Robert Crimo III pleads guilty in Highland Park shooting

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. – Robert Crimo III, charged in the 2022 Highland Park Fourth of July shooting, pleaded guilty on all counts Monday morning.

Appearing in a Lake County circuit courtroom, Crimo III withdrew his earlier not-guilty plea in the shooting. 

Prosecutors initially charged him with 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. 

On Monday, Judge Victoria Rossetti read the charges to Crimo and asked questions to be sure he understood before any open plea was read to the court. 

The judge said with the plea change, there would be no trial or further motions on the case.

Sentencing will come April 23, but Crimo is certain to spend the rest of his life behind bars. 

Each count of first-degree murder carries a natural life prison sentence. 

Crimo did not further address the court or ask questions before leaving the courtroom.

Live Updates:

Monday, March 3

12:15 p.m.: Highland Park mayor releases a statement.

“Our thoughts and hearts remain with the families whose loved ones were senselessly taken, those who were injured, and everyone whose lives were forever changed by this horrific act.

“Today’s guilty plea is an important step toward justice, but does not erase the pain. We share our deep appreciation and admiration for Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart and his entire team for their tireless work to pursue justice on behalf of the Highland Park community. We also express our thanks to the first responders, law enforcement officers and hospital personnel for their professionalism throughout the entire investigation.

“We are confident in our legal system. We recognize that there are milestones ahead. We continue to stand together and remain committed to supporting the victims, their families, and our entire community as we move forward together as one Highland Park.”

11:35 a.m.: Lake County state’s attorney and Highland Park mayor speak to the press after Crimo’s guilty plea.

10:40 a.m.: Ashbey Beasley, a woman who attended the 2022 Highland Park Fourth of July , spoke to the press following Crimo’s guilty plea. 

10:15 a.m.: Crimo’s mother speaks to the press.

9:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.: Prosecutors explained that had the case gone to trial, they would have been able to prove Crimo was responsible for firing multiple rounds, killing seven people and injuring dozens at the 2022 Highland Park 4th of July Parade.

9:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.: Crimo’s attorneys then reaffirmed his guilty plea. The judge asked Crimo several questions to confirm that his decision to plead guilty was entirely his own. Crimo confirmed it was.

9:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.: The defense announced that Crimo wished to change his plea, prompting an outburst from his mother in the courtroom. She raised her voice, referencing a “court order.” Bailiffs quickly surrounded her, and the judge called her to the bench, warning her that such outbursts would not be tolerated.

9:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.: A juror was dismissed and replaced by an alternate.

9:15 a.m.: A brief recess was called to address an “issue with a juror.” Crimo III was present in a black suit, with both of his parents in the courtroom.

Details on the shooting

The backstory:

Authorities said Robert Crimo III, 24, confessed to police that he unleashed a hail of bullets on a crowd of people attending a July Fourth in Highland Park in 2022.

During a court hearing presenting the murder charges, Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Ben Dillon said Crimo climbed up the fire escape of a building above the , “looked down his sights, aimed” and fired at people across the street. He left 83 spent bullet casings and three ammunition magazines on the rooftop.

Witnesses described initial confusion as the shots began, followed by panic as families fled the route through downtown Highland Park, an affluent suburb of about 30,000 people near Lake Michigan.

Investigators said Crimo initially evaded capture by disguising himself as a woman and blending into the fleeing crowd to get away from the scene.

“Investigators do believe he did this to conceal his facial tattoos and his identity and help him during the escape with the other people who were fleeing the chaos,” said Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli.

Crimo then borrowed his mother’s car and briefly contemplated a second attack on a celebration in Madison, Wisconsin, before returning to Illinois, where police arrested him.

Authorities said Crimo ditched the semi-automatic rifle he used in Illinois, but he had another, similar rifle and about 60 more rounds with him.

The attack left a toddler without parents, families mourning the loss of beloved grandparents and a synagogue grieving the death of a congregant who for decades had also worked on the staff.

Who were the victims?

Dozens of people were wounded during the attack, including 8-year-old Cooper Roberts who was left paralyzed from the waist down when the shooting severed his spine.

Those killed in the attack were 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.

KEVIN and IRINA MCCARTHY

It was supposed to be a fun day for the couple, who brought their 2-year-old son, Aiden, with them to watch marching bands and patriotic floats.

Instead, they were killed in the gunfire, leaving their son orphaned. A stranger scooped up the toddler and handed him to Greg Ring as he took cover with his wife and three children behind a popular pancake house.

The family was later able to identify the boy and reunite him with his grandparents. Friends of the McCarthys said Irina’s parents would care for the boy going forward.

STEPHEN STRAUS

Straus showed up to the early and was attending alone, according to his grandchildren, who ate dinner with him the night before.

The Independence Day was an annual tradition for Straus — one of the many ways the 88-year-old financial advisor stayed active and involved in his community. According to his family, Straus rode the train to work every day, walked and biked regularly, and loved to visit art museums and festivals.

Stephen Straus is survived by a brother, a wife, his son and four grandchildren.

JACQUELYN SUNDHEIM

Sundheim loved her synagogue, where she once taught preschoolers and coordinated bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies. She had worked there for decades and was a devoted, lifelong member known for her kindness and warmth, synagogue officials said in a statement.

Sundheim, 63, was survived by her husband, Bruce, and their daughter Leah, according to an email the synagogue sent to congregants.

KATHERINE GOLDSTEIN

Goldstein’s husband described her as an easygoing travel companion who was always game to visit far-flung locales.

“She didn’t complain,” Craig Goldstein, a hospital physician, told The New York Times. “She was always along for the ride.”

Goldstein was a mother of two daughters in their early 20s, Cassie and Alana. She attended the with her eldest daughter, Cassie, so she could reunite with friends from high school, Goldstein said.

NICOLAS TOLEDO-ZARAGOZA

Toledo-Zaragoza had come to Illinois to visit his family about two months before the shooting, according to his granddaughter, Xochil Toledo.

His family wanted him to stay permanently because of injuries he had suffered after being hit by a car a couple of years ago during an earlier visit to Highland Park. Toledo-Zaragoza was hit by three bullets and died at the scene.

EDUARDO UVALDO

For the Uvaldo family, like others in the Highland Park area, the Independence Day was an annual tradition.

When gunfire erupted from a rooftop along the route, Eduardo Uvaldo was shot twice. His wife, Maria, was struck in the head by bullet fragments and his grandson was shot in the arm.

What is Robert Crimo III charged with?

Crimo had been indicted by a grand jury on 117 felony charges, including 21 first-degree murder counts, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery.

The multiple first-degree murder charges allege Crimo intended to kill, cause death or great bodily harm and took action with a strong probability of causing death or great bodily harm to the seven people who died.

Prosecutors said the 48 attempted murder counts and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm represent “each victim who was struck by a bullet, bullet fragment, or shrapnel.”

Crimo would face a mandatory life sentence without parole if convicted of first-degree murder.

Before jury selection began on Monday, Lake County prosecutors moved to dismiss the 48 aggravated battery charges, although it was unclear why.

What do we know about Crimo’s past?

Dig deeper:

Robert Crimo III is the son of Denise Pesina and Robert Crimo Jr., a former Highland Park mayoral candidate in 2020 and president at Bob’s Pantry & Deli in Highland Park.

Crimo was an aspiring rapper with the stage name “Awake the Rapper.” An IMDB page previously stated that Crimo is a “six-foot Hip Hop phenom” born on Sept. 20, 2000. “He’s the middle child of three and of Italian descent,” the page reads.

Crimo began uploading his music to the internet at age 11, but first gained traction with his 2016 track “By The Pond,” according to IMDB.

The rapper released a cryptic track called “Are You Awake” on Oct. 15, 2021. The track appears to suggest that Crimo was planning a life-defining act beyond his ability to stop. The video includes drawings of a man aiming a rifle at another person.

Police have said Crimo had two previous encounters with authorities.

In April 2019, Crimo attempted suicide by machete, according to a police report obtained by The Associated Press that noted a “history of attempts.”

In September 2019, police returned after a family member reported that Crimo had a collection of knives and had threatened to “kill everyone.” But according to Illinois State Police, both Crimo and his mother disputed the allegation.

“The individual told police he did not feel like hurting himself or others and was offered mental health resources,” the statement said.

Police have said Crimo’s father, Robert Crimo Jr., later told investigators the knives belonged to him, and authorities returned them.

When the younger Crimo applied for a state gun license in December 2019, his father supported it, a requirement for applicants who are under 21.

What do we know about the trial?

Lake County Circuit Court Judge Victoria A. Rossetti is overseeing Crimo’s jury trial at the Lake County Courthouse in north suburban Waukegan, with jury selection starting on Monday.

Lake County Public Defender Gregory Ticsay will represent Crimo alongside Assistant Public Defender Anton Trizna. The prosecution will be led by Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart.

The case has moved slowly for months, partly due to Crimo’s unpredictable behavior. He didn’t show up to two previous court hearings, refusing to leave his cell at the Lake County Jail.

At a June hearing where he was expected to accept a plea deal and give victims and relatives a chance to address him publicly, he changed course and rejected the deal. He also fired his public defenders and said he would represent himself. Then he abruptly reversed himself.

In December, Rossetti declined to throw out statements in which Crimo allegedly confessed to the shooting in the days after the attack, saying he willingly waived his right to remain silent while speaking to police, and there was no “coercion, deceit or intimidation” to prevent him from talking to a lawyer.

Crimo’s defense team had argued that a lawyer hired by his family was at the police station following the shooting but that investigators wouldn’t let them meet, a violation of constitutional rights.

Rossetti, however, noted that video footage shows Crimo saying he didn’t want to stop the police interview to speak to a lawyer. She described the interview as “conversational and non-threatening with an informal and relaxed atmosphere.”

“I’ve heard them a million times,” Crimo said at one point about his rights.

Rossetti said the trial is expected to last between three to five weeks and will be held Monday through Thursday, with Fridays off. No cameras will be allowed in the courtroom.

Who are the jurors?

What we know:

A full jury of 12 members—six men and six women—was selected to hear this case, along with six alternates—four men and two women.

Among those chosen are a camp counselor, retired toolmaker, hospice nurse, accountant, and warehouse worker.

Legal experts, including Chicago trial attorney Karen Conti, say the jury selection process moved faster than many would have expected.

“This is a small community, a community that was horribly affected by this. There are memorials all over. There’s nobody in this community that wouldn’t have heard of this crime,” Conti said. “And so, it surprises me greatly that we have this many jurors already who have said they can put aside their preconceived notions and be impartial.”

Throughout the trial, prosecutors will dive into the details of what unfolded nearly three years ago on Independence Day, which started as a celebratory day but ended in sheer terror.

Dozens of witnesses will be called to testify, including first responders, family members of those killed, and community members who were injured in the shooting. For many of them, the trial will be an opportunity to seek closure from the life-altering events.

“They’re going to see horrible crime scene pictures. They’re going to be seeing autopsies. They’re going to be seeing horrible things that are going to be very traumatizing to the average person,” Conti explained.

Crimo, who is accused of killing seven people and injuring 48 others on July 4, 2022, during Highland Park’s annual , has been absent from court for much of the jury selection process.

On Monday, he was in attendance—wearing a suit and tie, unshackled—for the first half of the day, but did not return from jail following a mid-day break. On Tuesday, he pulled the same stunt, and on Wednesday, he failed to show up entirely.

“It’s a very, very bad decision. This is a guy who’s expecting people from all walks of life to give up four to five weeks of their family time, their job, time to give him his constitutional right to a fair trial and to presume him innocent. And he doesn’t want to show up because he’s bored. I will tell you, that is a huge bad decision,” Conti said.

Crimo’s parents were in court on Monday; his father attended part of the day on Wednesday.

Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti has made it clear that the trial will move forward with or without the defendant present.

Who are the jurors?

All of the selected jurors live in Lake County. Some have been lifelong residents, while others recently moved to the area.

The panel of 12 jurors includes a business analyst, nurse, chef, accountant, EMT, and local township employee.

The six alternates include a supply chain officer, secretary, and investment advisor.

How was Crimo’s father involved?

Separately, his father, Robert Crimo Jr., served part of a 60-day sentence for sponsoring a firearm application for his son.

Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty in November 2023 to seven misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct. He was originally charged with seven felony counts of reckless conduct — one for each person his son is accused of killing.

Crimo Jr. was released early from prison for good behavior on December 13, 2023.

Three years before the attack in Highland Park, Crimo III, at 19, was not old enough to seek his own gun license, but could apply with the sponsorship of a parent or guardian. His father signed off on the application even though, just months earlier, a relative reported to police that Crimo III had threatened to “kill everyone.”

Authorities said Crimo III legally bought the rifle used in the attack in Illinois within a year of the shooting. In all, police said Crimo III purchased five firearms, which were recovered by officers at his father’s home.

Crimo Jr.’s case was significant because it was a rare example of a parent or guardian held criminally responsible for the actions of a mass shooting suspect.

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