People v. Nitz ( 2006 )


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  •                    Docket No. 99712.
    IN THE
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
    THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, Appellant and
    Cross- Appellee, v. RICHARD C. NITZ, Appellee and Cross-
    Appellant.
    Opinion filed April 20, 2006.
    JUSTICE GARMAN delivered the judgment of the court,
    with opinion.
    Chief Justice Thomas and Justices Freeman, McMorrow,
    Fitzgerald, and Karmeier concurred in the judgment and
    opinion.
    Justice Kilbride specially concurred, with opinion.
    OPINION
    In the second trial in this case, a jury in the circuit court of
    Williamson County convicted defendant of first degree murder.
    Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 38, par. 9B1. The circuit judge found
    that defendant=s crime was accompanied by exceptionally
    brutal or heinous behavior indicative of wanton cruelty. Ill. Rev.
    Stat. 1987, ch. 38, par. 1005B8B1(a). Based on this finding, the
    trial court sentenced defendant to life imprisonment. Ill. Rev.
    Stat. 1987, ch. 38, par. 1005B8B1(a). The appellate court
    affirmed defendant=s conviction, but modified his sentence to a
    60-year prison term. People v. Nitz, 
    319 Ill. App. 3d 949
    , 969
    (2001). We directed the appellate court to reconsider its
    decision. People v. Nitz, 
    206 Ill. 2d 637
    (2003) (supervisory
    order). It did so, affirming defendant=s life sentence in an
    unpublished order. People v. Nitz, No. 5B98B0657 (2004)
    (unpublished order under Supreme Court Rule 23). We then
    directed the appellate court to issue a single published opinion
    or unpublished order disposing of all issues in defendant=s
    appeal. People v. Nitz, 
    209 Ill. 2d 594
    (2004) (supervisory
    order). In doing so, the appellate court again modified
    defendant=s sentence to a 60-year prison term. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d 978
    , 1005. We granted the State=s petition for leave to appeal.
    
    177 Ill. 2d
    R. 315. The defendant requested cross-relief. We
    now reverse the judgment of the appellate court in part, and
    affirm the judgment of the circuit court.
    I. BACKGROUND
    Defendant was originally convicted in 1988 of the first
    degree murder of Michael Miley. He was sentenced to death by
    the circuit court of Williamson County. This court affirmed his
    conviction and death sentence. People v. Nitz, 
    143 Ill. 2d 82
    (1991). This court later reversed the trial court=s dismissal of
    defendant=s postconviction petition and remanded the cause
    for a new trial. People v. Nitz, 
    173 Ill. 2d 151
    (1996). In 1998,
    defendant was again convicted of first degree murder in this
    case. Evidence presented at trial indicated that defendant
    struck Miley repeatedly in the head with a baseball bat, shot
    him, and severed Miley=s head in an attempt to conceal the
    ballistics evidence. The applicable first degree murder statute
    read as follows:
    A(a) A person who kills an individual without lawful
    justification commits first degree murder if, in performing
    the acts which cause the death:
    (1) He either intends to kill or do great bodily harm to
    that individual or another, or knows that such acts will
    cause death to that individual or another; or
    (2) He knows that such acts create a strong
    probability of death or great bodily harm to that
    individual or another[.]@ Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 38, par.
    9B1.
    The jury received three different sets of verdict forms, each
    addressing a different way that a defendant may commit the
    offense of first degree murder. The jury found defendant not
    guilty of killing Miley with the intent to kill or do great bodily
    harm. It also found defendant not guilty of killing Miley with the
    knowledge that his acts would cause death or great bodily
    harm. However, the jury found defendant guilty of killing Miley
    with the knowledge that his acts created a strong probability of
    death or great bodily harm.
    The trial court sentenced defendant to life imprisonment
    after the trial judge found that defendant=s crime was
    accompanied by exceptionally brutal or heinous behavior
    indicative of wanton cruelty. Section 5B8B1(a) of the Unified
    Code of Corrections provided the statutory basis for this
    sentence:
    A(a) Except as otherwise provided in the statute
    defining the offense, a sentence of imprisonment for a
    felony shall be a determinate sentence set by the court
    under this Section, according to the following limitations:
    (1) for first degree murder, (a) a term shall be not
    less than 20 years and not more than 60 years, or (b) if
    the court finds that the murder was accompanied by
    exceptionally brutal or heinous behavior indicative of
    wanton cruelty ***, the court may sentence the
    defendant to a term of natural life imprisonment ***.@ Ill.
    Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 38, par. 1005B8B1(a).
    The appellate court affirmed the trial court=s verdict. Nitz,
    
    319 Ill. App. 3d 949
    . However, it reduced defendant=s sentence
    -3-
    to a 60-year prison term. 
    Nitz, 319 Ill. App. 3d at 969
    . The
    appellate court based this reduction on Apprendi v. New
    Jersey, 
    530 U.S. 466
    , 
    147 L. Ed. 2d 435
    , 
    120 S. Ct. 2348
    (2000). The Apprendi Court held that A[o]ther than the fact of a
    prior conviction, any fact that increases the penalty for a crime
    beyond the prescribed statutory maximum must be submitted
    to a jury, and proved beyond a reasonable doubt.@ 
    Apprendi, 530 U.S. at 490
    , 147 L. Ed. 2d at 
    455, 120 S. Ct. at 2362-63
    . In
    this case, the trial court increased defendant=s sentence based
    on the fact that defendant=s crime was accompanied by
    exceptionally brutal or heinous conduct indicative of wanton
    cruelty. The trial judge, rather than a jury, made this factual
    finding. The appellate court held that basing defendant=s life
    sentence on a judge-made finding violated the holding of
    Apprendi. 
    Nitz, 319 Ill. App. 3d at 969
    . The court reduced
    defendant=s sentence to the maximum sentence authorized
    upon the facts determined by the trial jury. 
    Nitz, 319 Ill. App. 3d at 969
    .
    In the exercise of this court=s supervisory authority, we
    directed the appellate court to vacate its judgment and
    reconsider its decision in light of People v. Crespo, 
    203 Ill. 2d 335
    (2001), People v. Thurow, 
    203 Ill. 2d 352
    (2003), People v.
    Swift, 
    202 Ill. 2d 378
    (2002), and People v. Kaczmarek, 
    207 Ill. 2d
    288 (2003). People v. Nitz, 
    206 Ill. 2d 637
    (2003)
    (supervisory order). These cases trace the development of this
    court=s approach to Apprendi errors. In Swift, we held that facts
    taking a sentence for first degree murder above the sentencing
    range of 20 to 60 years= imprisonment must be found by a jury
    beyond a reasonable doubt. 
    Swift, 202 Ill. 2d at 392
    . Although
    we vacated the Swift defendant=s extended-term sentence, we
    have since established that an Apprendi error does not
    necessarily require resentencing. Rather, the doctrines of
    harmless error 
    (Thurow, 203 Ill. 2d at 368
    ) and plain error
    
    (Crespo, 203 Ill. 2d at 347
    ) apply. In Kaczmarek, we applied
    plain-error review to affirm a murder defendant=s life sentence
    imposed in violation of Apprendi, concluding that a jury would
    have found that the crime was committed in a brutal and
    heinous manner indicative of wanton cruelty. Kaczmarek, 
    207 Ill. 2d
    at 303-04.
    -4-
    In response to our supervisory order, the appellate court
    issued an unpublished order finding the Apprendi error to have
    been harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. People v. Nitz, No.
    5B98B0657 (2004) (unpublished order under Supreme Court
    Rule 23). This order, however, failed to vacate the appellate
    court=s previous judgment, and failed to address the other
    issues covered by the court=s opinion.
    We then issued a second supervisory order, directing the
    appellate court to issue a single published opinion or
    unpublished order disposing of all issues in defendant=s
    appeal. People v. Nitz, 
    209 Ill. 2d 594
    (2004) (supervisory
    order). Rather than merging its previously issued judgments,
    the appellate court ordered the parties to submit supplemental
    briefs in light of the United States Supreme Court=s opinion in
    Blakely v. Washington, 
    542 U.S. 296
    , 
    159 L. Ed. 2d 403
    , 
    124 S. Ct. 2531
    (2004). Specifically, it asked the parties to address
    the following question: A[D]oes the United States Supreme
    Court=s recent pronouncements [sic] about the meaning of
    Apprendi cast doubt upon the continued viability of our
    Supreme Court=s holdings that harmless-error analysis can be
    applied to jury verdicts that did not reflect a fact necessary to a
    given punishment?@
    After briefing was complete, the appellate court filed a
    single published opinion. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d 978
    . The opinion
    affirmed defendant=s conviction, applying the same rationale as
    the original appellate 
    opinion. 353 Ill. App. 3d at 980-91
    ; see
    also Nitz, 
    319 Ill. App. 3d 949
    . However, the new opinion=s
    treatment of the Apprendi issue differed markedly.
    The new opinion noted that, in the years since defendant=s
    case was first appealed, this court has established that the
    sentencing scheme applied to defendant does not comport with
    the right to trial by jury as construed in Apprendi. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at 993; see also People v. Swift, 
    202 Ill. 2d 378
    , 383 (2002).
    Thus, the appellate court did not revive its original analysis on
    that issue. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at 993. Instead, the court turned its
    attention to the proper remedy for an Apprendi violation. It
    attempted to analyze the views of individual United States
    Supreme Court justices, as reflected by the shifting
    composition of majorities and dissenters in the Court=s cases
    -5-
    concerning the right to a jury trial under the sixth amendment to
    the United States Constitution. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at 996-1001.
    Based in part on language in Blakely that emphasized the
    fundamental nature of the right to a jury, the appellate court
    concluded that the dissenting opinion in Neder v. United
    States, 
    527 U.S. 1
    , 
    144 L. Ed. 2d 35
    , 
    119 S. Ct. 1827
    (1999),
    now reflected the views of a majority of the Court. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at 1000. In Neder, the majority held that failing to submit an
    element of a crime for the jury=s deliberation was subject to
    harmless-error analysis. 
    Neder, 527 U.S. at 15-16
    , 
    144 L. Ed. 2d
    at 
    51, 119 S. Ct. at 1837
    . The dissent argued that this
    violation was a structural error that could never be harmless.
    
    Neder, 527 U.S. at 30
    , 
    144 L. Ed. 2d
    at 
    60, 119 S. Ct. at 1844
    (Scalia, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part, joined by
    Souter and Ginsburg, JJ.). The appellate court noted that this
    court relied on Neder when determining that harmless-error
    analysis applies to an Apprendi violation. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at
    1002; see also 
    Thurow, 203 Ill. 2d at 371
    . It concluded that,
    absent a decision by a higher court expressly overruling Neder
    or Thurow, the appellate court was bound by Thurow to apply a
    harmless-error analysis to defendant=s case. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at
    1002.
    In applying that analysis, however, the appellate court
    determined that it should not use an objective standard when
    determining whether a jury would have found defendant=s
    crime to be brutal and heinous. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at 1002.
    Rather, it concluded that defendant Awas constitutionally
    entitled to have each element of his guilt decided beyond a
    reasonable doubt by a jury of his choosing.@ (Emphasis in
    original.) 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at 1003. Thus, the appellate court
    considered Awhat Nitz=s jury, not some hypothetical jury, would
    have decided had it been allowed to decide.@ 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at
    1003.
    The court noted that the jury in this case was presented
    with three different verdict forms reflecting three different ways
    in which defendant could be guilty of first degree murder. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at 1003. Given that choice, the jury found defendant
    guilty of Akilling Miley while acting with a state of mind generally
    deemed the least culpable mens rea to accompany murderous
    -6-
    acts that cause another person=s death.@ 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at
    1003. The appellate court concluded that because the jury
    acquitted defendant of the two Amore reprehensible@ murder
    counts, it could not say that the jury would have unanimously
    decided the killing was accompanied by brutal or heinous
    behavior indicative of wanton cruelty. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at 1004.
    The appellate court further considered the length of the jury
    deliberations and the fact that defense counsel noted for the
    record that four jurors were crying in the courtroom. 353 Ill.
    App. 3d at 1004. It also considered a juror affidavit which
    stated that four jurors did not think the prosecution proved
    defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at
    1004. The affiant juror stated that she signed the Aleast
    culpable@ verdict form only because she believed defendant
    would receive a lenient sentence. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at 1004.
    Based on this information, the appellate court concluded that
    the jury had reached a compromise verdict. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at
    1004. The court decided that the four alleged hold-out jurors
    would not have agreed to the more serious finding that
    defendant=s crime was accompanied by brutal or heinous
    behavior indicative of wanton cruelty. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at 1004-
    05. Thus, the court concluded that the Apprendi error was not
    harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, and resentenced
    defendant to a 60-year prison term. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at 1005.
    We allowed the State=s petition for leave to appeal. 
    177 Ill. 2d
    R. 315. In this opinion, we first address the proper analysis
    with which to review defendant=s sentence. Second, we
    consider the merits of the sentencing issue. Finally, we
    address defendant=s request for cross-relief. The facts of
    defendant=s case are set forth in our first opinion (Nitz, 
    143 Ill. 2d
    96) and will be included below only as they are relevant to
    the issues raised in this appeal.
    II. PLAIN ERROR
    At the outset, there is no question that defendant=s
    sentence violates Apprendi. We have already established that
    the only permissible sentence for first degree murder based on
    an ordinary jury verdict of guilt is 20 to 60 years= imprisonment.
    -7-
    
    Swift, 202 Ill. 2d at 392
    . Facts which take a sentence above
    this range must be found by a jury beyond a reasonable doubt,
    including the fact that a crime was brutal or heinous. 
    Swift, 202 Ill. 2d at 392
    . Thus, the trial court violated Apprendi when it
    imposed defendant=s life sentence based on the judge=s finding
    that defendant=s crime was brutal or heinous and indicative of
    wanton cruelty.
    However, we have determined that this sort of violation
    does not necessarily invalidate a defendant=s sentence. In
    Thurow, we considered the appropriate remedy for an
    Apprendi error. The trial judge in Thurow increased the
    defendant=s sentence based on a judge-made finding that the
    victim was a member of the defendant=s household. 
    Thurow, 203 Ill. 2d at 354
    . The defendant properly objected to this
    process as an Apprendi violation. 
    Thurow, 203 Ill. 2d at 363
    .
    We determined that harmless-error analysis applies to an
    Apprendi violation when the defendant has made a timely
    objection. 
    Thurow, 203 Ill. 2d at 363
    . However, when a
    defendant has failed to object to an error, plain-error analysis
    applies. 
    Thurow, 203 Ill. 2d at 363
    . The difference, we noted,
    lies in the burden of proof. Under a harmless-error analysis, the
    State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the result
    would have been the same absent the error. Thurow, 
    203 Ill. 2d
    at 363. Under plain-error analysis, the defendant must
    persuade the court that the error was prejudicial. 
    Thurow, 203 Ill. 2d at 363
    .
    Following Thurow, we applied plain-error analysis to
    Apprendi violations in Crespo (
    203 Ill. 2d
    at 347) and
    Kaczmarek (
    207 Ill. 2d
    at 302). In Crespo, as in the instant
    case, the defendant=s extended term sentence for first degree
    murder was based on a posttrial finding by the circuit court that
    the crime was committed in a both brutal and heinous manner
    indicative of wanton cruelty. Crespo, 
    203 Ill. 2d
    at 346. We
    determined that a jury would have reached the same
    conclusion when considering the undisputed evidence that
    defendant stabbed his victim 24 times and ripped out a large
    chunk of her scalp. Crespo, 
    203 Ill. 2d
    at 348-49. Thus, we
    concluded that the defendant failed to show the Apprendi error
    was prejudicial, and affirmed his extended-term sentence.
    -8-
    Crespo, 
    203 Ill. 2d
    at 348-49. In Kaczmarek, we again
    determined that a defendant did not warrant resentencing,
    even though he received an extended-term sentence based on
    a judge=s finding that the crime was brutal and heinous.
    Kaczmarek, 
    207 Ill. 2d
    at 302. Examining evidence that the
    defendant beat, stabbed, and strangled an 86-year-old woman,
    we held that his conduct undoubtedly qualified as both
    exceptionally brutal and heinous. Kaczmarek, 
    207 Ill. 2d
    at 303.
    Thus, the defendant could not show he was prejudiced by the
    Apprendi error. Kaczmarek, 
    207 Ill. 2d
    at 302.
    In the instant case, defendant did not make a timely
    objection to the extended-term sentence he received based on
    the trial judge=s finding that his conduct was brutal or heinous.
    Thus, plain-error analysis applies to a review of his sentence.
    
    Thurow, 203 Ill. 2d at 363
    ; Crespo, 
    203 Ill. 2d
    at 347;
    Kaczmarek, 
    207 Ill. 2d
    at 302. The appellate court erred by
    applying harmless-error analysis.
    In addition to ignoring the plain-error analysis of Crespo and
    Kaczmarek, the appellate court=s opinion indicates that it
    applied even harmless-error analysis begrudgingly. See 353 Ill.
    App. 3d at 1002 (Awe firmly believe that a majority of the
    justices on today=s United States Supreme Court would never
    allow the harmless error analysis that we are about to engage
    in@). Based in part on the Court=s statements in Blakely
    concerning the fundamental nature of the right to a jury, the
    appellate court contended that an Apprendi violation
    constitutes structural error that can be remedied only by
    resentencing. 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at 995-1001, citing Blakely v.
    Washington, 
    542 U.S. 296
    , 
    159 L. Ed. 2d 403
    , 
    124 S. Ct. 2531
    (2004). Defendant relies on Blakely to make a similar argument
    before this court. The State responds that the United States
    Supreme Court sanctioned the use of plain-error and harmless-
    error review in Apprendi cases by its opinion in United States v.
    Booker, 
    543 U.S. 220
    , 
    160 L. Ed. 2d 621
    , 
    125 S. Ct. 738
    (2005).
    In Booker, the Court held that the United States
    ASentencing Guidelines@ violated the sixth amendment, as
    interpreted in Apprendi, by mandating certain sentences based
    on judicial fact-finding. 
    Booker, 543 U.S. at 226-27
    , 160 L. Ed.
    -9-
    2d at 
    639, 125 S. Ct. at 746
    . The Court in Blakely had reached
    a similar conclusion about a sentencing scheme at the state
    level. 
    Blakely, 542 U.S. at 305
    , 159 L. Ed. 2d at 414-15, 124 S.
    Ct. at 2538. Relevant to this case, however, is the Booker
    Court=s discussion of the consequences of applying its decision
    to all cases on direct review:
    A[The retroactivity of Booker] does not mean that we
    believe that every sentence gives rise to a Sixth
    Amendment violation. Nor do we believe that every
    appeal will lead to a new sentencing hearing. That is
    because we expect reviewing courts to apply ordinary
    prudential doctrines, determining, for example, whether
    the issue was raised below and whether it fails the
    >plain-error= test. It is also because, in cases not
    involving a Sixth Amendment violation, whether
    resentencing is warranted or whether it will instead be
    sufficient to review a sentence for reasonableness may
    depend upon application of the harmless-error doctrine.@
    
    Booker, 543 U.S. at 268
    , 160 L. Ed. 2d at 665, 125 S.
    Ct. at 769.
    Thus, Booker establishes that it is appropriate to apply the
    doctrines of plain error and harmless error to sentences that
    violate Apprendi. This aligns with our decisions to apply
    harmless-error review when a defendant has timely objected to
    an Apprendi error and plain-error review when a defendant has
    not objected. See 
    Thurow, 203 Ill. 2d at 363
    ; Crespo, 
    203 Ill. 2d
    at 347; Kaczmarek, 
    207 Ill. 2d
    at 302. Accordingly, we reject
    defendant=s contention that the Apprendi error in this case is
    structural.
    After the appellate court first erred by applying harmless-
    error review instead of plain-error review, it compounded this
    error by creating a new and unprecedented harmless-error
    analysis. In Thurow, we held that a court reviewing a claim of
    harmless error should ask: A >Is it clear beyond a reasonable
    doubt that a rational jury would have found the defendant guilty
    absent the error?= @ Thurow, 
    203 Ill. 2d
    at 368-69, quoting
    
    Neder, 527 U.S. at 18
    , 
    144 L. Ed. 2d
    at 
    53, 119 S. Ct. at 1838
    .
    We answered this question in the affirmative in Thurow
    because of the uncontested and overwhelming evidence that
    -10-
    supported the finding made by the judge. Thurow, 
    203 Ill. 2d
    at
    369; see also Kaczmarek, 
    207 Ill. 2d
    at 302 (A[i]t is *** clear,
    after Thurow and Crespo, that an Apprendi violation of this kind
    will not warrant resentencing where there is overwhelming
    evidence that the crime was committed in a brutal and heinous
    manner indicative of wanton cruelty@); People v. Jones, 
    219 Ill. 2d
    1, ___ (2006) (finding Apprendi violation to be harmless
    error where State presented uncontested and overwhelming
    evidence of fact found by judge). However, the appellate court
    in this case did not examine the evidence to determine what a
    rational jury would have found. Instead, the appellate court
    reviewed the behavior of the actual jury and speculated as to
    the motivations of the 12 men and women empaneled to
    decide defendant=s case.
    It is extremely difficult for a reviewing court to read a jury=s
    subjective thoughts. See Preston v. Simmons, 
    321 Ill. App. 3d 789
    , 800 (2001); People v. Pankey, 
    58 Ill. App. 3d 924
    , 927
    (1978); see also Yates v. Evatt, 
    500 U.S. 391
    , 404-05, 114 L.
    Ed. 2d 432, 449, 
    111 S. Ct. 1884
    , 1893 (1991) (noting that
    harmless-error inquiry Acannot be a subjective one into the
    jurors= minds@), overruled on other grounds by Estelle v.
    McGuire, 
    502 U.S. 62
    , 72 n.4, 
    116 L. Ed. 2d 385
    , 399 n.4, 
    112 S. Ct. 475
    , 482 n.4 (1991). Accordingly, the test for harmless
    error does not ask a reviewing court to undertake this
    impossible task. Rather, Thurow establishes that an appellate
    court reviewing an Apprendi error must examine the evidence
    and determine what a rational jury would have found. Thurow,
    
    203 Ill. 2d
    at 368-69. We have recognized the tension between
    this responsibility and the Apprendi Court=s holding that it is
    unconstitutional for a judge and not a jury to make a factual
    finding that increases the penalty for a crime beyond the
    prescribed statutory maximum. Thurow, 
    203 Ill. 2d
    at 369. A[I]n
    applying harmless-error analysis here,@ we noted in Thurow,
    Awe are engaging in the very practice that Apprendi forbids: we,
    as judges, are making the factual determination that [the victim]
    was a member of defendant=s household.@ Thurow, 
    203 Ill. 2d
    at 369-70. Our acknowledgment in Thurow of the tension
    inherent in this process emphasizes the proper task of the
    reviewing court. An appellate court cannot escape this task by
    -11-
    purporting to read the minds of the trial jurors. Thus, the
    appellate court in this case erred when it failed to examine the
    evidence presented at trial and instead attempted to divine the
    thoughts of the 12 jurors who heard that evidence.
    In sum, we reaffirm the holdings of Thurow, Crespo, and
    Kaczmarek that plain-error review applies to Apprendi errors to
    which the defendant has not timely objected, while harmless-
    error analysis applies when the defendant has objected to the
    error. We therefore hold that plain-error review is the
    appropriate standard in this case. To execute either analysis, a
    reviewing court must examine the evidence adduced at trial
    and determine objectively whether a rational jury would have
    made the finding in question.
    III. DEFENDANT=S SENTENCE
    Having determined that plain-error analysis is appropriate in
    this case, we proceed to apply this analysis to the error alleged
    by defendant. We recently summarized the proper approach to
    plain error in People v. Herron, 
    215 Ill. 2d 167
    (2005):
    A[T]he plain-error doctrine bypasses normal forfeiture
    principles and allows a reviewing court to consider
    unpreserved error when either (1) the evidence is close,
    regardless of the seriousness of the error, or (2) the
    error is serious, regardless of the closeness of the
    evidence. In the first instance, the defendant must prove
    >prejudicial error.= That is, the defendant must show both
    that there was plain error and that the evidence was so
    closely balanced that the error alone severely
    threatened to tip the scales of justice against him. The
    State, of course, can respond by arguing that the
    evidence was not closely balanced, but rather strongly
    weighted against the defendant. In the second instance,
    the defendant must prove there was plain error and that
    the error was so serious that it affected the fairness of
    the defendant=s trial and challenged the integrity of the
    judicial process.@ 
    Herron, 215 Ill. 2d at 186-87
    .
    In Herron, the State argued against this formulation of plain-
    error doctrine and asked us to instead adopt the four-part plain-
    -12-
    error test used by the United States Supreme Court. 
    Herron, 215 Ill. 2d at 179
    . Under the federal test, a reviewing court may
    correct an error not raised at trial if (1) there is error, (2) the
    error is plain, (3) the error affects substantial rights, and (4) the
    error seriously affects the fairness, integrity, or public
    reputation of judicial proceedings. 
    Herron, 215 Ill. 2d at 179
    -80,
    citing United States v. Cotton, 
    535 U.S. 625
    , 631-32, 152 L.
    Ed. 2d 860, 868, 
    122 S. Ct. 1781
    , 1785 (2002). We referred to
    this test in Thurow and in Crespo when we established that
    plain-error review was appropriate for Apprendi violations.
    Thurow, 
    203 Ill. 2d
    at 362; Crespo, 
    203 Ill. 2d
    at 348. While we
    declined in Herron to adopt the federal test, we did determine
    that the analysis applied in Thurow and in Crespo complied
    with the two-pronged plain error analysis summarized in
    Herron. 
    Herron, 215 Ill. 2d at 186
    .
    Herron=s two prongs establish two categories of plain error:
    prejudicial errors, which may have affected the outcome in a
    closely balanced case, and presumptively prejudicial errors,
    which must be remedied although they may not have affected
    the outcome. 
    Herron, 215 Ill. 2d at 185
    . Our analysis in Crespo
    and Kaczmarek indicates that the Apprendi violation defendant
    complains of in this caseBa sentence based on a judge-made
    finding that a murder was brutal or heinousBis not a
    presumptively prejudicial error that must be remedied
    regardless of its effect on the trial=s outcome. In each of those
    cases, we required the defendants to prove that they were
    prejudiced by the error. See Crespo, 
    203 Ill. 2d
    at 348;
    Kaczmarek, 
    207 Ill. 2d
    at 302. Thus, the second prong of the
    Herron plain error analysis is inapplicable to defendant=s case.
    In applying the first prong of the Herron analysis, we require
    defendant to prove both that there was an error (see People v.
    Sims, 
    192 Ill. 2d 592
    , 621 (2000) (ABefore invoking the plain
    error exception, however, >it is appropriate to determine
    whether error occurred at all= @), quoting People v. Wade, 
    131 Ill. 2d 370
    , 376 (1989)) and that the evidence was closely
    balanced. 
    Herron, 215 Ill. 2d at 187
    . Defendant has satisfied
    one part of this analysis. The Apprendi violation he complains
    of is unquestionably error. See 
    Swift, 202 Ill. 2d at 392
    . To
    -13-
    determine whether defendant has satisfied the remainder of
    the analysis, we examine the evidence adduced at trial.
    At trial, witness Betty Boyer testified that she was baby-
    sitting at defendant=s mobile home on April 6, 1988. When
    defendant and his wife left that evening, they had a firearm with
    them. After they returned home, Boyer watched another car
    pull up in their driveway. She testified that defendant then
    retrieved a baseball bat from his own vehicle. She heard
    defendant tell the driver of the other car, a young man, to get
    off his property or he would kill him. When the other man
    turned to walk away, she saw defendant strike him in the back
    of the head with the bat. She testified that defendant continued
    his assault with the bat as the young man fell to the ground.
    Defendant and his wife then picked up the other man and put
    him into the trunk of his own car. They left the property, with
    defendant=s wife driving the other man=s car and defendant
    leading the way in another vehicle.
    Two witnesses testified about conversations they had with
    defendant in April 1988. Michael Stearns testified that
    defendant told him he had killed a homosexual by shooting him
    in the head after the victim followed him home. Stearns also
    testified that defendant told him he had cut off the victim=s head
    with a knife so that if a weapon should ever be found, the
    ballistics could not be traced. Defendant then stated that he
    had buried the head and got rid of the body.
    Danny Walker also testified that defendant told him he had
    killed a homosexual by shooting him in the head. Walker
    testified that defendant said he then cut off the victim=s head to
    conceal it from ballistics testing, and put the remainder of the
    body in the trunk of the victim=s car. Defendant told Walker that
    he and his wife took the body to a rural area known as Rocky
    Comfort and tried to burn the car after removing its stereo.
    Walker went with defendant to see the area where the victim=s
    car was. When they reached the Rocky Comfort area, they saw
    police cars and an ambulance, and defendant commented that
    the authorities had already found the victim.
    Stipulated testimony at trial indicated that Miley=s body was
    discovered by a group of campers in Union County on April 9,
    1988. The campers came upon an abandoned vehicle, later
    -14-
    identified as Miley=s car, in the Rocky Comfort area. They
    smashed the car=s windows, shot at it, and rolled it onto its
    roof. After they turned the car over, its trunk popped open,
    revealing Miley=s headless body. The campers then contacted
    police.
    Pathologist Dr. Beverly Tsai testified that the remainder of
    Miley=s body showed no bruises or injuries. She testified that
    the clean cut to the neck indicated the head was severed after
    Miley=s death. A toxicology report showed small amounts of
    carbon dioxide and alcohol in Miley=s system. Due to the
    missing head, the pathologist could not make a finding as to
    the cause of Miley=s death.
    Inspector Frank Cooper of the Illinois State Police testified
    that the vehicle where Miley=s body was found had some fire
    damage. Its radio was missing, and investigators did not find a
    wallet or wristwatch with Miley=s body.
    A search of defendant=s residence and vehicle revealed a
    wristwatch identified as Miley=s, cassette tapes which Miley
    kept in his car, and a car stereo of the type that was removed
    from Miley=s car. The search also revealed clothing, shoes, and
    stereo speakers that were purchased with Miley=s credit cards
    at department stores in Paducah, Kentucky, on April 8, 1988.
    Employees of those stores identified defendant in a photo
    lineup as the person who used Miley=s credit cards to make
    those purchases.
    The terms Abrutal,@ Aheinous,@ and Aindicative of wanton
    cruelty@ are given their ordinary and popular meaning. People
    v. La Pointe, 
    88 Ill. 2d 482
    , 499 (1981). For behavior to be
    heinous, it must be Ahatefully or shockingly evil; grossly bad;
    enormously and flagrantly criminal.@ Kaczmarek, 
    207 Ill. 2d
    at
    303 (citing People v. Nielson, 
    187 Ill. 2d 271
    , 299 (1999),
    People v. Lucas, 
    132 Ill. 2d 399
    , 445 (1989), and La 
    Pointe, 88 Ill. 2d at 501
    ). We define brutal behavior as Abehavior that is
    grossly ruthless, devoid of mercy or compassion; cruel and
    cold-blooded.@ Kaczmarek, 
    207 Ill. 2d
    at 303 (citing 
    Nielson, 187 Ill. 2d at 299
    , 
    Lucas, 132 Ill. 2d at 445
    , and La 
    Pointe, 88 Ill. 2d at 501
    ). Brutal or heinous behavior generally involves
    prolonged pain, torture, or premeditation (
    Lucas, 132 Ill. 2d at 445
    ), but does not necessarily require them (La Pointe, 88 Ill.
    -15-
    2d at 501). Behavior must qualify as either brutal or heinous for
    the sentencing enhancement to apply. Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch.
    38, par. 1005B8B1(a) (codified as amended at 730 ILCS
    5/5B8B1(a)(1)(b) (West 2004)).
    In addition to being exceptionally brutal or heinous, the
    crime must also be indicative of wanton cruelty. A >[W]anton
    cruelty= requires >proof that the defendant consciously sought to
    inflict pain and suffering on the victim of the offense.= @ 
    Nielson, 187 Ill. 2d at 299
    , quoting People v. Pastewski, 
    164 Ill. 2d 189
    ,
    194 (1995). Thus, wanton cruelty cannot be perpetrated on a
    corpse. 
    Nielson, 187 Ill. 2d at 299
    . In Nielson, this court found
    that burning two victims= bodies and stuffing them in a duffle
    bag was brutal and heinous. 
    Nielson, 187 Ill. 2d at 299
    .
    However, it did not indicate wanton cruelty because defendant
    could not inflict pain and suffering on a corpse. Nielson, 
    187 Ill. 2d
    at 299. Therefore, actions taken to conceal a murder cannot
    show wanton cruelty, but may still be brutal or heinous.
    Defendant told Stearns and Walker that he cut off Miley=s
    head in an attempt to conceal it from ballistics testing. Expert
    testimony indicated that Miley was already dead when this
    occurred, and thus this evidence does not support a finding of
    wanton cruelty. However, it is cold-blooded to sever and
    conceal a victim=s head, denying his family the closure of
    burying their loved one intact. This act by defendant was
    certainly devoid of mercy or compassion. While it does not
    indicate wanton cruelty, it does indicate brutality. Thus, the
    evidence supports a finding that defendant=s crime was, at the
    least, brutal. We find that defendant has not met his burden of
    proof that the evidence was closely balanced as to whether
    defendant=s crime was exceptionally brutal or heinous.
    Defendant also told Stearns and Walker that he killed Miley
    by shooting him in the head. Based on this evidence, a jury
    could have concluded that when defendant administered the
    beating witnessed by Betty Boyer, he did not kill his victim, but
    merely inflicted the pain and suffering that is the hallmark of
    wanton cruelty. Boyer testified that defendant struck Miley in
    the head with a baseball bat when Miley had his back to
    defendant, and continued to strike Miley repeatedly after the
    victim fell to the ground. This evidence supports the finding that
    -16-
    defendant intentionally inflicted pain and suffering upon Miley,
    and thus displayed wanton cruelty. We find that defendant has
    not proved that the evidence was closely balanced on the issue
    of wanton cruelty.
    Defendant argues that Miley Acould have been dead before
    his body was placed in the trunk,@ and thus did not suffer
    prolonged pain. He also argues that because Stearns and
    Walker did not testify that defendant told them he struck Miley
    with a bat, it is questionable whether that beating occurred.
    However, these possibilities are not adequate to meet
    defendant=s burden of proof. Defendant also compares the
    evidence in this case to the circumstances of Crespo and
    Kaczmarek. He argues that the amount of force used in this
    case pales in comparison to the Crespo defendant=s repeated
    stabbing of his victim and the Kaczmarek defendant=s beating,
    stabbing, and strangling of an elderly woman. However, the
    possibility that the conduct of other defendants may be even
    more reprehensible does not establish that the evidence of
    brutal or heinous conduct indicative of wanton cruelty was
    closely balanced in this case.
    Finally, defendant argues that he was acquitted of the two
    Amore culpable@ counts of first degree murder, and therefore
    his crime must not have been brutal or heinous. The
    sentencing statute in question makes no distinction among the
    different ways that first degree murder may be committed. It
    merely provides that a defendant convicted of this crime may
    receive an enhanced sentence if the trier of fact finds that the
    murder was accompanied by exceptionally brutal or heinous
    behavior indicative of wanton cruelty. Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch.
    38, par. 1005B8B1(a) (codified as amended at 730 ILCS
    5/5B8B1(a)(1)(b) (West 2004)). It contains no exception for
    defendants convicted of supposedly Aless culpable@ first degree
    murders. If the trier of fact has made the proper findings, a
    court may apply the enhancement to any defendant convicted
    of first degree murder, regardless of the language on the
    verdict form. Thus, the enhancement may be applied to
    defendant.
    In sum, we find that defendant has not met his burden of
    proving that the evidence was closely balanced as to whether
    -17-
    his crime was exceptionally brutal or heinous and indicative of
    wanton cruelty. Thus, defendant has failed to show he was
    prejudiced by the trial court=s erroneous imposition of a
    sentencing enhancement based on a judge-made finding.
    Because he has not satisfied this court=s plain-error test, we
    decline to excuse defendant=s procedural default of the
    Apprendi violation. Accordingly, we reverse the judgment of the
    appellate court as it pertains to defendant=s sentence. We
    affirm the circuit court=s imposition of a sentence of life
    imprisonment.
    IV. CROSS-RELIEF
    The defendant also requests cross-relief, arguing that he
    has presented evidence to show that multiple jurors answered
    falsely to questions about potential bias or prejudice during voir
    dire. In support of this allegation, he points to a postverdict
    affidavit from juror Joan Davis and a letter that jury foreman
    Bart Masters wrote to the trial judge after the court sentenced
    defendant.
    The contents of Davis= affidavit are as follows:
    AI, Joan Davis, affiant, affirm and swear as follows:
    1. That I was a juror in the trial of Richard Nitz held
    in April 1998.
    2. Many of the jurors knew about the case before the
    trial and at least one juror stated that >he=s already been
    convicted once; how can we let him out=. She said this
    several times during the deliberations as did other
    jurors.
    3. Many jurors commented on the fact that Richard
    did not testify and because Mr. Nitz did not testify, he
    must be guilty.
    4. I was one of four >hold out= jurors because I did
    not believe that the state proved the case against
    Richard Nitz. I felt pressured into signing the guilty
    verdict and did so only because I was told by other
    jurors that Richard Nitz would be sentenced to time
    served for the offense if we signed the least culpable
    verdict form.
    -18-
    5. I was upset that other jurors would consider the
    other trials, including Richard Nitz=[s] wife=s trial results
    and that they would consider the fact that Mr. Nitz didn=t
    testify.@
    Masters= letter to the trial judge complimented the judge on
    his conduct of the trial and reflected on Masters= experience as
    a juror. The following paragraph of the letter is relevant to
    defendant=s argument for cross-relief:
    AI recently learned of the sentence that you handled [sic]
    down in this case. I too, thought that Mr. Nitz was a
    danger to society 10 years ago and is still a threat. I
    think justice was served for [the victim=s parents] and for
    the citizens of the state of Illinois.@
    This paragraph echoed a comment the trial judge made when
    sentencing defendant: AThe court believes that Mr. Nitz was
    dangerous when he murdered Mr. Miley and is still dangerous.@
    Defendant argues that this material shows jurors answered
    falsely when they were asked during voir dire if they could give
    defendant the presumption of innocence and decide the case
    based only on the evidence presented in court. The trial court
    found that the Davis affidavit was inadmissible because it
    addressed the nature and process of jury deliberations. It
    denied defendant=s posttrial motion for a new trial. The
    appellate court affirmed this judgment, noting that Awe will not
    invite a massive attack on the sanctity of verdicts by allowing
    the use of comments made during jury deliberations to suggest
    that jurors did not perform their duty to follow the law or
    otherwise shirked some commitment to legal principle made
    during voir dire.@ 
    353 Ill. App. 3d
    at 985. Defendant cross-
    appeals the appellate court=s decision, requesting relief in the
    form of a new trial. Alternatively, he asks us to remand the
    cause for an evidentiary hearing on this issue.
    As a general rule, testimony by jurors is not admissible to
    impeach a jury verdict. People v. Tobe, 
    49 Ill. 2d 538
    , 543
    (1971), quoting People v. Pulaski, 
    15 Ill. 2d 291
    , 300 (1958).
    However, certain exceptions to this rule exist. Defendant bases
    his argument on one such exception: that juror testimony is
    admissible to show that a juror answered falsely on voir dire
    -19-
    about a matter of potential bias or prejudice (Department of
    Public Works & Buildings v. Christensen, 
    25 Ill. 2d 273
    , 279
    (1962)). To prevail on a motion for a new trial based on false
    testimony during voir dire, a defendant must establish that (1) a
    juror answered falsely during voir dire and (2) prejudice
    resulted. Pekelder v. Edgewater Automotive Co., 
    68 Ill. 2d 136
    ,
    139 (1977), quoting 
    Christensen, 25 Ill. 2d at 279-80
    ; People v.
    Harris, 
    74 Ill. 2d 472
    , 475 (1979). This two-part test cannot be
    applied, however, to evidence that is inadmissible. Thus, we
    consider first whether the trial court erred when it declined to
    admit defendant=s evidence of alleged juror bias. We review
    the trial judge=s decision for abuse of discretion. 
    Pekelder, 68 Ill. 2d at 138
    .
    First, we find that any argument regarding Masters= letter
    has been procedurally defaulted. Defendant first raised his
    juror bias argument in his posttrial motion for a new trial on
    May 22, 1998. That motion based this argument on Davis=
    affidavit and the promise of two similar affidavits from other
    jurors, although the latter two affidavits never materialized. The
    trial court denied this motion and sentenced the defendant on
    July 29, 1998. On August 10, 1998, the court received Masters=
    letter and entered it into the record. Defendant filed a motion to
    reconsider his posttrial motion more than two weeks later, on
    August 29, 1998. That motion did not refer to Masters= letter,
    nor did defendant=s attorneys raise this evidence at a motion
    hearing on October 7, 1998. However, defendant argues on
    appeal that Masters= letter supports his allegations of juror bias.
    A court cannot consider evidence argued for the first time on
    appeal. People v. Brooks, 
    187 Ill. 2d
    91, 128 (1999); People v.
    Steidl, 
    142 Ill. 2d 204
    , 226 (1991). Defendant had the
    opportunity to raise Masters= letter when he renewed his
    posttrial motion or when the trial court heard arguments on that
    motion. He did not do so, and thus deprived the trial court of
    the opportunity to rule on whether this evidence was
    admissible. Accordingly, we will not consider it on appeal. See
    Brooks, 
    187 Ill. 2d
    at 128.
    Turning to the statements of juror Davis, we must decide
    whether the trial court abused its discretion when it found
    Davis= affidavit inadmissible. Our analysis is guided by People
    -20-
    v. Holmes, 
    69 Ill. 2d 507
    (1978), a case in which this court
    thoroughly detailed the principles that govern admissibility of
    juror affidavits. The evidence in Holmes included shoe prints
    that were left in the snow at the scene of a robbery attempt.
    
    Holmes, 69 Ill. 2d at 509
    . Unbeknownst to the court, several
    members of the jury visited a shoe store during the trial to
    investigate shoe sole patterns. 
    Holmes, 69 Ill. 2d at 510
    . Both
    the circuit court and appellate court found evidence of the jury=s
    extraneous investigation to be inadmissible. 
    Holmes, 69 Ill. 2d at 510
    -11. We made the following observation about
    postverdict juror testimony:
    A[T]he situations in which the testimony or affidavit of a
    juror is offered in an attempt to impeach a jury verdict
    fall into two broad categories. In the first category are
    those instances in which it is attempted to prove by a
    juror=s testimony or affidavit the motive, method or
    process by which the jury reached its verdict. These,
    almost without exception, have been held inadmissible.
    [Citations.] The second category involves those
    situations in which the testimony or affidavit of a juror is
    offered as proof of conditions or events brought to the
    attention of the jury without any attempt to show its
    effect on the juror=s deliberations or mental processes.
    In most jurisdictions such proof is admissible.@ 
    Holmes, 69 Ill. 2d at 511-12
    .
    The difference between the two types of testimony is that
    the former attempts to show the working of the minds of
    individual jurors, while the latter speaks merely to the
    extraneous existence of conditions or occurrence of events.
    
    Holmes, 69 Ill. 2d at 512
    , quoting State v. Kociolek, 
    20 N.J. 92
    ,
    99-100, 
    118 A.2d 812
    , 816 (1955). This second type of juror
    testimony is subject to verification by other evidence. 
    Holmes, 69 Ill. 2d at 513
    . Thus, juror testimony about extraneous
    prejudicial information is admissible, while testimony about the
    effect of that information on the mental processes of jury
    members would not be admissible. 
    Holmes, 69 Ill. 2d at 514
    ,
    516, citing 
    Pulaski, 15 Ill. 2d at 300
    . Because evidence of the
    shoe-store expedition was extraneous, we held it to be
    admissible. 
    Holmes, 69 Ill. 2d at 516
    .
    -21-
    The difference between the two types of evidence is
    illustrated by our decision in People v. Hobley, 
    182 Ill. 2d 404
    (1998). In Hobley, we found juror affidavits admissible
    regarding an incident where several nonjurors attempted to
    intimidate jurors at the hotel where the jury was sequestered.
    
    Hobley, 182 Ill. 2d at 459
    . However, we found that affidavits
    accusing the jury foreperson of improperly intimidating other
    jurors into a guilty vote were inadmissible because they
    pertained to the jury=s motive, method, or process of
    deliberation. 
    Hobley, 182 Ill. 2d at 463
    ; see also People v.
    Pitsonbarger, 
    205 Ill. 2d 444
    , 469 (2002) (refusing to consider
    juror affidavits which Adeal[t] exclusively with the content of
    private jury deliberations, albeit deliberations engaged in
    improperly and in violation of the court=s instructions@).
    When courts have admitted evidence of juror bias under the
    Christensen exception now relied on by defendant, it has been
    evidence that complies with the rule set forth in Holmes. Such
    evidence relates not to the motive, method, or process of jury
    deliberations, but to the existence of some extraneous event or
    condition which may prejudice a juror, and which should have
    been revealed in voir dire to allow the parties and the court to
    make informed decisions when empaneling the jury. In
    Christensen, for example, jurors in an eminent domain case
    had been asked in voir dire whether they or any close relatives
    had been involved in any condemnations. Christensen, 
    25 Ill. 2d
    at 278. All jurors answered the question in the negative, but
    during deliberations one juror revealed that her brother had
    been involved in two condemnation suits. Christensen, 
    25 Ill. 2d
    at 278. We held that the trial court did not abuse its
    discretion by considering an affidavit on this point. 
    Christensen, 25 Ill. 2d at 279-80
    . The fact that a juror=s brother has been
    involved in two condemnation suits can be easily verified by
    extraneous evidence. An affidavit which states this fact does
    not involve the mental process of any juror. Thus, its
    admissibility complies with both Christensen and Holmes. See
    also 
    Pekelder, 68 Ill. 2d at 137-38
    (considering posttrial
    testimony that juror was involved in separate lawsuit at time of
    his jury service, something he denied in voir dire); People v.
    Porter, 
    111 Ill. 2d 386
    , 403 (1986) (defendant could have
    -22-
    submitted affidavit showing nature of relationship between juror
    and victim=s mother to support his claim of concealed bias);
    Schulz v. Rockwell Manufacturing Co., Rockwell International
    Corp., 
    108 Ill. App. 3d 113
    , 122 (1982) (considering posttrial
    affidavits stating that one juror had been fired by defendant and
    the husband of another juror had been involved in a lawsuit
    against defendant, neither of which was revealed in voir dire).
    Although defendant argues that the affidavit of juror Davis
    shows prejudice not disclosed in voir dire, it is nevertheless
    inadmissible under Holmes because it concerns the jury=s
    motive, method, or process of deliberations. Davis= allegations
    that jurors inappropriately considered defendant=s previous trial
    and his failure to testify are not subject to extraneous proof.
    Unlike the fact of involvement in another lawsuit (see, e.g.,
    Christensen, 
    25 Ill. 2d
    at 278; Pekelder, 
    68 Ill. 3d
    at 137-38) or
    connection with a victim=s relative (see, e.g., 
    Porter, 111 Ill. 2d at 403
    ), the statements in Davis= affidavit cannot be verified by
    evidence other than the jury=s own motive, method, or process.
    Like the affidavits in Pitsonbarger, Davis= affidavit addresses
    only the jury=s private deliberations, even if those deliberations
    were conducted in violation of the court=s instructions. See
    
    Pitsonbarger, 205 Ill. 2d at 469
    . Although Christensen admits
    juror affidavits to show bias or prejudice concealed on voir dire
    (Christensen, 
    25 Ill. 2d
    at 279), such affidavits must concern
    some evidence external to the jury=s motive, method, or
    process (see 
    Holmes, 69 Ill. 2d at 514
    ). Thus, we hold that the
    trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to admit Davis=
    affidavit to show that jurors answered falsely on voir dire. Our
    decision as to the affidavit=s inadmissibility makes it
    unnecessary to consider whether the affidavit satisfies
    defendant=s burden to show that he was prejudiced by a juror=s
    false testimony on voir dire. See 
    Pekelder, 68 Ill. 2d at 139
    .
    V. CONCLUSION
    For the reasons stated, we reverse the appellate court=s
    modification of defendant=s sentence. We affirm the trial court=s
    imposition of a sentence of life imprisonment. We affirm the
    decisions of the trial court and the appellate court as they
    pertain to defendant=s request for cross-relief.
    -23-
    Judgments affirmed in part
    and reversed in part.
    JUSTICE KILBRIDE, specially concurring:
    While I agree with the majority that the application of the
    plain-error doctrine in Apprendi cases is permissible under the
    Supreme Court=s recent decision in Booker (slip op. at 8-9), I
    am troubled for two reasons by the majority=s additional
    approval of the harmless-error doctrine in those cases.
    First, the Booker quotation cited by the majority (slip op. at
    9) plainly sets forth two distinct rationales for the Court=s beliefs
    that not Aevery sentence gives rise to a Sixth Amendment
    violation@ and not Aevery appeal will lead to a new sentencing
    hearing.@ 
    Booker, 543 U.S. at 268
    , 160 L. Ed. 2d at 665, 125 S.
    Ct. at 769. The Court=s initial rationale is Abecause [the Court]
    expect[s] reviewing courts to apply ordinary prudential
    doctrines, determining, for example, whether the issue was
    raised below and whether it fails the >plain-error= test.@ 
    Booker, 543 U.S. at 268
    , 160 L. Ed. 2d at 
    665, 125 S. Ct. at 769
    . See
    slip op. at 9. This statement provides an appropriate basis for
    the majority=s conclusion that cases involving sixth amendment
    violations are subject to plain-error analysis, and I concur in
    that assessment.
    The Booker Court then notes the second rationale
    underlying its beliefs, stating A[i]t is also because, in cases not
    involving a Sixth Amendment violation, whether resentencing is
    warranted or whether it will instead be sufficient to review a
    sentence for reasonableness may depend upon application of
    the harmless-error doctrine.@ (Emphasis added.) 
    Booker, 543 U.S. at 268
    , 160 L. Ed. 2d at 
    665, 125 S. Ct. at 769
    . While this
    statement does not expressly bar the use of harmless-error
    analysis in sixth amendment/Apprendi cases, it most assuredly
    does so implicitly. Indeed, I can conceive of no reason for
    adding that carefully tailored limitation other than to remove
    those cases from the broad category of matters subject to the
    doctrine of harmless error. That limitation on the use of
    harmless error is particularly striking because the Booker
    Court=s approval of the use of plain-error analysis in the
    -24-
    immediately preceding sentence contains no hint of any similar
    limitation. For this reason, I believe the majority=s opinion
    improperly relies on Booker to support the unjustified
    reaffirmation of prior holdings on the use of harmless-error
    analysis in Apprendi cases as announced in Thurow and its
    progeny. Slip op. at 11, 12.
    Not only do I believe the majority errs in reaffirming prior
    harmless-error holdings by overlooking the specific limitations
    expressed in Booker, but I also conclude that the majority
    reaches that decision prematurely and unnecessarily. Prior to
    beginning its Booker discussion, the majority correctly notes
    that, under this court=s prior case law, plain-error analysis
    applies when a defendant has failed to object to an alleged
    error while harmless-error applies when a defendant has raised
    a timely objection. Slip op. at 7. As the majority properly
    concludes, A[i]n the instant case, defendant did not make a
    timely objection to the extended-term sentence he received
    based on the trial judge=s finding that his conduct was brutal or
    heinous. Thus, plain-error analysis applies to a review of his
    sentence. [Citations.] The appellate court erred by applying
    harmless-error analysis.@ Slip op. at 8.
    If at that point the majority had examined the effect of the
    Booker decision on the use of plain-error analysis in this case,
    found it to be permissible, conducted its own plain-error review,
    and ultimately concluded that plain error was not shown, I
    would have had no qualm with the opinion. Instead, the
    majority engages in a dicta-laden discussion of the applicability
    of harmless-error analysis in sixth amendment cases, ending in
    its extension of the harmless-error doctrine to those matters
    under the auspices of Booker. Only after treading down that
    dubious path, does the majority focus on the resolution of
    defendant=s plain-error claim.
    As the majority repeatedly concedes, Nitz is a plain-error
    case. Slip op. at 8, 11. It is not a harmless-error case. For this
    reason, I disagree with the majority=s unnecessary discussion
    -25-
    of the application of that doctrine to sixth amendment cases.
    By properly deciding this case on the basis of plain error, the
    majority has no need to consider the propriety of the harmless-
    error doctrine in this or any other sixth amendment case and,
    further, to conclude that the use of harmless-error analysis
    announced in Thurow has now been given the Supreme
    Court=s imprimatur of approval in Booker. As I have explained,
    Booker simply does not support that conclusion. Accordingly, I
    reject those portions of the majority=s analysis, while concurring
    in its plain-error review as well as the remainder of its opinion.
    -26-