SB1487 Summary

• Reinstates capital punishment in Illinois by restoring the death penalty as an authorized sentence for first-degree murder convictions, reversing the abolition enacted in 2011.

• Narrows aggravating factors from 21 to 1: limits death penalty eligibility to cases where the victim was a correctional officer or Department of Corrections employee killed in the course of performing official duties, to prevent performance of duties, or in retaliation for those duties.

• Creates the Capital Crimes Litigation Act of 2019 establishing a Capital Litigation Trust Fund to provide funding for capital case prosecution and defense, including compensation for trial counsel (capped at $125/hour) and expenses for expert witnesses, investigators, and mitigation specialists.

• Requires court-appointed trial counsel in capital cases to submit litigation budgets for judicial approval and file petitions for compensation and expenses under seal and ex parte; provides detailed procedures for case management and funding.

• Establishes a single natural life imprisonment option for defendants who murder healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses, psychologists, etc.) while acting in their professional capacity, and requires decertification of capital cases based on uncorroborated informant testimony or single eyewitness evidence.