The father of a man charged in a deadly Fourth of July parade shooting in suburban Chicago accused of helping his teenage son obtain a gun license even after he had threatened violence accepted a plea deal moments before his trial was set to begin.
Editor's Note: The video in the player above is from a previous report.
A trial date has been set for the man accused in the Highland Park Fourth of July Parade shooting, with alleged gunman Robert E. Crimo III expected to represent himself in upcoming proceedings.
A Lake County set the trial date for Feb. 26, 2024, with the case expected to take anywhere from four to six weeks.
Crimo's next appearance is slated for Jan. 10, where he will represent himself.
Several times during Monday's hearing, judge Victoria Rossetti asked if Crimo understood the possible penalties — including consecutive life sentences — if a jury finds him guilty. She suggested he reconsider.
Crimo — a 23-year-old man with straight dark hair past his shoulders, wearing a red jail uniform — answered that he understood.
The judge asked Crimo if he had any legal education, and he said he had once been an observer in court. In response to the judge’s questioning, Crimo said high school is the highest level of schooling he attained.
Local
Rossetti explained that he would be responsible for all aspects of his defense, including filing motions, subpoenaing witnesses, and making opening and closing statements.
Crimo agreed.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
“You will be representing yourself,” Rossetti finally said, before granting Crimo’s request to schedule his trial as quickly as possible.
Public defenders Greg Ticsay and Anton Trizna, who represented Crimo until Monday, declined to comment.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office said prosecutors will be "ready for trial on the set date."
"Our victim specialists have been in constant communication with the victims and their families throughout the case and will continue to do so. Our office has no comment the defendant's legal representation," Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement.
Prosecutors have said Crimo admitted to the shooting when police arrested him following an hourslong search on July 4, 2022.
He is being held at Lake County Jail.
In a hearing earlier this year, Judge Victoria Rossetti had said that in the fall, she would set a trial date for Robert E. Crimo III, who’s accused of killing seven people and wounding 48 others the 2022 suburban parade. However, during a court date in September, prosecutors asked for three more months to finish gathering evidence, including a pending FYI report and chain of custody paperwork.
Crimo has pleaded not guilty to 117 felony counts for allegedly firing an assault rifle at paradegoers from a rooftop at Central Avenue and Second Street in north suburban Highland Park.
Assistant State’s Attorney Ben Dillon said prosecutors have shared more than 10,000 pages of medical reports and other evidence in the discovery process.
Since Crimo’s last hearing, prosecutors have received five more reports from the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, Skokie Hospital, Highland Park Hospital, the Cook County medical examiner’s office and Lurie Children’s Hospital.
Crimo’s father, Robert Crimo Jr., was charged with seven counts of reckless conduct for signing his son’s firearm owner’s identification card application when he was 19 years old. Just before his trial was expected to begin, Crimo Jr. last month pleaded guilty to lowered charges as part of a plea deal.
He was sentenced to 60 days in jail, two years probation and 100 hours of community service.
