Illinois parade shooting survivors, victims’ families expected at alleged gunman’s plea-change hearing
CHICAGO — Lake County authorities were readying for Wednesday’s hearing that may conclude the criminal prosecution of Robert Crimo III in the mass shooting at the 2022 Highland Park Fourth of July parade that killed seven and wounded dozens.
State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart made a brief statement last week that Crimo intended to change his plea at Wednesday’s hearing, which suggests that Crimo plans to plead guilty to some or all of the more than 100 felony counts lodged against him.
Rinehart declined to discuss details when the news came out Thursday, and he did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment. Crimo is being represented by the Lake County Public Defender’s Office. Attempts to reach a representative of the office for comment were unsuccessful.
Interest in Crimo’s most recent courtroom appearances had subsided, as prosecutors and defense attorneys worked through an assortment of pretrial matters — which are a routine part of any prosecution — with an eye toward a February 2025 trial date.
However, Wednesday’s hearing is expected to generate a lot of interest locally and nationwide. Kasey Morgan, the spokeswoman for the Lake County courts, said her office was working to accommodate survivors and family members of the victims of the parade shooting who want to attend, as well as members of Crimo’s family who want to be in the courtroom, which can hold about 110 people.
The courts office has also received requests for seats from area elected officials, and representatives of national news organizations.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, which is in charge of courtroom security, said it plans to have additional security in place. What everyone will actually see, though, has not been publicly detailed.
If Crimo does change his plea to guilty, the case could move immediately into the sentencing phase. That could include testimony from law enforcement officers, detailing evidence that connects Crimo to the shootings.
Victims could also give impact statements, attorneys for the state and defense would make arguments regarding punishment, and Crimo would be given the opportunity to make a statement before Judge Victoria Rossetti imposes sentence.
Should Crimo plead guilty to the first-degree murder of more than one of the seven people killed, he would face an automatic sentence of life in prison. Prosecutors leveled more than 100 felony charges in the case, including 21 counts of first-degree murder.
Crimo has been in custody since the day of the shootings. Authorities said he climbed atop a building in downtown Highland Park and fired dozens of bullets from an assault rifle into the crowd gathered for the Independence Day parade. He initially evaded arrest by donning a disguise and blending into the panicked crowd, police said.
Several hours later, after Crimo became a suspect, a police officer stopped his car and took Crimo into custody.
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