WAUKEGAN, Ill (AP) — An Illinois man pleaded guilty Monday to killing seven people and injuring dozens more when he opened fire on a 2022 Independence Day parade in a Chicago suburb, a stunning development moments before opening statements in his trial on murder and attempted murder charges.
Appearing in a Lake County circuit courtroom, Robert E. Crimo III, 24, withdrew his earlier not-guilty plea in the Highland Park 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 48 less serious 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. He was sitting next to his lawyers wearing a dark suit.
“Is that what you went over with your attorneys?” Rossetti asked.
“Yes,” Crimo replied to the judge.
He gave mostly one-word answers to her follow-up questions. His mother, Denise Pesina, had a brief outburst at the news and was called up to the judge for a warning.
“We’re going to move forward," the judge said to her. “You are not a party to this proceeding. If you would like to stay in the courtroom please have a seat and be quiet.”
She was allowed to stay.
The judge said with the plea change, there would be no trial or further motions. Jurors, who were chosen last week, had not even been let into the courtroom yet when the plea change happened.
The legal proceedings have moved slowly, partly due to Crimo's unpredictable behavior. Last year, Crimo was expected to accept a plea deal and give victims and relatives a chance to address him publicly, but changed his mind at the last minute, shocking even his attorneys.
He also fired his public defenders and said he would represent himself. Then he abruptly reversed himself. As potential jurors were questioned last week, he sporadically appeared in court, at times refusing to leave his jail cell.
“He has knowingly and voluntarily waived those rights and pleaded guilty,” Rossetti said Monday.
Prosecutors read the names of all those killed in the shooting and of those injured, with the judge stopping to ask questions to make sure Crimo understood. They went over the substantial evidence, including statements to police admitting to the mass shooting.
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 maximum natural life prison sentence.
Crimo didn't further address the court before leaving the courtroom.
His public defenders, who have declined comment during legal proceedings, did not address reporters after the hearing.
Security was very tight at the courthouse, with multiple bag checks and observers required to lock up their phones. The crowd expecting to hear opening statements included survivors and their family members.
The change of plea shocked those gathered in the courtroom.
Ashbey Beasley, who attended the 2022 parade with her son, said it was a huge relief. She said they had to run for their lives and even though they weren’t injured, they have had to heal. Seeing Crimo at hearings has added to their trauma.
“Every single time I see him, it’s stressful. It’s upsetting for everyone in our community,” she told reporters after court. “We all just wanted this to be over.”
A spokeswoman for a law firm representing dozens of survivors in a lawsuit said they were ready to “pursue civil justice.” 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.
“They have all gone home to process,” said Jennifer McGuffin with Chicago-based Romanucci & Blandin LLC. “They each expressed an individual and a collective sense of relief, but today was a very emotional event and they are asking for some time and space to come to terms with what happened.
The trial was expected to last about a month with testimony from survivors and police. Prosecutors had submitted thousands of pages of evidence, as well as hours of a videotaped interrogation during which police say Crimo confessed to the shooting.
Dozens of people were wounded in the shooting in the suburb about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Chicago. The wounded ranged in age from their 80s down to an 8-year-old boy who was left partially paralyzed.
Witnesses described confusion as the shots began, followed by panic as families fled the downtown parade route, leaving behind lawn chairs and strollers to find safety inside nearby businesses or homes.
Authorities said Crimo perched on a roof and fired into crowds.
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.
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.
Sophia Tareen, The Associated Press