Highland Park shooter pleads guilty to all charges
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People embrace at a vigil in Everts Park for those killed near the scene of a shooting at a Fourth of July parade, on July 6, 2022 in Highwood, Illinois. Photo: Jim Vondruska/Getty Images
The Highland Park shooter, Robert Crimo III, pleaded guilty Monday to all 69 counts of murder and attempted murder.
Driving the news: Opening statements were scheduled to begin Monday morning in Crimo's trial in Lake County Court.
- After Crimo's attorneys entered the plea, Judge Victoria Rossetti questioned the suspect to ensure he understood what he was doing, the Tribune reported.
Catch up quick: Crimo was accused of fatally shooting seven people and wounding several others at Highland Park's annual Fourth of July parade in 2022.
- After the shooting, he fled the scene and local authorities eventually captured him in nearby Waukegan.
- The seven people killed were Katherine Goldstein, Irina McCarthy, Kevin McCarthy, Stephen Straus, Jacquelyn Sundheim, Nicolas Toledo Zaragoza and Eduardo Uvaldo.
Zoom in: Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart last week dismissed 47 aggravated battery charges against Crimo. Rinehart said Monday outside the courtroom that those charges were the exact same counts as the 48 attempted murder charges and wouldn't affect Crimo's prison time.
- Rinehart said he did not offer Crimo a deal and learned the suspect would plead guilty Monday morning.
- "Let me be clear: This was not a negotiation. He received nothing in exchange for this plea today," Rinehart said.
- "We have been working for years to prepare our evidence which includes DNA testing, fingerprint identification, firearm records, video evidence ... his admissions that he made at that time would have confirmed every piece of physical evidence."
What they're saying: "I just want to share that our thoughts and our 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 towards justice, but it does not erase the pain we share," Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said.
Both Rotering and Rinehart reiterated that the Lake County victim services remain open and willing to help community members who were affected by the 2022 shooting.
Zoom out: Highland Park state Rep. Bob Morgan introduced an assault weapons ban that passed in 2023, but gun store owners and Second Amendment activists almost immediately challenged the law, saying it was unconstitutional.
- The ban is currently in place as the lawsuit is pending before a federal court of appeals.
What's next: Crimo's sentencing is set for April 23.
- "The guilty plea on all 69 counts of murder and attempted murder is not the final chapter for our clients. They will be present at the sentencing on April 23 and will tell their personal stories to the court," a spokesperson for 50 victims said in a statement.