People v. Butts

Defendants, Ronald Eeith Butts and Michael Smith, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and were sentenced to 30-year terms of imprisonment, the maximum unextended term for a Class X felony. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1983, ch. 38, pars. 8 — 4(c)(1), 1005 — 8—1(a)(3).) Their respective motions for reconsideration were denied, and each defendant timely appealed. We granted the State’s motion to consolidate the cases.

The dispositive issue is whether the court improperly considered the statutory factors which justify an extended-term sentence in imposing the nonextended 30-year terms.

A brief review of the…