A suburban Chicago man accused of killing seven people and injuring 48 others in the 2022 Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, agreed to flip his plea to guilty in court on Monday.
Robert Crimo III, 24, faces 21 counts of first-degree murder – three counts for each person killed – as well as 48 counts of attempted murder. He initially pleaded not guilty to all 69 charges.
In court, the judge asked Crimo if he understood there would not be a trial should he plead guilty. Crimo responded that he understood and changed his plea to guilty on all charges.
A sentencing hearing for Crimo is set for April 23.
HIGHLAND PARK PARADE SHOOTING SUSPECT ROBERT CRIMO III DECLINES PLEA DEAL
Crimo allegedly climbed on a roof above the Fourth of July parade in downtown Highland Park, 30 miles north of Chicago, and opened fire on spectators with a legally purchased Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle.
The seven victims who died in the shooting are Jacki Sundheim, 63; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; Irina McCarthy, 35, and Kevin McCarthy, 37; Katherine Goldstein, 64; Stephen Straus, 88; and Edwardo Uvaldo, 69.
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.
The road to a trial was bumpy, with delays partly due to Crimo’s unpredictability, including his rejection of a plea deal that even surprised his attorneys. As potential jurors were questioned last week, he sporadically appeared in court, at times refusing to leave his jail cell.
At one point, Crimo fired his public defenders and said he would represent himself, then abruptly reversed himself.
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Fox News’ Patrick McGovern and Audrey Conklin, along with The Associated Press, contributed to this report.
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