People v. Swamynathan

Justices Freeman, Thomas, Kilbride, Garman, Karmeier, and Burke concurred in the judgment and opinion.

OPINION

Defendant, Ramesh K. Swamynathan, entered a plea of guilty but mentally ill to one count of first degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Nearly two years later, defendant filed a pro se motion to withdraw his guilty plea and vacate his sentence, asserting that he was unfit to enter the guilty plea, rendering his plea involuntary. The circuit court of Lake County re-characterized defendant’s motion as a postconviction petition and summarily dismissed the petition as…