P
Patriot Games
Guest
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Feb21/0,4670,FamilyKilled,00.html
Man Convicted of Killing 4 Relatives
Thursday, February 21, 2008
WHEATON, Ill. - A suburban Chicago man convicted of killing four members of
his family in a dispute over thousands of dollars of stolen money now faces
a fight to stay alive.
A jury deliberated for about three hours Wednesday before finding Eric
Hanson, 31, guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of
aggravated kidnapping, two counts of armed robbery and two counts of
identity theft.
The same jury was to return Thursday to begin hearing testimony on whether
Hanson is eligible for the death penalty during the sentencing phase of the
trial, said Paul Darrah, a DuPage County state's attorney's office
spokesman.
Prosecutors said Hanson killed his parents, Terrance and Mary Hanson; his
sister, Kate Hanson-Tsao; and her husband, Jimmy Tsao, in September 2005 to
hide the fact that he had stolen more than $80,000 through forged checks and
credit cards.
During the trial, prosecutors portrayed Hanson as a thief who beat his
sister and her husband to death in their home. They said he then fatally
shot his father in the back of the head and his mother in the face as the
couple slept in their bed.
Hanson committed the crimes because he didn't want his father to find out
about the forged checks and credit cards he used to fleece his parents,
DuPage County Assistant State's Attorney Michael Wolfe said.
Public defender Robert Miller said during the trial that his client took
money from his family but did not know anything about how they died. A
message left for Miller after business hours by The Associated Press was not
immediately returned.
Man Convicted of Killing 4 Relatives
Thursday, February 21, 2008
WHEATON, Ill. - A suburban Chicago man convicted of killing four members of
his family in a dispute over thousands of dollars of stolen money now faces
a fight to stay alive.
A jury deliberated for about three hours Wednesday before finding Eric
Hanson, 31, guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of
aggravated kidnapping, two counts of armed robbery and two counts of
identity theft.
The same jury was to return Thursday to begin hearing testimony on whether
Hanson is eligible for the death penalty during the sentencing phase of the
trial, said Paul Darrah, a DuPage County state's attorney's office
spokesman.
Prosecutors said Hanson killed his parents, Terrance and Mary Hanson; his
sister, Kate Hanson-Tsao; and her husband, Jimmy Tsao, in September 2005 to
hide the fact that he had stolen more than $80,000 through forged checks and
credit cards.
During the trial, prosecutors portrayed Hanson as a thief who beat his
sister and her husband to death in their home. They said he then fatally
shot his father in the back of the head and his mother in the face as the
couple slept in their bed.
Hanson committed the crimes because he didn't want his father to find out
about the forged checks and credit cards he used to fleece his parents,
DuPage County Assistant State's Attorney Michael Wolfe said.
Public defender Robert Miller said during the trial that his client took
money from his family but did not know anything about how they died. A
message left for Miller after business hours by The Associated Press was not
immediately returned.
