/08]Lawyers: Hanson deserves mercy even though he didn't show any [02/27/08] Fate of killer hangs in balance [02/27/08] Bid to save killer's life starts today [02/26/08] Sister draws tears from killer brother [02/23/08] Victim-impact statement of Jennifer Williams [02/23/08] Victim-impact statement of Chiu-Ter Tsao [02/23/08] Jurors must decide if Hanson deserves death penalty [02/22/08] Hanson eligible for death penalty [02/21/08] Hanson guilty in deaths of four family members [02/21/08] Jury deliberates in quadruple murder trial [02/20/08] Hanson denies killings [02/16/08] Prosecution nearing end of case against Hanson [02/15/08] Pathologist details final moments of life [02/09/08] Second crime scene key [02/07/08] Sister pins blame on her brother [02/06/08] Prosecution turns to former flames [02/02/08] Testimony begins in quadruple murder case [02/01/08] Eric Hanson: 'All I know is, I didn't do it' [01/28/08] How authorities came to charge Eric Hanson [01/27/08] Multimedia Photo Gallery: Hanson trial: Synopsis Photo Gallery: Hanson trial legal team Graphic: Timeline Video: Sentencing press conference Video: Hanson trial: victims Daily Herald Archives Four in family found slain [09/30/05] Police question victims' relative [10/01/05] Fireplace poker could be crucial piece of puzzle [10/02/05] Relative fighting extradition [10/04/05] Charges loom in quadruple murder case [11/04/05] Suspect set for return to Illinois [11/09/05] Details in quadruple homicide [12/09/05] Death penalty sought in four murders [02/18/06] Alleged threat can be heard [05/18/06] Judge will allow tape in court [05/23/06] Family details get out [06/21/07] The Full Reports Nov. 4 arrest warrant Wisc. extradition request Wisc. arrest warrant Sept. 29 arrest warrant Intimidation charge

The DuPage County jury's swift decision means Hanson becomes the 14th man on Illinois' death row. Hanson, dressed in a blue suit, looked nervous but did not otherwise outwardly react.

He repeatedly looked back at his older sister, Jennifer Williams, seated on the opposite side of the court gallery. She buried her face in her hands and wept, but did not look into her condemned brother's gray hazel eyes.

It was Williams who identified him as a suspect within an hour of the Sept. 29, 2005, grisly discovery in Aurora. She said Hanson threatened to kill their sister, Kate, six weeks earlier if she told their dad he stole more than $80,000 from the parents in a credit card scheme.

Williams left court without publicly commenting. Prosecutors said she is comfortable with the sentence. The family released a brief written statement thanking authorities and the defense team for its professionalism.

"There are no winners at the end of this process," the family said, "only great losses."

The jury endured weeks of graphic crime-scene photos and tearful testimony since the trial's Jan. 31 opening. Several members later said the evidence was overwhelming and an unrepentant Hanson appeared to them an unsympathetic character whose five-hour testimony did him no favors.

"The state made its case," said Richard Hoth, a 55-year-old Wheaton man who served as jury foreman. "The verdict speaks for itself."

DuPage Circuit Judge Robert Anderson is expected to impose the jury's will March 25 during the official sentencing. Hanson will be transferred to the Pontiac Correctional Center, where he will be housed in the condemned unit alone in a cell for 20 hours each day.

No one in Illinois has been put to death by lethal injection since the May 1999 execution of Andrew Kokoraleis, prosecuted for his role in nearly 20 cultlike mutilation sex slayings of women in the 1980s in Cook and DuPage.

Some 18 inmates were exonerated after reinstatement of capital punishment in 1974. Former Gov. George Ryan cited some of the cases as an example of a broken system when he declared a moratorium on executions. He later commuted 167 death sentences to life terms.

A moratorium remains in place, but judges and juries still hand out death sentences. For example, Rodney Adkins was placed on death row last August for the 2003 murder of an Oak Park woman who walked in as he burglarized her condo.

Of the condemned, Anthony Mertz would be the first to face execution, but not for another decade. He was convicted of killing Rolling Meadows native Shannon McNamara, 21, at Eastern Illinois University in 2001.

Eric Hanson still maintains his innocence. DuPage Public Defender Robert Miller and Elizabeth Reed, a senior assistant public defender, plan to appeal immediately.

"Certainly we are disappointed," Miller said. "I wish the verdict was different, but I don't know what else we could have done."

The same jury convicted Hanson Feb. 20 of first-degree murder, armed robbery, aggravated kidnapping and identity theft.

The prosecution team -- Robert Berlin, Michael Wolfe and Nancy Wolfe -- portrayed Hanson as a self-centered liar too lazy to work who therefore stole to keep up a lavish lifestyle. They said his crimes were cold, calculated and premeditated, and that he lacks remorse despite slaughtering those who loved him most.

"Every ounce of blood that was spilled by each victim is called aggravation," Berlin said. "This is not about sending a message or making him a poster boy for reform. This is about justice."

Hanson's attorneys beseeched the jury to temper its verdict with mercy. They noted Eric struggled since 18 months old with attention deficit disorder, attended special education classes and was diagnosed with personality disorders. He also has a below average IQ.

And, would the parents who never turned their backs on their troubled youngest child give up on him now?

"These were parents who would never give up on their child," Reed said. "In reality, they're (prosecutors) asking each and every one of you to kill someone."

On Sept. 29, 2005, police discovered the bludgeoned bodies of Katherine "Kate" Hanson-Tsao, 31, along with her husband, Jimmy Tsao, 34, in their upscale Aurora home in the White Eagle subdivision.

Terrance Hanson, 57, and his wife, Mary, 55, also were found slain there. The elder couple was shot in their bed in their Naperville home, along Rock Spring Court, where Eric lived, then taken to Kate's house, five miles away.

"Some crimes are so egregious; so atrocious," DuPage State's Attorney Joseph Birkett said, "that the defendant has forfeited the right to exist on this planet. This is that kind of a case."

Hanson admitted being a thief, but he argued that did not make him a killer. In the Jan. 4 Daily Herald interview, Hanson spoke of the importance of family.

"I hope I'm afforded the opportunity to have a family of my own," he said. "You always have to have hope."