
Survivors of 2022 July Fourth parade mass shooting to address gunman before his sentencing
Survivors and relatives of people killed in a 2022 mass shooting at an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago are set to address the gunman Wednesday at his sentencing hearing.
Robert E. Crimo III, 24, pleaded guilty last month to the shooting that left seven people dead and dozens more injured. His plea change, just moments before opening statements at his trial, came as a shock even after years of unpredictable legal proceedings.
Crimo is certain to spend the rest of his life in prison. Each count of first-degree murder carries a maximum natural life sentence in Illinois. Prosecutors and attorneys for survivors say addressing Crimo is an important step.
'They have been patiently waiting for justice to be served,' said a statement from Romanucci & Blandin, a Chicago-based law firm that represents nearly 50 victims. They 'will tell their personal stories to the court, and they are steadfastly committed to pursuing justice.'
Attorneys were unsure how many people might give so-called 'victim impact statements,' saying some may decide at the last minute. Prosecutors are also expected to lay out evidence during the sentencing hearing at the Lake County Courthouse, roughly 45 miles (70 kilometers) from Chicago.
The case has moved slowly through the court, in part because of Crimo's erratic behavior.
He was expected to accept a plea deal last year but changed his mind once he got to court, shocking even his own attorneys.
Crimo fired his public defenders and said he would represent himself. Then he reversed his decision. He's refused to leave his cell to attend court proceedings at times, including during parts of jury selection. After he pleaded guilty in court, he signed documents waiving his right to trial with both his own name and the name 'Donald Trump.'
Ashbey Beasley attended the parade with her son in 2022. Though they weren't injured, she said they had to run for their lives and seeing Crimo adds to their trauma.
'Every single time I see him, it's stressful,' she told reporters after the guilty plea. 'It's upsetting for everyone in our community.'
Dozens were wounded in the shooting in the suburb about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Chicago. They ranged in age from their 80s down to an 8-year-old boy who was left partially paralyzed.
Authorities said Crimo perched on a roof and fired into the crowds. Witnesses described confusion as the shots began, followed by terror as families bolted from the downtown parade route, leaving lawn chairs and strollers behind.
Prosecutors had reams of evidence, including Crimo's videotaped confession to police.
'We were 1,000% ready to go to trial and prove him guilty to the jury. We have been working for years to prepare our evidence,' Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart told reporters after the guilty plea.
Prosecutors initially charged Crimo with 21 counts of first-degree murder — three counts for each person killed — and 48 counts of attempted murder for the injured. Prosecutors later dropped 48 less serious counts of aggravated battery before jury selection.
Residents in the upscale Highland Park community of roughly 30,000 have mourned the shooting deeply. Some potential jurors were excused because of their connections to the high-profile case. Several survivors have also filed lawsuits against Crimo and gunmaker Smith & Wesson.
City leaders canceled the usual parade in 2023, opting instead for a 'community walk.' The parade was reinstated last year on a different route and included a memorial.
The seven people killed in the shooting were Katherine Goldstein, 64; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; Eduardo Uvaldo, 69; and married couple Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35.
Crimo's father, Robert Crimo Jr., a former mayoral candidate, was charged in connection with how his son obtained a gun license. He pleaded guilty in 2023 to seven misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct. He served less than two months in jail.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Teen critically hurt after being shot during fight near 31st Street Beach, police say
A teenage boy was hospitalized after being shot during a fight near 31st Street Beach Wednesday night. It happened just before 10 p.m. in the 600 block of East 31st Street Drive. Chicago police said the victim, a 17-year-old boy, was outside when a fight broke out between multiple people, during which multiple shots were fired. The boy was hit once in the abdomen and was taken to Comer Children's Hospital in critical condition. It's unclear what led up to the fight or how many people were involved. As of Thursday morning, no arrests were made. Area 1 detectives are investigating.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mother of protester says trial wait 'outrageous'
The mother of a man charged in relation to an alleged break-in at the UK site of an Israel-based defence firm has said it is "outrageous" that he faces 21 months in prison before his case goes to trial. William Plastow, 34, is one of the 'Filton 18' accused of taking part in a Palestine Action protest at an Elbit Systems UK factory in Filton, Bristol last August. Mr Plastow is still awaiting his trial which is scheduled for April next year. His mum, Jane Plastow, believes it is the longest anyone has been held in prison pre-trial on protest-related charges. The Judicial Office told the BBC it could not comment on individual cases. An earlier court hearing was told that during the incident a vehicle was driven into the doors of buildings and two responding police officers and a security guard were injured. Along with many of the rest of the group, Mr Plastow, from Manchester, is charged with criminal damage, violent disorder and aggravated burglary which he denies. The Home Office has previously told the BBC: "The CPS has decided that there is sufficient evidence to submit to the court that these offences have a terrorism connection." However, none of the 18 have been charged with terror offences. Elbit Systems UK is run separately to Israel-based Elbit Systems. It previously told the BBC that claims the facilities supply the Israeli military are "completely false". An Elbit Systems UK spokesperson told the BBC it will not comment on an ongoing legal process. "I think [for Mr Plastow] there's a great sense of helplessness and hopelessness," Ms Plastow said. "There have been lots of people locked up as political prisoners in Britain recently, there is Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil - but nobody has been locked up longer than my son and some of his comrades." Ms Plastow said her son applied for bail, promising the judge that he would stay with his mother and wear an electronic tag. "We had discussed the most onerous terms, it basically amounted to house arrest," Ms Plastow said. She said she offered to pay £50,000, from a recent inheritance, but he was denied bail. "My son has never been violent. It is a gross overreach," Ms Plastow added. "The idea that at the moment it looks like he will be locked up for 21 months is outrageous." More news stories for Bristol Watch the latest Points West Listen to the latest news for Bristol Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. UN expert's concern over activist charges 'My daughter was branded a terrorist'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Watch Me Whip rapper sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing his cousin
Silentó, the rapper behind the 2015 viral hit 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),' has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the fatal 2021 shooting of his cousin. On Wednesday, the 27-year-old Atlanta-based artist, real name Ricky Hawk, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possessing a gun while committing a crime and concealing the death of another. As part of his plea deal, another murder charge was dropped. Silentó was 23 when he was arrested by DeKalb County police and charged with the murder of his 34-year-old cousin, Frederick Roots III, in January 2021. At the time, police responded to a report of a person shot outside a home in a suburban area near Decatur, Georgia. When they arrived, they found Roots bleeding heavily from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said they found 10 bullet casings near Rooks's body, and security video from a nearby home showed a white BMW SUV speeding away shortly after the gunshots. A family member of Rooks told police that Silentó had picked up Rooks in a white BMW SUV, and GPS data and other cameras put the vehicle at the site of the shooting. Silentó confessed about 10 days later, after he was arrested, police said. Ballistics testing matched the bullet casings to a gun that Silentó had when he was arrested, authorities said. Rooks' brothers and sisters told DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L. Johnson before sentencing that Silentó should have gotten a longer sentence, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Silentó was a high school junior in suburban Atlanta in 2015 when he released 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)' and watched it skyrocket into a dance craze. Silentó made multiple other albums, but said in an interview with the medical talk show The Doctors in 2019 that he struggled with depression and had grown up in a family where he witnessed mental illness and violence. 'I've been fighting demons my whole life, my whole life,' he said in 2019. 'Depression doesn't leave you when you become famous, it just adds more pressure,' Silentó said then, urging others to get help. 'And while everybody's looking at you, they're also judging you.' He added: 'I don't know if I can truly be happy, I don't know if these demons will ever go away.' Silentó had been struggling with his mental health in the months before the arrest. His publicist, Chanel Hudson, has said he had tried to kill himself in 2020. The rapper was arrested twice in 2020 — once following an incident involving a hatchet and another time on reckless driving charges. Additional reporting by The Associated Press