Crime & Law
Highland Park Parade Shooting Victims Will be Allowed in Court During Upcoming Trial of Alleged Gunman
Robert E. Crimo, III appears for a case management meeting before Judge Victoria A. Rossetti at the at the Lake County Courthouse Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024 in Waukegan, Ill. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)
Dozens of men and women who were struck by gunfire at the 2022 Highland Park Fourth of July parade will be allowed to attend the upcoming trial of the alleged gunman.
Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti on Thursday granted a prosecution motion that will allow any victim who is set to testify against Robert Crimo III to remain in court throughout the entirety of his trial.
Rossetti recited portions of the Illinois victim’s bill of rights, which states that a victim has the right to appear in court on the same basis as a defendant, unless they are set to testify and the court finds that testimony would be “materially affected” by hearing other testimony at trial.
But Rossetti noted that would not be the case, as each victim would only be testifying about their own specific observations of the shooting and its aftermath.
“And that would not materially affect or influence any other testimony by victim witnesses,” she said. “The issue is specific to each individual victim witness.”
Each individual victim would be allowed to make up their own mind as to whether they wish to remain in the courtroom, Rossetti added.
Crimo, 24, is set to stand trial on more than 100 charges, including 21 counts of first-degree murder — three charges for each individual killed in the mass shooting.
He allegedly climbed atop a Highland Park business where he then fired more than 80 rounds from a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 semi-automatic rifle at the crowd below. Crimo then allegedly disguised himself in women’s clothing in order to conceal distinctive face and neck tattoos as he made his escape.
More than 50 people were shot, including seven people — 64-year-old Katherine Goldstein; 35-year-old Irina McCarthy and her 37-year-old husband Kevin McCarthy; 63-year-old Jacquelyn Sundheim; 88-year-old Stephen Straus; 78-year-old Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza; and 69-year-old Eduardo Uvaldo — who were killed in the shooting.
Crimo pleaded not guilty and was set for trial in early 2024 when he dismissed his public defender and sought to represent himself while demanding a speedy trial. He eventually backtracked off that demand and re-hired his attorney, but the trial was delayed until Feb. 2025.
Crimo’s trial was also nearly averted when he appeared at a change of plea hearing in June intent on pleading guilty to the first-degree murder charges and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm. He would have then been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
But with victims and families gathered in the courtroom, Crimo abruptly changed his mind at the last moment and refused the plea deal — a decision Sundheim’s family said displayed “his complete and blatant disregard for humans, for anyone, for all of us in that courtroom.”
Crimo remains in custody at the Lake County Jail.
Following her ruling, Rossetti advised Crimo — who appeared in court Thursday but has previously refused to attend some hearings in his case — that his trial will move forward whether he decided to attend or not.
“And if you are found guilty,” she said, “you can be sentenced without being present.”
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday morning.
Contact Matt Masterson: @ByMattMasterson | [email protected] | (773) 509-5431
