Highland Park gunman Robert Crimo III sentenced to life for July 4th shooting in 2022 that killed 7
Robert E. 'Bobby' Crimo III, 24, was a no-show in court on Thursday and declined to make a statement to the court, his lawyer said.
It did not appear that any relatives of the killer's family attended the sentencing.
"The court finds he's irrevocably depraved," Judge Victoria Rossetti said as she handed down the maximum sentence. "He is beyond any rehabilitation."
Crimo pleaded guilty last month to a host of charges stemming from the mass shooting that wounded nearly 50 more people in addition to the seven deaths.
The July 4, 2022 parade in Highland Park was about 30 miles outside of Chicago.
"In the middle of that joy, in the middle of that celebration, 83 shots rang out over 40 seconds. Eighty-three attempts to hurt people, do as much damage as possible. Eighty-three attempts to kill. Eighty-three attempts to reduce light in the world," Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said. "He intended to end the happiness he saw around him. "
The seven people killed by Crime were Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; Eduardo Uvaldo, 69; Katherine Goldstein, 64; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; and married couple Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35. Cooper Roberts, then 8, was shot and paralyzed.
Some in the court sobbed and hugged one another as Rinehart summed up the mass trauma left by that shooting.
"I cannot attempt to reign in the pain, ocean of grief, pain, trauma, heartache and loss," Rinehart said.
Thursday's hearing was a continuation from Wednesday when more than a dozen witnesses testified, recalling the horrors of that day nearly three years ago.
John Kezdy and wife Erica Weeder both survived their wounds from that day, but were left with permanent emotional scars, she said.
'Because of this mass shooting, this act of terror,' Weeder testified on Thursday, 'I and my children and entire community now know no one is ever really safe.'
Kezdy, a punk rocker -turned-state prosecutor, was killed a year later in a bicycle accident.
Weeder said she's still nervous about driving and hearing loud noises from construction sites.
'John and I willed ourselves to minimize the impact of shooting on our lives,' Weeder said.
After his capture, Crimo told police he was trying to avoid shooting children, targeting adults and aiming for the 'chest up.'
Life without the possibility of parole is the most severe punishment Crimo faced as Illinois doesn't have capital punishment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
06-08-2025
- Time Out
July 2025 was one of the safest summer months on record in New York City
New York City's summer crime wave? More like a summer crime ripple. The NYPD just dropped stats showing that July 2025 wasn't just safer than last summer—it was one of the safest Julys since the city started keeping records. Across the five boroughs, shootings hit all-time lows for the month, with just 75 incidents and 92 victims, per a recently released report. That's down from the previous record in July 2017, when 79 incidents and 102 victims were recorded. And it wasn't just July: The first seven months of 2025 also saw the lowest number of shootings (412) and shooting victims (489) since the NYPD began tracking the category in the 1990s. Even the notoriously tricky Fourth of July weekend, a time police say can spike gun violence, saw the lowest shooting totals ever recorded for the holiday—and tied the all-time low for the day itself. Overall, major crime fell 5.6-percent in July compared to last year, marking the 10th straight month of declines. Murders dropped nearly in half (25 vs. 49), burglaries were down 14.2-percent, robberies dipped 7.5-percent and felony assaults fell 8.1-percent. In the subway, July crime was the lowest on record, excluding the pandemic's ridership-starved summers of 2020–2021. Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch credit the gains to 'precision policing' and the city's Summer Violence Reduction Plan. Since May, the NYPD has deployed more than 2,000 uniformed officers to 72 'summer zones' in precincts, public housing and transit hubs, focusing on high-priority crime hot spots. The payoff: Major crime in those zones is down over 20-percent during deployment hours, with shootings cut in half. Guns remain a big part of the NYPD's focus: More than 3,000 illegal firearms have been seized this year and more than 22,900 since Adams took office. Gang takedowns are also up, with 48 major busts so far in 2025 leading to 347 arrests and 236 guns recovered. Not every number trended downward. Reported rapes rose 33-percent year-over-year in July, an increase officials link to changes in state law last fall that broadened the definition of rape to include more forms of sexual assault. Still, city officials are quick to point out the larger trajectory. 'This is the safest big city in America,' Adams said, noting that while high-profile incidents like last week's Midtown mass shooting grab headlines, they happen against a backdrop of historically low crime rates.
Daily Mail
02-08-2025
- Daily Mail
Chilling details emerge after mass shooting at Fourth of July bar party
Chilling new details have emerged about the horror mass shooting which hospitalized eight people after a late-night Fourth of July celebration in Philadelphia ended in gun fire. Shots rang out shortly before 4am Saturday at 7 Elements bar on 11th Street and Washington Avenue in south Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Philadelphia Police Department arrived on scene after reports came in of a shooting involving multiple victims. Police have not released the names of the suspects and it is still unclear whether there were multiple shooters involved. The bloodbath ensued after a physical altercation on the balcony of the bar, according to police. 'Several individuals sustained gunshot wounds and were transported to various hospitals. All victims are currently listed in stable condition,' a spokesperson for the police department told Daily Mail. The victims ranged in ages from 25 to 43 years old. Most of them sustained injuries to their arms and legs. Two security guards, both aged 43, were also transported to a hospital. One had a gunshot wound to his groin while the other sustained a wound on his left arm. One of the female victims, 28, sustained an injury to her left knee and arrived at the hospital on her own. The victims are being treated at four local hospitals. 7 Elements is a bar located on the second floor of a shopping center. Police closed off the plaza on Saturday morning to search for evidence. Bullet casings were found on the upper floor of the establishment and on the staircase that leads to the lower level and the parking lot. Previous reports stated that 11 people were injured, but this was revised down to eight by the police. The bar's website lists its hours as 6pm to 2am, Monday through Saturday. 7 Elements was closed by the time police arrived. Police had to 'defeat' the doors to make sure there were no other victims inside the establishment. 'This business should not be open that late, and upon arrival, it was shut, and we had to ensure there were no other victims inside,' Philadelphia Police Inspector D F Pace said at a press conference. 'They look like they're going to survive,' Pace said of the victims. 'It's a lot of people.' Police have yet to reveal a motive for the shooting and the events that transpired beforehand. No arrests have been made. Identities of the victims haven't yet been released. It's unclear what the motive for the shooting was and if there were multiple gunmen involved Saturday's shooting was the largest in Philadelphia since two people were killed and nine were injured on Memorial Day in Fairmount Park. Multiple rounds of 'rapid' gunfire erupted on Lemon Hill Drive in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, where thousands had gathered to celebrate the long holiday weekend in May. When the shots were fired, a total of 11 people - ranging in age from 15 to 28, were struck, including Amya Devlin, 23, and Mikhail Bowers, 21, who were tragically killed in the incident. Three teenagers - aged 15, 16, and 17 - were among those injured in the shooting.
Scottish Sun
27-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
Boy, seven, mauled by 13ft shark & has part of leg torn off by beast after jumping into water while playing with friends
Doctors decided his injuries were so severe that he was evacuated to a major hospital SAVAGED BY BEAST Boy, seven, mauled by 13ft shark & has part of leg torn off by beast after jumping into water while playing with friends Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD boy has been attacked by a 13ft shark who ripped off part of the child's leg. The boy was playing with his friends in shark infested waters when the beast grabbed hold of his body. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 A seven-year-old boy has been attacked by a 13ft shark who ripped off part of the child's leg Credit: Getty Horrified witnesses at Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva recalled seeing the boy jump from a fisherman's dock moments before being attacked. The child was snagged on his right forearm, left hand and had one of his calves ripped off. He was quickly treated at the scene before being rushed to a local hospital. Doctors decided his injuries were so severe that he was evacuated to the larger Taaone Hospital shortly after arriving. Another shark attack victim was left with similar wounds after her calf was torn off in a Fourth of July mauling. Tabatha Sullivent was one of four people injured in a shark attack on South Padre Island off the southern coast of Texas. Sullivent recalls feeling the beast approach as she tried to kick it to get ot to go away. But the shark suddenly clasped onto her leg and bit off a majority of her left calf. It comes as a luxury Maldives getaway turned into a nightmare when a dentist was mauled by a shark in a terrifying attack. Ekaterina Alexandrova, 30, from Moscow, shared footage of the moment she was attacked while snorkelling with a friend.
