Highland Park Parade Shooter Pleads Guilty to Murder Charges

In a sudden courtroom development, Robert E. Crimo III, the man responsible for the 2022 Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park, pleaded guilty on Monday to charges of murder and attempted murder. The plea reversal occurred immediately before opening statements were scheduled to start, ending speculation about how the trial would proceed.

During the court appearance at the Lake County circuit court, Crimo, age 23, dressed formally in a dark suit, acknowledged his understanding of the charges when questioned by Judge Victoria Rossetti. Initially pleading not guilty, his shift to a guilty plea was solemn and concise. His mother reacted emotionally upon hearing the decision, briefly disrupting proceedings, although she was permitted to remain in the courtroom following a court warning.

The trial was initially set to last approximately a month, involving detailed accounts from victims, survivors, and police officers, along with extensive submitted evidence. Prosecutors compiled thousands of pages of documentation and presented hours of recorded interrogations, including Crimo's confession. Originally facing 21 charges of first-degree murder—three counts per victim—and numerous attempted murder charges, he ultimately pled guilty to 69 total counts after prosecutors had dropped lower-level aggravated battery charges.

Katherine Goldstein (64), Jacquelyn Sundheim (63), Stephen Straus (88), Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza (78), Eduardo Uvaldo (69), and the married couple Kevin and Irina McCarthy (37 and 35, respectively). The shooting also critically injured several others, most notably eight-year-old Cooper Roberts, who suffered paralysis after severe spinal injuries caused by a bullet.

Following the attack, city officials canceled the parade for 2023 in favor of a community walk. The parade returned the following year, on a different route featuring a tribute to the victims. Crimo was initially expected to agree to a plea deal in June 2024, a move that would allow victims and family members the chance to address him directly in public. Unexpectedly, Crimo rejected the arrangement while appearing in court in a wheelchair, a move that puzzled even his own defense team.

The incident further brought scrutiny upon Crimo's father, Robert Crimo Jr., previously a candidate for mayor. In 2023, he faced charges related to recklessly enabling his son to obtain firearms by acting as his sponsor in a gun license application. The younger Crimo had earlier displayed alarming behavior, including threats of violence and possession of knives. Nonetheless, with his father's support, Robert E. Crimo III was legally able to acquire firearms. Robert Crimo Jr. ultimately pleaded guilty to multiple misdemeanor reckless conduct charges, serving a brief jail term of under two months.

Crimo now awaits sentencing on April 23 and potentially faces life imprisonment. Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011, ruling out capital punishment as a possible sentence in this case.