CHICAGO (CN) — The suspect in the Highland Park Fourth of July shooting refused to take an anticipated plea deal on Wednesday, pulling the rug out from under his own attorneys in a courtroom filled with family members of the victims, who include seven killed and dozens of others injured in the 2022 attack.
Robert Crimo III was brought into court in a wheelchair, and when Judge Victoria Rossetti asked him if he'd gone over the plea deal with his lawyers, he looked forward with a blank stare and remained silent.
His lawyers then asked for a recess so they could talk with their client. When they returned, Crimo said he'd gone over the deal with his lawyers, and when Rossetti asked him if he'd like to move forward with the plea, the 23-year-old defendant quickly said "no."
Rossetti set a tentative trial date for the week of February 24, 2025.
Authorities say Crimo fired more than 80 rounds from a rooftop overlooking the crowded Highland Park Fourth of July Parade on the morning of July 4, 2022. They say he disguised himself as a woman when he carried out the shooting on the affluent northwest Chicago suburb.
The motive for the shooting was not entirely clear, officials say, but just days before the shooting, Crimo reportedly posted comments online rife with racist and antisemitic tropes.
Crimo was indicted in August 2022 and pleaded not guilty to the 117 criminal charges he faced: 21 counts of first-degree murder (3 for each of the seven people who were killed), 48 counts of aggravated battery and 48 counts of attempted murder (one count for every person who was injured in the shooting).
The plea deal stipulated that Crimo would plead guilty to 7 counts of first-degree murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, and would face life in prison with no chance of parole.
Wednesday's hearing was not the first time Crimo changed his mind at the last minute during court proceedings. In December, he told Rossetti that he wanted a speedy trial and to represent himself, despite never having watched a criminal trial, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He retracted his plan to defend himself in early January and asked the judge to reappoint a public defender to his case.
His father, Robert Crimo Jr., pleaded guilty in November 2023 to seven counts of felony reckless conduct because he sponsored his son's 2019 firearm ID card application, despite multiple concerning past incidents. Robert Crimo III used that FOID card to buy the weapons he used to carry out the Highland Park mass shooting, according to the government.
The charges against both Crimos ignited changes to firearm laws across Illinois. In January 2023, Illinois lawmakers approved a ban on assault rifles, which has since faced multiple legal challenges at the state and federal level.
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