Illinois man accused of deadly mass shooting at July 4th parade faces
trial 3 years after attack
[March 03, 2025]
By SOPHIA TAREEN
WAUKEGAN, Ill (AP) — The trial of a suburban Chicago man accused of a
mass shooting at a 2022 Independence Day parade that killed seven people
and wounded dozens more is set to begin Monday.
Robert Crimo III faces 21 counts of first-degree murder, three counts
for each person killed, as well as 48 counts of attempted murder.
Prosecutors dropped the less serious 48 counts of aggravated battery
before jury selection last week.
The road to the trial has been bumpy, with delays partly due to Crimo’s
unpredictability, including his rejection of a plea deal that even
surprised his attorneys. As potential jurors were questioned last week,
he sporadically appeared in court, at times refusing to leave his jail
cell.
Authorities alleged Crimo perched on a roof and fired into crowds
assembled for the annual Fourth of July parade in downtown Highland
Park, 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Chicago.
Prosecutors have submitted thousands of pages of evidence, as well as
hours of a videotaped interrogation during which police say Crimo
confessed to the shooting. But the 24-year-old has since pleaded not
guilty.
His defense attorneys have declined comment ahead of the trial, which is
expected to last about a month.
His father, Robert Crimo Jr., a onetime mayoral candidate, was charged
in connection with how his son obtained a gun license. He pleaded guilty
in 2023 to seven misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct and served less
than two months in jail.
He has attended his son’s hearings, sometimes making eye contact with
him during court. He declined to discuss the case in detail ahead of the
trial.
“As a parent, I love my son very much,” he said. “And Bobby loves this
country more than anyone would ever know.”
Prosecutors plan to call multiple law enforcement officers and survivors
of the shooting to testify. They also will show videos of Crimo’s
statements to police. Some of the videos already have been shown in
court as prosecutors tried unsuccessfully to have them thrown out.
Crimo’s erratic behavior has contributed to court delays.
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Robert E. Crimo, III listens as potential jurors are questioned for
his trial at the Lake County Courthouse Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in
Waukegan, Ill. (Brian Hill/Daily Herald via AP, Pool, File)
He fired his public defenders and said he would represent himself,
then abruptly reversed himself. In June 2024, when he was expected
to accept a plea deal and give victims and relatives a chance to
address him publicly, he arrived at the court in a wheelchair and
rejected the deal.
Residents in the wealthy Highland Park community of roughly 30,000
set along Lake Michigan have mourned the losses deeply. Some
potential jurors were excused because of their connections to the
case.
City leaders canceled the usual parade in 2023, opting for a
“community walk.” The parade was reinstated last year on a different
route and with a memorial for the victims.
“Our community is once again reminded of the immense pain and trauma
caused by the Highland Park shooting,” Highland Park Mayor Nancy
Rotering said in a statement ahead of jury selection. “Our hearts
remain with the victims, their families, and all those whose lives
were forever changed by that devastating day.”
The victims killed in the shooting included Katherine Goldstein, 64;
Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza,
78; Eduardo Uvaldo, 69; and married couple Kevin McCarthy, 37, and
Irina McCarthy, 35.
Survivors and their families have filed multiple lawsuits, including
against the maker of the semiautomatic rifle used in the shooting
and against authorities they accuse of negligence.
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