For weeks, family members and survivors were told that Crimo wanted to change his initial plea to guilty. Many had prepared victim impact statements that they hoped to read aloud.
But after a Lake County prosecutor announced in court that the 23-year-old defendant would plead to 55 counts, which would likely mean spending the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole, Judge tour manager Victoria Rossetti turned to Crimo for her business. acknowledgement. He remained silent for so long that the judge asked if he and his lawyer needed to speak. A brief pause followed, then heartbreaking news for the victims’ loved ones.
The public defender announced that Crimo was not ready to move forward. Rossetti immediately postponed his trial date to February 25.
The courtroom itself remained silent; those gathered had been warned in advance to keep their emotions in check and to refrain from any outbursts. Their horrified faces were reaction enough, however. And soon after, after meeting privately with prosecutors, they walked out in anger, frustration and once again in sharp pain. Many pointed out that the second anniversary of the tragedy is only eight days away.
Leah Sundheim, whose mother, Jacquelyn Sundheim, was among those who died, had hoped the anticipated outcome of the hearing would help her continue her recovery.
“All I wanted was to be able to fully grieve for my mother without the impending trial, knowing he was going to spend the rest of his life in prison,” Sundheim said. “Instead, we were once again shown his complete and blatant disregard for humans.”
Attorney Antonio Romanucci, who represents some of the victims’ families in a separate civil suit, described “a lot of shock and disappointment.”
“Today,” he said, “you saw pure, absolute evil. … It was a calculated effort on his part to continue to suffer. He loved the theater. He wasn’t looking at this family. He knew he had an audience.”
The defendant, who allegedly opened fire from a rooftop with an AR-style rifle, eluded capture during the 2022 parade by wearing women’s clothing to conceal his identity and fleeing with those trying to escape the gunfire. He was found on a highway north of Highland Park after an eight-hour search. Prosecutors said his confession provided no definitive motive.
He is charged with 117 counts of murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm. Law enforcement accuses him of firing more than 80 rounds from a Smith & Wesson semi-automatic rifle from atop a building overlooking the festivities.
The town where Crimo grew up has been shaken. The victims ranged in age from 35 to 88 and included Irina and Kevin McCarthy, who died protecting their 2-year-old son. An 8-year-old boy, Cooper Roberts, was left paralyzed from the waist down. A bystander put his young son in a dumpster for safety as he rushed to find and protect other family members.
The military-style rifle used had been purchased legally, according to law enforcement.
Crimo has been held without bail since his arrest. He was scheduled to stand trial for the first time in February, but the trial was delayed when he briefly asked to represent himself. His next trial date, with a public defender representing him, was scheduled for early 2025, which is why the victims’ families were ready for an earlier conclusion when they learned of his planned plea.
A strong police presence was present in front of the courthouse on Wednesday. As Crimo was led into the courtroom, dressed in a dark blue prison garb and chained to a wheelchair, all eyes were on him.
Josh Koskoff, Maria Uvaldo’s attorney, said she will wait as long as it takes to get justice for her husband, Eduardo Uvaldo. Eduardo had “realized the American dream,” Koskoff said, and was so patriotic after arriving in this country that on the Fourth of July he proudly wore shorts with the American flag.
Crimo’s parents were both present in the courtroom. In November, his father pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts of reckless driving for allowing his son to obtain guns despite knowing he had previously threatened a school shooting, in addition to a separate threat to “kill everyone” and a suicide attempt in 2019.
“Robert Crimo Jr. made the reckless and dangerous decision to sponsor his son’s gun application,” Lake County Prosecutor Eric Rinehart noted at the time. “It wasn’t a fishing license. This was not permission to go to the museum. »
Crimo Jr., a well-known resident who once ran for mayor, arrived at the Lake County Courthouse last fall wearing a shirt that read “I’m a Political Pawn” on the front . He was reprimanded and returned the shirt, then was sentenced to 60 days in jail, two years of probation and 100 days of public service – far less than the three years in prison he was sentenced to at his trial. He served 27 days before being released for good behavior.
Following the father’s plea, Rinehart said the case against Crimo Jr. represents a new type of prosecution, one that attempts to hold parents accountable for mass killings committed by their children.
“Only in America are we dealing with an ocean of guns,” he said, “and we are drowning in that ocean.”
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News Source : www.washingtonpost.com
