News

Court affirms Hanson death sentence in Naperville-Aurora murders

Posted June 23, 2010 11:00 pm

By Christy Gutowski

The Illinois Supreme Court upheld the conviction and death sentence Thursday of a Naperville man who killed his parents, sister and her husband nearly five years ago.

In an unanimous decision, justices denied Eric C. Hanson's appeal and set a perfunctory Nov. 9 execution date. Hanson has a decade of appeals ahead of him before facing death by lethal injection, should the capital punishment moratorium be lifted.

"We were the ones who told him," said Karen Tom, a Wheaton woman who visits Hanson weekly to minister to the 33-year-old man she considers a son. "I took his hand as my husband read the Bible and told him he lost the appeal. He looked very sober. There was a tear in his eye. He did say he was preparing himself for that."

Hanson is the second-youngest of 16 men on Illinois' death row at Pontiac Correctional Center. A DuPage County jury convicted him in 2008 during a high-profile trial in Circuit Judge Robert Anderson's courtroom.

All death sentences are appealed directly to the state high court. Hanson argued the jury convicted him with circumstantial evidence during a trial riddled with reversible legal errors. His attorney cited nine issues, such as testimony from Hanson's older sister about an incriminating conversation she said she had with the slain sister weeks before the murders.

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

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

The defendant's other sibling, Jennifer Williams, who lived out of state, identified him as a suspect within an hour of the grisly discovery. She said Hanson threatened to kill their sister, Kate, six weeks earlier if she told their dad Eric stole more than $80,000 from the parents in a credit card scheme.

Prosecutors lacked a confession, both murder weapons and, despite two crime scenes with four bodies, a single hair, fiber, fingerprint or shoe print or DNA placing Hanson at either location. In fact, seven unidentified partial bloody shoe prints found at his sister's home were not traced back to Eric.

But the existence of a second crime scene in Naperville was crucial because Hanson placed himself in the home that night. He told jurors he was sleeping downstairs and didn't hear a disturbance, despite the killer's extensive cleaning of the crime scene. There were no signs of forced entry.

Police arrested Hanson after he returned from a one-day trip in Los Angeles to visit his ex-fiancee. Officers found Kate's $24,000 wedding ring and Jimmy's Rolex watch in Hanson's SUV. He explained he simply was returning the jewelry, but didn't get a chance before his trip.

But he couldn't explain another piece of evidence crucial to the prosecution. Hanson told jurors he had no idea how a rubber glove with his father's blood ended up in a zipped plastic bag, along with three other gloves, in his SUV.

The prosecution team - Robert Berlin, Michael Wolfe, Nancy Wolfe - argued the financial motive, timeline, GPS technology, and the other evidence such as the bloody glove and Hanson's multiple lies were overwhelming proof.

The jury - and now the Illinois Supreme Court - agreed.

Justices affirmed Hanson's murder conviction and death sentence, but they did vacate his aggravated kidnapping charges based on a perfunctory legal issue.

Eric Hanson maintains his innocence. His remaining family members haven't visited him in prison, Tom said.

"We are his family now," she said, "and we love him."

Eric C. Hanson in his most recent prison mug shot.

More Coverage

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Stories

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<li><a href="/story/?id=389921" class="mediaItem">Transcript of the decision</a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=143146" class="mediaItem">Hanson sentenced to death for murder of 4 family members<span class="moreDate"> [02/28/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=143695" class="mediaItem">Jurors say all decisions made swiftly<span class="moreDate"> [02/27/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=143091" class="mediaItem">Lawyers: Hanson deserves mercy even though he didn't show any<span class="moreDate"> [02/27/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=142858" class="mediaItem">Fate of killer hangs in balance<span class="moreDate"> [02/27/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=142025" class="mediaItem">Bid to save killer's life starts today<span class="moreDate"> [02/26/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=140740" class="mediaItem">Sister draws tears from killer brother<span class="moreDate"> [02/23/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=140796" class="mediaItem">Victim-impact statement of Jennifer Williams<span class="moreDate"> [02/23/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=140797" class="mediaItem">Victim-impact statement of Chiu-Ter Tsao<span class="moreDate"> [02/23/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=139903" class="mediaItem">Jurors must decide if Hanson deserves death penalty <span class="moreDate"> [02/22/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=139467" class="mediaItem">Hanson eligible for death penalty<span class="moreDate"> [02/21/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=139179" class="mediaItem">Hanson guilty in deaths of four family members<span class="moreDate"> [02/21/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=138634" class="mediaItem">Jury deliberates in quadruple murder trial<span class="moreDate"> [02/20/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=136276" class="mediaItem">Hanson denies killings <span class="moreDate"> [02/16/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=135119" class="mediaItem">Prosecution nearing end of case against Hanson<span class="moreDate"> [02/15/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=131738" class="mediaItem">Pathologist details final moments of life <span class="moreDate"> [02/09/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=130204" class="mediaItem">Second crime scene key <span class="moreDate"> [02/07/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=128943" class="mediaItem">Sister pins blame on her brother <span class="moreDate"> [02/06/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=126628" class="mediaItem">Prosecution turns to former flames <span class="moreDate"> [02/02/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=125734" class="mediaItem">Testimony begins in quadruple murder case <span class="moreDate"> [02/01/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=122754" class="mediaItem">Eric Hanson: 'All I know is, I didn't do it' <span class="moreDate"> [01/28/08]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=122232" class="mediaItem">How authorities came to charge Eric Hanson <span class="moreDate"> [01/27/08]</span></a></li>

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Multimedia

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<li><a href="/multimedia/?category=9&type=video&item=69" class="mediaItem">Photo Gallery: Hanson trial: Synopsis</a></li>

<li><a href="/multimedia/?category=9&type=photo&item=14" class="mediaItem">Photo Gallery: Hanson trial legal team</a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=143152" class="mediaItem">Graphic: Timeline</a></li>

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<li><a href="/multimedia/?category=9&type=video&item=90" class="mediaItem">Video: Sentencing press conference</a></li>

<li><a href="/multimedia/?category=9&type=video&item=70" class="mediaItem">Video: Hanson trial: victims</a></li></ul>

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Daily Herald Archives

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<li><a href="/story/?id=114665" class="mediaItem">Four in family found slain <span class="moreDate"> [09/30/05]</span></a></li>

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<li><a href="/story/?id=114666" class="mediaItem">Police question victims' relative <span class="moreDate"> [10/01/05]</span></a></li>

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<li><a href="/story/?id=114677" class="mediaItem">Fireplace poker could be crucial piece of puzzle <span class="moreDate"> [10/02/05]</span></a></li>

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<li><a href="/story/?id=114678" class="mediaItem">Relative fighting extradition <span class="moreDate"> [10/04/05]</span></a></li>

</ul>

<li><a href="/story/?id=114695" class="mediaItem">Charges loom in quadruple murder case <span class="moreDate"> [11/04/05]</span></a></li>

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<li><a href="/story/?id=114697" class="mediaItem">Suspect set for return to Illinois <span class="moreDate"> [11/09/05]</span></a></li>

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<li><a href="/story/?id=114716" class="mediaItem">Details in quadruple homicide <span class="moreDate"> [12/09/05]</span></a></li>

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<li><a href="/story/?id=114717" class="mediaItem">Death penalty sought in four murders <span class="moreDate"> [02/18/06]</span></a></li>

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<li><a href="/story/?id=114745" class="mediaItem">Alleged threat can be heard <span class="moreDate"> [05/18/06]</span></a></li>

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<li><a href="/story/?id=114726" class="mediaItem">Judge will allow tape in court <span class="moreDate"> [05/23/06]</span></a></li>

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<li><a href="/story/?id=114757" class="mediaItem">Family details get out <span class="moreDate"> [06/21/07]</span></a></li>

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The Full Reports

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<li><a href="/pdf/hanson/arrestwarrant.pdf" class="mediaItem" target="_blank">Nov. 4 arrest warrant</a></li>

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<li><a href="/pdf/hanson/towisgov.pdf" class="mediaItem" target="_blank">Wisc. extradition request </a></li>

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<li><a href="/pdf/hanson/wiswarrant.pdf" class="mediaItem" target="_blank">Wisc. arrest warrant </a></li>

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<li><a href="/pdf/hanson/napwarrant.pdf" class="mediaItem" target="_blank">Sept. 29 arrest warrant</a></li>

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<li><a href="/pdf/hanson/dupcourt.pdf" class="mediaItem" target="_blank">Intimidation charge </a></li>

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