tell her mother.
In support of its second factor, the State pointed to defendant's confession. According to the State, defendant said that one reason he killed the victim was that after he had forced her to have sexual intercourse with him, she threatened to call the police. As he was on parole, defendant knew he would be returned to prison. Defendant then took the claw hammer and killed the victim. It should be noted that the defendant's taped confession is not included in the record on appeal, nor was it offered or admitted at sentencing; however, the affidavit for application for warrant indicates that defendant stated the following during his taped confession: "Livingston advised that he engaged in a verbal argument with Lowery. He later tied her up witha necktie, and had non-consensual sex with her twice. Lowery threatened to alert police, and Livingston produced a claw hammer. He then struck her in the head numerous times."
*856 As to the third factor, the State argued that striking the victim 19 times in the head with a claw hammer is an especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel manner of killing. The autopsy report was introduced and corroborated the massive multiple trauma to the head and various other injuries.
In mitigation, defense counsel argued that the victim was a prostitute and defendant had paid her for her favors. He further argued defendant killed the victim to prevent her from advising the police he had taken and used some of the victim's crack cocaine as opposed to the State's argument that