WAUKEGAN, Illinois (KeynoteUSA) — A man accused of killing seven people and injuring dozens In 2022, a man attending a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb is expected to change his initial not guilty plea at a hearing Wednesday.
What you need to know
- Robert Crimo III will be tried in February on dozens of charges, including murder and attempted murder, shooting in highland park
- Lake County prosecutors confirmed last week that Crimo could change his not guilty plea at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning, about a week before the second anniversary of the mass shooting.
- Crimo would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted of first-degree murder
- Authorities have said the accused gunman confessed to police days after opening fire from a rooftop in Highland Park, an affluent suburb home to about 30,000 people near the shore of Lake Michigan.
- Robert Crimo III will be tried in February on dozens of charges, including murder and attempted murder, shooting in highland park
- Lake County prosecutors confirmed last week that Crimo could change his not guilty plea at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning, about a week before the second anniversary of the mass shooting.
- Crimo would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted of first-degree murder
- Authorities have said the accused gunman confessed to police days after opening fire from a rooftop in Highland Park, an affluent suburb home to about 30,000 people near the shore of Lake Michigan.
Robert Crimo III will be tried in February on dozens of charges, including murder and attempted murder, for shooting in Highland Park. Lake County prosecutors confirmed last week that Crimo could change his not guilty plea at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning, about a week before the second anniversary of the mass shooting.
The statement issued by Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart’s office did not provide further details about the expected changes or how they might influence sentencing. Crimo would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole if he is convicted of first-degree murder.
The public defender’s office, which is defending Crimo, did not respond to a request for comment last week and generally does not comment on its cases.
The criminal case has been progressing slowly for months. At one point, Crimo insisted that he wanted fire their public defenders and represent yourself. He abruptly reversed that decision weeks later.
Authorities have said the accused gunman confessed to police days after opening fire from a rooftop in Highland Park, an affluent suburb home to about 30,000 people near the shore of Lake Michigan. They said he initially fled to the Madison, Wisconsin, area and watched a second shooting at a parade there, but returned to Chicago’s northern suburbs.
Those killed in the attack were Katherine Goldstein, 64; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolás Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; and Eduardo Uvaldo, 69, and couple Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35.
The McCarthys’ 2-year-old son was found alone at the scene and eventually reunited with members of his extended family.
All of them were from the Highland Park area except for Toledo-Zaragoza, who was visiting relatives in the city from Morelos, Mexico.
The violence focused attention on Ban on semi-automatic weapons in Highland Park in 2013 and high capacity chargers. Illinois officials have long maintained that legal and illegal guns are easily purchased in neighboring states, making it difficult for even the strictest local laws to be effective.
Authorities said Crimo, a resident of nearby Highwood, legally purchased the rifle. But he first applied for a state gun license in 2019, when he was 19, too young to apply independently in Illinois.
His father sponsored the request, although police reports show that months earlier a relative informed police that Crimo III had threatened to “kill everyone” and had made several threats to commit suicide.
Prosecutors initially charged the father, Robert Crimo Jr., with seven felony counts of reckless conduct and he pleaded guilty in November. to seven misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail and released early for good behavior.
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