People v. Frey

Defendants, Michael Frey, David K. Melvin, and Lathan C. Ruffin, were convicted on pleas of guilty in separate and unrelated proceedings. Each defendant filed a motion under Rule 604(d) (58 Ill. 2d R. 604(d)) to withdraw his plea and vacate the judgment. In each case the trial court denied the motion, defendant appealed to the Appellate Court for the Fifth District, and that court dismissed the appeal. We granted defendants’ petitions for leave to appeal, and consolidated the three appeals for argument and decision.

The critical issue in each case is the meaning to be given the clear language…